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I have fond memories of the first time I went to see Atarah at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow possibly around 1977. My mother was mortified to watch us dancing up and down the isles but to her relief, all the children were doing it. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the show and she was such a wonderful character who got all the children's attention with ease. ❤️

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I have known Atarah for over 30 years, attended her concerts in London, she ran concerts for my St Margaret’s School in Gosfield many times, she played at my son’s wedding and mine  too! She ‘bullied’ me in to playing the Clarinet, saying I only needed to pay her if I passed first grade……of course I had to pay her for all those wonderful lessons which didn’t feel like lessons, so much laughter, chat and just fun.
Gosh, I miss her and feel so grateful to have had a little part of her life. Freya

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I'm not a musician but come to this site via the mother of my godchildren, a close and talented friend who studied with Atarah and will be playing this afternoon (8.1.23).

Atarah was a central part of my childhood. Every year my own godmother would take her coterie of godchildren to Atarah and Band's concert at our local leisure centre. We still have cassettes bought at the time that we listened to over and over. Atarah made music fun, serious musician meets Glam Rock (this was the 70s). I owe her a great deal indeed.

Sending love to her (extended) family and friends.

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I only met this wonderful and inspirational woman some 4 to 5 years ago when I enquired about the possibilty of taking the ABRSM paino exams here in France. She became my piano teacher and oh, how I so wish I had met her years earlier. She was a Force of Nature, full of life and joy. How I miss her saying loudly "get those shoulders down!" and "play the notes accurately and not like a homosexual". Never one to mince her words! Under her tutelage, I passed all my ABRSM piano exams at Grades 5, 6 & 7, all with Merit. Thank you Atarah. We had just started the Grade 8 piano when her long fight with cancer was obviously going to bring her to accept the inevitable and lessons had to stop. I will never find a teacher like her again. Because Atarah felt that I had some timing issues, she encouraged me to take up the recorder, to which I quickly made progress. Seeing that maybe an alternative to the recorder might suit better and stop any marital disputes(!), she leant me her clarinet: suddenly I launched off into another part of the glorious world that is music. Again, under her excellent tutelage, I got my Grade 1 clarinet in 4 months, obtainng a distinction. Thank you Atarah. I am sad that she will never know my Grade 8 piano nor my Grade 2 clarinet but I hope that she looks down to see yet another one of her pupils that she so inspired and encouraged carry on making music. Goodbye Atarah - I miss you so much. David Cox

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I only met this wonderful and inspirational woman some 4 to 5 years ago when I enquired about the possibilty of taking the ABRSM paino exams here in France. She became my piano teacher and oh, how I so wish I had met her years earlier. She was a Force of Nature, full of life and joy. How I miss her saying loudly "get those shoulders down!" and "play the notes accurately and not like a homosexual". Never one to mince her words! Under her tutelage, I passed all my ABRSM piano exams at Grades 5, 6 & 7, all with Merit. Thank you Atarah. We had just started the Grade 8 piano when her long fight with cancer was obviously going to bring her to accept the inevitable and lessons had to stop. I will never find a teacher like her again. Because Atarah felt that I had some timing issues, she encouraged me to take up the recorder, to which I quickly made progress. Seeing that maybe an alternative to the recorder might suit better and stop any marital disputes(!), she leant me her clarinet: suddenly I launched off into another part of the glorious world that is music. Again, under her excellent tutelage, I got my Grade 1 clarinet in 4 months, obtainng a distinction. Thank you Atarah. I am sad that she will never know my Grade 8 piano nor my Grade 2 clarinet but I hope that she looks down to see yet another one of her pupils that she so inspired and encouraged carry on making music. Goodbye Atarah - I miss you so much. David Cox

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At the Celebration of Hope concert in Toronto, my daughter was standing on the stage when the music failed to start. Immediately, Atarah eased everyone into laughter in that great hall. Her light was so bright, the awkwardness just disappeared. Thank you, Atarah, for always experiencing life as a celebration. It was infectious xox

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I am so pleased that Clare Southworth-Stammeijer& I decided to post what we both did about Atarah. There have been so many posts since from friends old & new & this has been overwhelming. Atarah will be delighted , if she has time to stop teaching, organising , befriending, playing, cooking & travelling! Hopefully she&Wibb will have a Flute Choir organised. We all know what she’ll be up to & will be delighted to know how loved she was ❤️so inspirational/loved her friends . Such an icon. I haven’t shed tears yet as can’t quite process that the wonderful , energetic Atarah is no longer with us. I have such wonderful memories of playing with The Flute Orchestra London & the ebullient Julie Wright with & for Atarah& making so many friends/busking in the markets/ and the food, fun & fluting will never quite be the same. Thankyou Atarah.

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I held her hand and told her that I loved her. She smiled and closed her eyes.
That was just two days before she left us.
I met Atarah when I was 35 in France in 1995, in a supermarket. She walked right up to me and said, 'which instrument do you play?' I was astounded. I played (badly) the clarinet. How did she know I played and instrument? She thrust a postcard with her name and address on it and disappeared, a flash of colour and a smile.
My life changed at that moment.
I did contact her and she put me in for my graded exams, I passed G8 in a few years. I then went on to study the flute with her and managed to get to G8 in about 3 years.
I went to the Barbican to help at one of the Children's Concerts. I was back stage at the beginning  and ended up ironing the young prodigy conductor's shirt !! I felt like a child sat watching her on stage, I had never seen classical music brought out of it's shell like this before.

