Lyrical, polished, melodic, graceful --- and a hard swinger! This is but a partial description of the accomplished musicianship of Bill McBirnie, originally from Port Colborne, Ontario, who is without a doubt, one of Canada's finest flutists.

At an early stage in his studies, Bill became restless with the piano and announced to his parents that he wanted to play the flute --- without knowing precisely what a flute was! This somewhat careless request, however, gave rise to a very uncommon devotion to the instrument. Bill proved to be such a stellar student of the flute that his ability as a classical performer secured him a place in the St. Catharines Symphony Orchestra throughout his years in high school and when he was only sixteen, a chair with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. While still in his early years of high school, he enjoyed the privilege of studying with the very distinguished Canadian flutist and composer, Robert Aitken. At the same time, Bill began developing a keen interest in Jazz within the context of a family ensemble known as "The McBirnie Jazz Quartet Plus One", a group that participated, from time to time, in jam sessions at the Colored Musicians' Union Club in Buffalo, New York. Bill's interest in improvisatory idioms was heightened during his adolescence in no small measure through the encouragement he received from occasional invitations to sit in with the likes of Herbie Mann, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody and others.

After such broad musical exposure, it is not surprising that his present facility is so decidedly comprehensive; be-bop, salsa, Brazilian, funk, swing and avant garde --- are all within the scope of his unusual competence. Indeed, Bill finds himself at home in virtually any musical setting.

Although Bill has pursued studies in business, in the course of which he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree and, ultimately, a professional accounting designation, his proficiency in that quite unrelated discipline has never hampered his activities as a flutist in a wide range of contexts. His performances run the gamut from live work, including those with his own jazz quartet, to radio broadcasts and a miscellany of recording sessions. More recently, he has been performing in a variety of prominent club and festival venues. Bill has recorded with prestigious artists and groups such as Junior Mance, Memo Acevedo, Irakere, Brenda Carol and DA including his own project under the banner, EXTREME FLUTE. His most recent EXTREME FLUTE project entitled, "Scratch It!", was entirely self-produced and presents him in an extraordinary range of idioms.

Bill has a principal role within AHANAIE. His flute playing is fundamental to the AHANAIE musical experience blending in perfectly and in some instances creating a stark contrast to the heavy percussion beats and rhythms that are the cornerstone of the group's musical repertoire. The result is an innovative and interesting mix, which simply sounds amazing. Bill's flute playing has won him international recognition, as he now holds the distinction of having won top honours at the, recently concluded, Jazz Masters flute competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The consensus of opinion of the other AHANAIE members on hearing of Bill's achievement was "DUH … we knew that …what took everybody else so long to determine that Bill is the best".

In an instructional vein, Bill conducts clinics with particular emphasis on performing in non-classical contexts. He is also a featured woodwind columnist in the Canadian Musician magazine.