​Have you ever wondered who writes the FNMC composer and member spotlights? That would be me! Let me introduce myself (and write in the first person this time), I’m Ashley Shank, the FNMC Grants and Finance Chair. You might wonder, how does the person assigned to the financial side of the organization end up writing features? It’s actually pretty easy, FNMC started with four founding members and grew slowly. Although we all have somewhat defined roles, we also pitch-in and get things done as needed! Although I came to this role kind of by accident (and intending it to be temporary), organizing and writing the composer and member spotlights has become one of my favorite duties. I love learning more about the composers and our members and playing an active role in promoting their music and activities. I also enjoy getting to know them more as people; I will tell you that it is an amazing group of really lovely individuals!
In addition to doing all the boring (but really necessary) financial paperwork and having the primary responsibility for grant applications, I served as a preliminary round judge for the chamber music category of the 2014 FNMC Composition Competition, coordinated flute fair proposals, performed or presented at KFS Festival, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention and NFA Convention on behalf of FNMC, acted as interim membership and communications chair, and help edit the website (mostly the spotlights and upcoming performances pages), and our Facebook page. I’m also the board liaison for the Carter Pann residency at IUP. I’m looking forward to attending the residency events and presenting the awards for our FNMC Flute Artist Competition on behalf of the board.
 
Q&A with Ashley (me)…
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined as soon as Shelley approached me when she was forming FNMC. I love new music and I thought the idea of a consortium approach was a great idea. I’m so happy she asked me to join and it has been incredibly rewarding to see how the organization has grown, demonstrate that we’re meeting our goals, and be an integral part of those developments!
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
I’ve always loved playing new and/or lesser known flute repertoire. I love listening to recordings, scanning repertoire catalogs, flute journals, etc. to find pieces that others may not know (and that I think they should.) I was also really fortunate to do my undergraduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where Jack Stamp was the Director of Bands. Dr. Stamp is incredibly supportive of new music for band and actively encourages composers to write for the ensemble. As a result, we premiered multiple new works every year and had the opportunity to interact with emerging and experienced composers. I think this reinforced my love of new music!
FNMC has provided me with the opportunity to learn about the music of many composers with whom I might otherwise have not become familiar. I’ve enjoyed performing several winning and finalists works from the composition contest including: Ghost Stations for flute and piano by Alexandra Bryant; French Quarter for flute quartet by Nicole Chamberlain; What’s Next for flute, bassoon, and piano by Andrew Davis; Tutti Frutti for Two Virtuoso Flutti by John Moody; Tomorrow in Australia for solo flute by Paul Richards; In Memoriam: Sacagawea for four flutes by Greg Steinke, and there are several more I hope to program during upcoming seasons. I’ve become particularly fond of a couple of the works and I’m working to champion them and help them obtain the recognition I think they deserve! I was a commissioner for our first project, Confluence by Zhou Long, and I’m one of the commissioning members for the Carter Pann project, and I’ll be joining for the new Valerie Coleman commission as well. I also have a plan for some individual commissions in the next year or so.
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
I’m always really bad at favorites type questions….I’m not great at decision making in general as anyone who has ever gone to a restaurant with me can attest! I will say, I love what is sometimes called “holy minimalism” (Tavener, Part, Gorecki, etc. which I realize isn’t necessarily new anymore) and I really love Russian/Soviet music. When I decided to pursue an MM in music history, it just made sense to research it! I continued my focus on Russian/Soviet music in my doctoral studies and created A Handbook of Solo and Chamber Literature for Flute by Composers from Russia and the Former Soviet Republics as my doctoral thesis. It contains almost 3,000 pieces, most of which are little or unknown outside their country of origin. I hope to finally publish it online this summer and I plan to expand it using an approach like the Grove where individual flutists can “author” annotated entries about individual pieces. A few living composers from Russia or the former Soviet republics whose flute music I really love are (in alphabetical order): Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (Azerbaijani), Josef Bardanashvili (Georgian/Jewish lives in Israel), Sophia Gubaidulina (Tatar/Russian), and Giya Kancheli (Georgian). I love Alexey Kurbatov’s Quartet for flute, violin, cello, and piano; I randomly found it on YouTube while looking for recordings. We recently made contact via email and I’ve added him to the revised edition of my thesis. A few others include Eugene Magalif (he’s Belarusian, but lives in NJ; his music is pretty and poppy), Yevhan Stanyovch (Ukranian; I especially love his Sonata of Serenades…it’s so dark and intense!), and Benjamin Yusapov (Tajik and I think Jewish…he lives in Israel); he has several amazing pieces, some of which include folk instruments. Many flutists may have heard Matthais Ziegler perform his incredible Nola Concerto at the NFA conventions in New York City.
 