I had a bout of bad luck and trauma in my life. She used to ring me up and say, come on over, let's play. I would go, we would play and she'd say 'you feel better now don't you?' and I did. She healed me with music, we played, not often speaking much, we just played. She managed to dispel the pain I felt and the sorrow that often consumed me. She was a magician working with the most delicate of subjects.
How will I go on without her? I will play my flute, I will listen to the music she played, I will pass on the joy of music to my grand child.
She was unique.
She was incredible.
She was my friend;

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Lucy Smith ❤️ One of the most important people in my life ❤️

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Lucy Smith ❤️ One of the most important people in my life ❤️

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There is, nor ever will be, anyone quite like Atarah. She was, quite simply, a genius in so many aspects of life.

When I first moved to Bordeaux in 2013, I was aware of her career and reputation in the music world. Given that we were living a stone's throw from each other, I thought I'd chance it and email to see if she could recommend a flute teacher as a way to speak more French, keep up the music and also keep myself sane. Instead, she offered to pick me up from the station, cook me lunch, let me swim in her pool, and give me an unrestricted length of lesson for very little.
"I knew it was you - I could tell you were a flute player as soon as you stepped off the train,” she said the first time we met. She always was so intuitive.

We hit it off immediately and she was the perfect combination of mad, bohemian, intelligent and passionate. I felt truly lucky to be taken under the wing of the most iconic and successful woman in the fluting world. She has taught me how to really "play" Bach, Mozart and the great repertoire in a way I wouldn't have done had I not known her (the right way!) She also fostered my passion, encouraging me to be great (sometimes hitting me on the head with a music book or shouting at me!) when I didn't believe I had it in me. She always was a character!

She was so kind, caring and compassionate, but equally forthright. She has always been there at every up down in my life since we met, some of which we journeyed together. I won't go into detail - she was far too gracious for that - but I will treasure the messages and voicenotes of encouragement and wisdom she sent always. We only spoke a week or so ago and  i wish I had thanked her again for everything and the deep impact she had on my life.

How lucky I was to have had her as my teacher, mentor, confidante, and the adopted Jewish grandmother I never had.

Until we meet again -
Shalom. 🕊️

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Atarah had the ability to make you feel you were the only person she was interested in, no matter whom you were. Our paths first crossed over 20 years ago in the Middle East and I remember the experience as if it were yesterday. It was to be the start of a close friendship that lasted up until her death last week. We worked together many times on projects around the world and she was always an inspiration to all who heard her teach and play.

One of the happiest memories was of an evening spent at her house in Gensac with her husband Doug. Upon discovering that as a younger man I had worked with all the great musicians on the Manchester scene we compared names. Their delight at the memories they both had of working with so many of the same artists, as part of Atarah’s Band, was wonderful to share and the wine and stories flowed well into the night.

Her love of all life and music was endless and it pained her to know it was finally coming to an end. She will forever be missed but never forgotten.

Nicholas Foster

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I remember attending Atarah’s residential courses at Hindhead Music Centre in my teen years - she was just so incredibly inspiring, but also one of the first true pro musicians I’d met that wanted to make time for all levels of musicians and share her passion for music with all of us. I’ve gone on to be a professional musician for all of my adult life thus far, and I give a huge amount of credit for that to people like Atarah that inspired me to pursue my own musical passion. She will be greatly missed - my love and thoughts are with her friends and family. ❤️

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I had the privilege of attending a few residential courses run by Atarah (and Julie) as a teenager and can remember them like they were yesterday. Entrenched some memories forever like all the boys playing Queen of Sheba as a quintet, encouraging a 15 piece piccolo choir (pretty sure breached the Geneva convention) and just pure energy and enthusiasm into truly getting people to engage with the music. She really helped change my perception of playing which had been so focused on grades and removing the perception of ‘stuff’ classical music.

Then several years later I find myself having changed degrees to Music (majoring in performance) and her reaching out encouraging me to come to France. I went and still ‘dine out’ on a couple of the memories made whilst out there. Discovering armagnac and working through a whole bottle with 3 others whilst playing through Kuhlau’s grand quartet, somehow I was better at the end, or so I like to tell myself. The picture attached is from time time out there (14 years ago I make it)

Truth be told I sold my soul after university and didn’t pursue  music as a career after university and slowly the flute playing dwindled. Replaced with rugby. Upon hearing the news the other day I brushed it off and played to my 5 month old daughter who was mesmerised (even with the duff notes and lazy intonation). I played all the pieces that reminded me of Atarah and then some of my favourites too.

Atarah was wonderfully wholesomely bonkers and I, alongside many others am a better person for having met her.

Tom McCullen

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I was so sorry to hear about Atarah. She did so much in the flute community and for the BFS too. She will be much missed. Trevor

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I was lucky enough to meet Atarah several times-including the BFS Council, BFS Teachers courses, conventions and locally organized flute days in Bolton and Kinross. She had  a huge capacity to give -very intelligent with a natural way of getting the best out of people, no matter what standard they were. A treasure lost..
Irene Irvin

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I met her many times at the BFS flute conventions at Manchester .She always was ready for a chat. I loved her flute ensemble sessions. She was such an inspiration.

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Dear All

We have lost Atarah.

That lovable lioness of a lady.

My teacher, mentor, colleague and loyal friend for 47 years.

Powerful motivator with a magical key to unlock that essential passion for music making.

Strong in her belief that there is a musician in everyone and a restless desire to find the exact path to suit.

A hunger to bring out the best in us all,  no matter what the lottery of life has drawn.

Musical bonds and friendships created, which will never die.

Horizons now wider and an approach to life clearer because of her constant energy and wisdom.

Feisty …. Indeed … but never forgotten.

Julie Wright October 20th 2022