Jim Phelan

TECHNICAL ADVISER

Jim Phelan, conservatory trained as a horn player, became general manager of the Verne Q. Powell Flute Company in 1981. It is there that he met Lillian Burkart who made flute bodies, keys, padded flutes and piccolos and tested instruments. Together in 1981 they founded Burkart-Phelan, Inc. to provide subcontract services to Powell for the manufacture of piccolos and in 1984, Jim acquired the Verne Q. Powell Company. He left Powell in 1989 to finish his mechanical engineering degree. Upon graduation Jim entered the world of mechanical engineering designing electron-beam guns, automobile components and surgical instruments. In 1997 Jim rejoined his partner in building instruments, uniting his engineering skill and his eighteen years of flute-making expertise.

Today, Burkart-Phelan is a world leader in flute and piccolo manufacturing with their state-of-the-art workshop in Shirley, Massachusetts and Resona by Burkart factory in Jiashan, China. Lillian manages the Shirley workshop and Jim manages the Burkart-Phelan Asian Assets.

In 1980 Jim authored the Complete Guide to the Flute. The second edition was completed in 2006. His lectures on repair, building and acoustics of musical instruments are in high demand worldwide.
Burkart-Phelan, Inc. won the prestigious 2018 Manufacturer of the Year Award for creating and sustaining manufacturing jobs both in the U.S. and in Asia.