Pedro Eustache

{{Short description|Venezuelan musician (born 1959)}}{{Unreliable sources|date=January 2025}}{{Infobox musical artist | name = Pedro Eustache | image = Pedro_Eustache_w_World_Flutes1.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = Eustache in 2008 | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|08|18}} | birth_place = [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]] | alias = Flute Guy<ref name="VG247 TGA2023"/><ref name="Dot Esports TGA2024"/> | instrument = {{hlist|Flute|saxophone|bass clarinet}} | genre = {{hlist|[[Classical music|Classical]]|[[jazz]]|[[World music|world]]|[[Latin music|Latin]]|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]}} | occupation = [[Musician]] | years_active = 1988–present | label = Gynook Productions Inc. | website = [http://www.pedroflute.com/ www.pedroflute.com] }}

'''Pedro Eustache''' (born August 18, 1959), also known by the nickname "'''Flute Guy'''",<ref name="VG247 TGA2023"/><ref name="Dot Esports TGA2024"/> is a [[Venezuela]]n [[flautist|flutist]], [[reed (mouthpiece)|reed player]], [[Woodwind instrument|woodwind player]], [[composer]], instrument maker, and collector.

He gained notoriety online after his enthusiastic musical performance for the annual [[arrangement]] combining various [[Melody|melodies]] from [[Game of the Year (video games)|Game Of The Year]] candidates, most notably ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles 3]]'', at [[The Game Awards 2022]], being often referred to as "Flute Guy" online.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=2022-12-13 |title=Pedro Eustache opens up about video game music and becoming the Flute Guy |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/13/23507234/flute-guy-pedro-eustache-interview-the-game-awards |access-date=2025-12-27 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Education== Eustache studied first in Venezuela under Michel Eustache (his brother), Ernesto Santini, Antonio Jose Naranjo and Glenn Egner while he was a member of [[José Antonio Abreu]]'s "Venezuelan Youth National Orchestra" (currently known as ''[[El Sistema]]''). Upon graduation, he received a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in Europe at the [[Hector Berlioz|Hector Berlioz Conservatoire]] and L'École de Musique d'Asnières, with [[Raymond Guiot]] and [[Pierre-Yves Artaud]] respectively, with advanced studies with [[Aurèle Nicolet]] in [[Basel]], Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Zan |date=1994-09-16 |title=Expanding on a Jazz Vision : Flutist Pedro Eustache will bring what he describes as his 'new Latin' style to Le Cafe in Sherman Oaks. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-16-va-39317-story.html |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> He also has a [[Master of Fine Arts|M.F.A.]] in [[Jazz music|jazz]] from the [[California Institute of the Arts]], U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Music Alumni {{!}} CalArts |url=https://calarts.edu/music/alumni |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=calarts.edu}}</ref>

==Career== In February 2009, Eustache premiered his composition "Suite Concertante for World Woodwinds & Symphony Orchestra". Eustache performed on 21 solo woodwind instruments under the baton of his fellow-countryman [[Gustavo Dudamel]] with his "[[Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar]]" in Caracas, Venezuela.

Eustache performed a "Multidirectional Flute" solo concert at the Conservatoire National Supérieure de Musique et Danse de Paris-France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/voir-et-entendre/lagenda/tout-lagenda/article/concert-avec-pedro-eustache/ |title=Concert avec Pedro Eustache |website=www.conservatoiredeparis.fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712011252/http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/voir-et-entendre/lagenda/tout-lagenda/article/concert-avec-pedro-eustache/ |archive-date=2015-07-12}} </ref> He was the opening soloist at the third International Spanish Flute Convention "Gala concert" in Seville 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lalibretadeloshechos.wordpress.com/tag/afe/|title = AFE| date=29 April 2014 }}</ref>

