About The Sweetheart Flute
Company
Key Personnel
We don’t have regular store hours, as
we are too busy making instruments. However if you would like to visit
us to try out instruments before purchasing, or to see our workshop, call for
an appointment and directions.
Ralph Sweet measuring flute diameter
Ralph preparing to drill
Walter Sweet aligning whistle to drill finger holes
Ralph Sweet:
President/owner, designer and
instrument maker, retired physics teacher, caller and teacher of contra and
square dancing, fifer and drummer since 1946.
Ralph also runs events in his Powder Mill
Barn. See the website for more information.
Hear Joseph play:
-
Joseph playing mandolin and Sweetheart’s new 1/2″ bore D whistle -
Joseph playing military fife and field drums
Joseph is our shop foreman,
in charge of scheduling production. He does wood turning, boring, sanding, voicing of whistles, and more. Joseph has been a member of four fife and
drum corps, and a fife instructor for 8 corps. He is a military music historian focused on fife and drum, 18th century and
earlier. He has played mandolin, fife, and whistle with several folk bands, including the Wild Colonial Boys, and
still plays with The Jovial Crew every Monday evening at the Griswold Inn, of Essex, CT. and more. He perfected his
skills for 14 years as the fife-maker at Cooperman Fife & Drum Co.
Jason Phelps: Jason is our newest addition to the shop. He is essential to the preparation of the wood for our work, sanding, finishing, inventory, c&c, bringing his years of carpentry into new use. He is an initiate of Ordo Templi Orientis and can be found at http://mithras-oto.org/, or here with us on most days.
Amy Bissell: Amy is our shipping lady, and comes in one to three times each week depending on how many orders we have. Amy plays pennywhistle at various sessions in the Greater Hartford area.
