Luke Penella (Flute Technician and Musician)

Luke Penella is a passionate flute technician and musician. Luke Penella attended Berklee College of Music as a saxophone performance major, and began his trade as a flute maker under the direct tutelage of Lillian Burkart, at Burkart and Phelan Flutes 2005-2008. Luke worked as a subcontractor for Haynes Flutes under the direction of David Chu 2007-2008. In 2008 Luke moved to New York City where he began working for Weissman Music Company. It was in The Big Apple where Luke learned the art of flute repair, opposed to flute manufacturing. Jeff Weissman was a generous mentor and hugely inspirational to Luke in the advancement of his craft. While at Weissman Music Company Luke also had the privilege to learn from master flute-maker Chris McKenna. In 2011 Luke became the Manager of Weissman Music Manhattan and by 2013 partner in the company. During the past decade Luke has amassed a large cliental, ranging from students to world renowned artists such as Hubert Laws, Gary Schocker, and Anne Drummond among many other top New York artists. In 2016 Luke created Facebook’s group “Flute Forum” which is now the largest group for flutists, his group has over 12,000 members! He is also in demand as a repair clinician, teaching at national flute shows and internationally commissioned to repair the entire flute section of The Bogota Symphony Orchestra in Columbia. When repairs are done for the day, you can also catch Luke as a working musician both on the New York scene, as well as touring internationally. As of April 2019, Luke is currently the technician in residence at the Buffet Crampon NY Showroom and plans to be in Manhattan for many years to come.