Eustache was a featured soloist with the wind ensemble of [[Samford University]], under the baton of soloist and conductor Demondrae Thurman, Birmingham Alabama, Oct. 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.samford.edu/news/releases/?id=21474865604|title = Current Samford News Releases}}</ref> In 2008 and 2015 he gave solo concerts in Beirut, Lebanon at the "Palais de L'UNESCO" under the aegis of the Middle Eastern Bible Society [Lebanon], directed by Dr. Michel Bassous. He was also one of the guest's soloists invited by the Armenian government and [[Garik Israelian]] for the six hour long '80 years Anniversary Tribute-Concert' in [[Yerevan|Yerevan, Armenia]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Yerevan |date=2024-01-05 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yerevan&oldid=1193790411 |work=Wikipedia |access-date=2024-01-12 |language=en}}</ref>

He has also performed and/or recorded as a featured soloist with the [[Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia]], L'Orchestre Symphonique Du Bal de Vienne, [[Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar]] [principal solo flute "chair" for three years], [[London Symphony Orchestra]], [[Prague Symphony Orchestra]], [[Venezuela Symphony Orchestra]] [first flute chair for two years], and the Caracas Symphonietta.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

===Film scores=== Eustache has often provided solo woodwind for recording sessions in [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]]. He has done studio sessions for movies as a [[flute]]/[[woodwind instrument|woodwinds]] instrumentalist, including being the main world woodwinds soloist for [[Mel Gibson]]'s ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' soundtrack, written by [[John Debney]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 February 2004 |title=Filmtracks: The Passion of the Christ (John Debney) |url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/passion_christ.html |access-date=7 January 2025 |website=Filmtracks}}</ref>

He won the 2007 Film & TV Music Award for ''Best Instrumental Performance by a Soloist in a Film or Television Score'' category for his work in [[Hans Zimmer]]'s ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedro Eustache Written by GUO吉富瑞 |url=https://gflute.com/performer/item/155-pedro-eustache.html |last=GUO吉富瑞 |date=2013-10-22 |access-date=2025-11-21}}</ref>

He played [[Middle-Eastern]] [[flute]]s, [[reed (instrument)|reeds]], and [[Music of Armenia|Armenian]] [[duduk]] featured in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Munich (2005 film)|Munich]]'' (nominated for both the [[2006 Oscars]] and the [[49th Annual Grammy Awards|49th Grammy Awards]] for "Best Soundtrack"), composed and conducted by [[John Williams]], as well as King Kenacho & Bs. Persian Ney in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". He also soloed extensively in Middle-Eastern woodwinds & [[duduk]] with the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] for the film, ''[[The Body (2001 film)|The Body]]''. He played the Chinese flute [[Dizi (instrument)|dizi]] solo for Oogway Ascends from [[Kung Fu Panda]] in Hans Zimmer Live.

He worked with [[Hans Zimmer]] on the woodwinds music for the film [[Dune (2021 film)|''Dune'']] in 2021, as well as its sequel ''[[Dune: Part Two]]'' in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/movies/hans-zimmer-dune.html |title=How Hans Zimmer Conjured the Otherworldly Sounds of "Dune" |last=King |first=Darryn |date=2021-10-22 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2022-12-09 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hans-zimmer-shares-his-process-for-creating-dune-score/ |title=Hans Zimmer shares his process for creating "Dune" score |last=Russell |first=Calum |date=2022-03-18 |website=Far Out |access-date=2022-12-09 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Collaborations=== Eustache's world [[flute]]s and [[woodwind instrument|woodwinds]] solos are featured on [[Paul McCartney]]'s songs "[[Jenny Wren]]", and "Growing Up Falling Down" which appears on the single ''[[Fine Line (Paul McCartney song)|Fine Line]]''. For ten years, he was the principal flute of [[Yanni]] Orchestra. He later performed on McCartney's 2018 album, ''[[Egypt Station]]''. He was a featured soloist in the 2005 Grammy Award winner "[[Concert For George]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=ross |first=daniel |date=2004-03-03 |title=Concert for George ~ Production Credits {{!}} Great Performances |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/concert-for-george-production-credits/105/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Great Performances |language=en-US}}</ref>

He collaborated on 2014 [[Persian traditional music]] album ''[[Beyond Any Form]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chnpress.ir/NSite/FullStory/News/?Id=1649&Serv=0&SGr=0|work=Cultural Heritage News Agency|title="Neither Angel Nor Devil Am I" Released|date=August 12, 2014|accessdate=October 19, 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712212826/http://chnpress.ir/NSite/FullStory/News/?Id=1649&Serv=0&SGr=0|archivedate=July 12, 2015}}</ref>

He played with Hans Zimmer on the 2025 Hans Zimmer Live Tour in the Qudos Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park on 26th and 27th April 2025.

