He makes and plays historical flutes and publishes books on music.
He specializes in baroque and classical flute as well as the impact that construction, playing technique, performance and repertoire has on society.
Powell received his MA in English in 1989 and PhD degree in Music in 2004 from Magdalene College,[1] Cambridge University.
In 1984 he co-founded Folkers & Powell, Makers of Historical Flutes.
He won the Bessaraboff Prize in 2005 for The Flute, and an award from the Fellowship for College Teachers and Independent Scholars from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1993.