Flute Almanac is honored to present this exclusive travel report by Ludwig Böhm, the world’s foremost historian and custodian of Theobald Boehm’s legacy. His tireless international work — lectures, documentation, research, and advocacy — continues to shape our understanding of the modern flute and its origins.
Although this text was originally prepared as a personal update, its cultural and historical value is significant. It offers a rare, real-time window into Ludwig Böhm’s activities across Southeastern Europe, documenting how flutists, students, and institutions engage with Boehm’s innovations today. With his kind permission, we present the report exactly as written, preserving his authentic voice and narrative. All photos are provided by Ludwig Böhm.
— Yulia Berry, DMA
Founder & Editorial Director, Flute Almanac
Flute Days in Sarajevo, Podgorica/Cetinje, Pristina, Skopje, and Tirana
1) Sarajevo (Bosnia)
Mirna Mlikota organized my slide lecture about Theobald Böhm and the preceding concert of students on Monday 3 November 2025.
I had to get up at 4:00 in the morning for the flight. Despite this, I missed my flight at 8:00, because there was construction work on the way to the main station, and a train to the airport was canceled. Therefore, I had to buy a new ticket for 388 EUR for a later flight. It is uncertain, whether Deutsche Bahn will reimburse me for the loss.
During my stop in Zagreb, the sun was shining brightly, but in Sarajevo, it was pouring rain. Before my slide presentation at 18.00, students performed Opus 18, 32 and arrangement [27] by Theobald Böhm. After the lecture, there was an opportunity for discussion in a nearby restaurant.
2) Podgorica/Cetinje (Montenegro)
Marija Đurđević organized my slide lecture about Theobald Böhm and the concert of students on Tuesday 4 November 2025.
I won’t soon forget the six-hour bus ride that morning. The narrow road to the Montenegrin border led over a mountain pass with countless curves and potholes that threw you into the air every time. It was like being in a storm at sea, and I got seasick for the first time. But the scenery was truly breathtaking.
Since the Music Academy in Podgorica was destroyed by fire about 30 years ago, it was relocated to Cetinje, about 25 km away. Before my slide lecture at 18:00, two students played Opus 33 and 18 by Theobald Böhm, and afterwards, two students played Opus 31 and 16[a]. After the presentation, there was also a pleasant conversation in a restaurant.
3) Pristina (Kosovo)
Zanë Abazi organized my slide lecture about Theobald Böhm and the preceding concert of students on Wednesday 5 November 2025.
The seven-hour bus journey, mostly on a highway, was uneventful and mostly downhill through a very beautiful mountain landscape.
Since the original organizer canceled the event a day and a half before my departure due to another commitment, I am very grateful to Zanë Abazi for making the slide lecture possible at such short notice. Two students played Opus 31 and 33 at sight without piano accompaniment before my lecture at 18:00.
4) Skopje (North Macedonia)
Strašo Temkov organized my slide lecture about Theobald Böhm and the preceding concert of students on Thursday 6 November 2025.
The bus ride on a highway took only two hours. After the end of Yugoslavia in 1991, the country was called Republic of Macedonia; since 2019, it has been called North Macedonia to distinguish it from the Greek province Macedonia. Not all residents agree with the name change.
At lunchtime, I had a traditional meal with Strašo Temkov and a student of ćevapčići, which was delicious. The restaurant was located right next to an imposing castle and was only a few minutes’ walk from the Academy of Music. Before my slide lecture, two students played Opus 31 and 18 by Theobald Böhm. Afterwards, we made a brief stop at a café.
5) Tirana (Albania)
Elvis Rudi organized my slide lecture about Theobald Böhm on Friday 7 November 2025.
The bus trip on winding but mostly good roads took about six hours and led through scenic areas and past the enormous Lake Ohrid. With over a million inhabitants, Tirana is significantly larger than the other cities. Elvis Rudi had requested support from the German Embassy, and they paid for my overnight stay in one of the best hotels in the city center. A member of the German embassy staff was present at my slide lecture.
Before my lecture at 18:00, Elvis Rudi played Theobald Böhm’s Opus 31 at sight. Afterward, we had a lively conversation in a café, during which I was particularly interested in the relationship between Albanian-speaking Kosovo and Albania. Serbia has never recognized the independence of its former province.
The next morning, I had to get up at 3:00 to catch my flight back to Munich at 6:00. In the evening, there was a reunion of my former school class in Munich.
6) Final Remarks
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip; the people were very friendly, and I was delighted by the great interest the flutists showed in the history of their instrument.
The number of countries, where I have given my lecture, featuring 144 slides about Theobald Böhm and a concert of students, has now risen to 41:
Europe (33): Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine
Asia (5): China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
America (2): Chile, USA
Oceania (1): Australia
I’m already planning my next trip in November 2026 to five countries, in which I have not yet given my lecture: Dublin (Northern Ireland), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Bratislava (Slovakia) and Valletta (Malta).
Ludwig Böhm
ludwig.boehm@t-online.de | www.theobald-boehm-archiv-und-wettbewerb.de
Address: Asamstrasse 6, 82166 Gräfelfing, Germany, tel. 0049-89-875367
Ludwig Böhm was born in Munich, where he studied English, French and Spanish at the University and was a teacher from 1981 to 1983. Inspired by a great exhibition in the Munich Municipal Museum in 1981 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of his great-great-grandfather Theobald Böhm (flautist, composer, flute-maker, inventor of the Böhm flute, Munich 1794–1881), he dedicated his life from that time on to keeping the memory of Theobald alive. As a result of more than 30 years of research, he published in 2012 all 88 compositions and arrangements of Theobald together with Dr. Raymond Meylan and in 2013 20 books and 4 translations from and about him.
He travelled to flute festivals in Japan, Australia, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, China, Great Britain, Iceland, Thailand, Portugal, Chile, Poland and Armenia and presented a slide lecture about Theobald. He is the President of the Theobald Böhm Archive, founded in 1980, of the Theobald Böhm Society, founded in 1990 and of the Theobald Böhm Foundation, founded in 2014. In 2006, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 he organized in Munich the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th International Theobald Böhm Competition for Flute and Alto Flute.
List of professional open G# players
Current list of 494 professional open G sharp players can be seen in the homepage www.theobald-boehm-archiv-und-wettbewerb.de under “Open G sharp Key”. If you are a professional open G sharp player, who have not yet contacted Ludwig Böhm, please do so at ludwig.boehm@t-online.de to be added to the list.