===Other performances=== [[File:Pedro Eustache - The Church on the Way, Santa Clarita, 2009 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Eustache performing in [[Santa Clarita, California]] in May 2009]]

Eustache was the featured winds soloist on Ramin Djawadi's/HBO's "Game of Thrones - Live Music Experience" international tour of 2017. In 2017, he was also the featured solo wind soloist in "Hans Zimmer Live" world tour.

Eustache was a featured performer of [[South American woodwinds]] and Afro-Venezuelan percussion on [[Gustavo Dudamel]]'s "Libertador" orchestral suite, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in the "Noche de Cine" concert special, July 30, 2014.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-dudamel-film-hollywood-bowl-review-20140802-column.html L.A.Times review of this concert</ref> He has been the woodwinds featured soloist with [[Yanni]]'s orchestra since 1995, most recently during the 2003-2004 ''[[Ethnicity (Yanni album)|Ethnicity]]'' and 2005 ''Yanni Live!'' tours. He is the featured flute, sax, and world winds soloist with Persian-pop diva, [[Googoosh]].

Eustache was [[brass instrument|brass section]] leader (tenor saxophone), for the ''[[Inside Job (Don Henley album)|Inside Job]]'' U.S. West-Coast tour for [[Don Henley]]. He was also a house band member for [[Edward James Olmos]]' ''Americanos'' Concert with Latin Superstars [[Cachao Lopez]], [[Gloria Estefan]], [[Paquito D'Rivera]], [[José Feliciano]], [[Juan Luis Guerra]], [[Sheila E.]], held at the [[Kennedy Center]], [[Washington D.C.]], for the ''PBS Presents'' series. With the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, he played flute and cuatro at the [[Hollywood in Vienna]] 2018 dedicated to [[Hans Zimmer]] score film music.

