A debilitating respiratory illness sparked an innovative experimental playing style for flautist Kathryn Williams

ILLUSTRATIONS: SILVIA STECHER

One day, when she was washing up, an idea pinged into flautist Kathryn Williams’ head. What if there was a series of musical compositions each restricting her to one breath? An unusual thought, perhaps, and certainly a challenging one to follow up, but it was achieved with Coming Up for Air, a selection of single-breath compositions written especially for her by 14 composer friends for a 2017 fundraising gig for UK charity Help Musicians. By 2019, she had released an album of 40 pieces – all to be played with one inhale and one exhale – and today the list runs to more than 100.

All this from a random thought, seemingly plucked out of thin air. Only it wasn’t. It was triggered by an acute respiratory condition that wreaked havoc on Kathryn’s life and career. It made breathing difficult and playing a wind instrument was a major feat. ‘I felt completely squashed down by everything in the world. Just walking up the stairs was exhausting,’ says Kathryn, whose asthma had been exacerbated by a chronic sinus condition and the stress of earning a living as a freelance flautist while also running music sessions at her one-yearold daughter Emilia’s nursery and studying for a master’s in music performance. ‘I had to earn money to support myself and Emilia, which meant being creative with my time and resources,’ adds Kathryn, who was also performing with the BBC Philharmonic and the Hallé in Manchester.