At [[The Game Awards 2022]], Eustache's enthusiastic performance with the Game Awards Orchestra, of which he was a part since 2017,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=13 December 2022 |title=Pedro Eustache opens up about video game music and becoming the Flute Guy |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/13/23507234/flute-guy-pedro-eustache-interview-the-game-awards |website=The Verge |quote=Eustache has actually performed in The Game Awards’ orchestra since 2017 and has been performing on video game soundtracks for much longer.}}</ref> led to him becoming a fan-favorite of the show. His seamless transitions between several wind instruments were immediately noted by viewers, most notably during the ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles 3]]'' section of the Orchestra's medley, who kept the hashtag #FluteGuy trending on Twitter throughout the night and were regarded by many as the highlight of the entire awards show.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=December 8, 2022 |title=A guy playing an alto flute in The Game Awards orchestra won the night |work=[[The Verge]] |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/8/23501261/game-awards-flute-guy-pedro-eustache |access-date=December 10, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Eustache |first=Pedro |user=EustachePedro |number=1601333287267364864 |title=#FluteGuy here: Thanks for your amazing response after @GameAwards. GOD BLESS YOU ALL! |language=en,es,fr |access-date=10 December 2022}}</ref> The positive responses to Eustache's performance led to him returning to perform at subsequent [[The Game Awards|Game Awards]] ceremonies, again performing with the Game Awards Orchestra before the Game of the Year announcement.<ref name="VG247 TGA2023">{{cite web |last=Makar |first=Connor |title=Great news everyone: Flute guy is returning to this year's Game Awards |url=https://www.vg247.com/flute-guy-returning-to-this-years-game-awards |website=[[VG247]] |access-date=8 December 2023 |date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |last=Eustache |first=Pedro |user=EustachePedro |number=1730448784256336282 |title=I WILL PLAY AGAIN @ tHE GAME AWARDS NEXT WEEK!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL! #GameAwards #lornebalfe #FluteGuy #PedroEustache |language=en,es,fr |access-date=8 December 2023 | date=30 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="Dot Esports TGA2024">{{cite web |url=https://dotesports.com/general/news/all-confirmed-and-rumored-games-appearing-at-the-game-awards-2024 |title=All confirmed and rumored games appearing at The Game Awards 2024 |last=Duwe |first=Scott |work=[[Dot Esports]] |publisher=[[Gamurs]] |date=December 10, 2024 |accessdate=December 11, 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210225434/https://dotesports.com/general/news/all-confirmed-and-rumored-games-appearing-at-the-game-awards-2024 |archivedate=December 10, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref> At 2025's [[The Game Awards 2025|Game Awards]], Eustache also debuted a new type of flute made out of PVC pipe that he made specifically for use in the Game of the Year performance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Game Awards 2025 Keeps The Legend Of Flute Guy Strong |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2025-keeps-the-legend-of-flute-guy-strong/1100-6536923/ |access-date=2025-12-12 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|last=Keighley|first=Geoff|user=geoffkeighley|author-link=Geoff Keighley|date=2025-12-12|title=BTW this was a custom flute that Pedro built special for #TheGameAwards over the past few weeks!|number=1999518701444337802|url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-12|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Teaching=== In October 2014, he was an artist-in-residence at Samford University, teaching master-classes in music fundamentals, musical aesthetics, western classical performance, jazz improvisation, and world music winds.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://samfordcrimson.com/?p=5239 | title=Ralph Magnette }}</ref>

Eustache has also taught Classical western flute in the Venezuelan National Youth Symphony's Conservatory, the Children's Orchestra Conservatory; Jazz flute in 1993–95 at the California Institute of the Arts, and more recently [in 2008], in a renewed connection with his native country, "Introduction to Music Technology", "Improvisation for Non-Improvisers" Parts I & II & "World Music I: Introduction to The Classical Music of North India" [extension courses] at the ''Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales''.

==Discography== As a Soloist: *''Hymns Of Yesterday & Today'' (2007) *''Global Mvission'' (2004) *''The Giant Sleeps'' (1995) *''Strive for Higher Realities'' (1993) *''[[Dune: Part Two]]'' (2024)

==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons}} *[http://www.pedroflute.com/ Official site] *[http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/voir-et-entendre/lagenda/tout-lagenda/article/concert-avec-pedro-eustache/ Pedro Eustache at the CNSM-Paris, France ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712011252/http://www.conservatoiredeparis.fr/voir-et-entendre/lagenda/tout-lagenda/article/concert-avec-pedro-eustache/ |date=2015-07-12 }} *[http://www.samford.edu/news/releases/?id=21474865604 Pedro Eustache at Samford University-Birmingham, Alabama, USA ] *{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p74575}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20061103212211/http://www.lianrecords.com/pgs/pedro.html Bio at Lian Records] *[http://www.serve.com/gregl7/pedro.htm# Profile at ''Reflections''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022183132/http://www.serve.com/gregl7/pedro.htm |date=2008-10-22 }} an [https://web.archive.org/web/20090105033913/http://www.serve.com/gregl7/reflect.htm Unofficial Yanni fan page] *[http://arthurgrigoryan.com/news/jubilee-concert-devoted-to-80th-anniversary-of-djivan-gasparyan.html As a featured guest-soloist for Jivan Gasparyan's 80th birthday Concert Julilee] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130117060812/http://arthurgrigoryan.com/news/jubilee-concert-devoted-to-80th-anniversary-of-djivan-gasparyan.html |date=2013-01-17 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eustache, Pedro}} [[Category:1959 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Venezuelan composers]] [[Category:Venezuelan male composers]] [[Category:Venezuelan multi-instrumentalists]] [[Category:Venezuelan flautists]]