Describe your musical background and current activities
I have a rather atypical background for a professional flutist. I began my career as a public school music educator, I love teaching and I struggled with severe performance anxiety from an early age, so that seemed like a perfect fit. Currently, I  have what one would call a multi-stream or portfolio career. I teach flute and chamber music at Lycoming College and music education courses at Susquehanna University where I am also the director of the Music Preparatory Program. I also coordinate the curriculum and teach classes for our early childhood music classes and our partnership with the local Head Start organization, and supervise all of the undergraduate students who teach through the program. I’m also an active freelancer in North-Central Pennsylvania. I have several other jobs to supplement as necessary (the life of an adjunct is something of a feast and famine situation.) I do some online teaching, work as a content editor for a company that offers online music classes, and I still substitute teach between semesters, as necessary. I definitely crave more stability, but I am so grateful to have the opportunities to teach and play!
 
More about Ashley (me)…
Dr. Ashley Shank teaches flute and chamber music at Lycoming College and music education courses at Susquehanna University where she is the Director of the Music Preparatory Program. An active freelancer in North-Central Pennsylvania, she is also a member of the Keystone Wind Ensemble and co-principal flute of IFC3.
Dr. Shank is an advocate of new music and music by composers from Russia and the former Soviet Republics. www.ashleyshankflute.weebly.com
 
 
 

We’re so grateful that Therese (Terri) Wacker, Professor of Flute at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, joined FNMC and agreed to host the residency for our Carter Pann commission. Terri has planned a wonderful recital for her premiere of Giantess featuring several of her colleagues at IUP. Along with her performance of Giantess, the recital will feature the IUP Faculty Woodwind Quintet (Terri, flute; Stephanie Caulder, oboe; Rosemary Engelstad, clarinet; Jason Worzbyt, bassoon, and Heidi Lucas, horn) in a performance of Carter’s wind quintet and piano professors Sun Min Kim and Henry Wong Doe will each perform a movement from Carter’s The Piano’s 12 Sides.
 
Terri has embraced FNMC and coordinated a proposal for a recital of FNMC works at this year’s Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. She performed Stephen Lias’ work for solo flute, Flight of Fancy, and was joined by Keith Hanlon for a performance of another of Stephen’s works, The Ghosts of Mesa Verde for two flutes.  The recital also featured a performance of Garuda for flute alone by Alex Nante (Keith) and Ashley Shank played Tomorrow in Australia by Paul Richards and Confluence by Zhou Long. In addition to being FNMC members, all three flutists have connections to IUP where Terri is Professor of Flute, both Keith and Ashley earned their bachelor’s degrees at IUP (Ashley was a student of Terri’s) and they all play in IUP’s faculty/alumni wind ensemble the Keystone Wind Ensemble. Keystone specializes in recording wind band music.

Terri is an active commissioner and performer of new music. She commissioned and premiered Bruce Yurko's Concerto for Piccolo/Flute & Wind Ensemble in February, 2003.   On October 10, 2010 she performed the World Premiere of Eric Ewazen’s “Concerto for Piccolo and Wind Ensemble,” which was the result of three years collaboration with the composer and  Jan Gippo (former piccoloist with the St. Louis Symphony). Currently, she and her colleague Kevin Eisensmith are coordinating a consortium commission for a new work for alto flute, flugelhorn, and piano by Daniel Dorff. Those who would like to learn more can contact Terri.
 
Q&A with Terri…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
The opportunity to explore new colors and characters of the flute through new musical ideas.
 
What is/are your favorite “new music” piece/s and why?
I don't have specific favorites but I'm drawn toward pieces that have a rhythmic groove and accessible melody. Pieces that tell a story through the music are very interesting to me.
 
What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice?
I always try to figure out the final 'story' of the piece. Then I apply my practicing accordingly. For instance, I will spend much more time on the technical parts of a piece - however, I take the time to make sure that the technical parts flow into the surrounding elements-even at a slow tempo.
 
Describe your musical background and current activities.
I'm currently a full professor at Indiana University of PA. Before getting my DMA at The Ohio State University I was a member of the AF Band of Flight at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH.
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
 I've just finished a performance at the Mid Atlantic Flute Convention where I performed Stephen Lias' Flight of Fancy and his Ghost's of Mesa Verde - a flute duo with Keith Hanlon. I have an upcoming premiere of Carter Pann's Giantess for the FNMC and several WW5 performances with my IUP colleagues.
 
More About Terri…
Dr. Therese Wacker, Professor of Flute at IUP, earned the D.M.A. from The Ohio State University (Katherine Borst Jones) and the M.M. from the University of Wyoming (Katherine Kemler). As a member of the AF Band of Flight she toured the US and Europe as a performer and clinician.  She has written articles for Flute Talk, The Instrumentalist, The Flute Examiner and is contributing editor to The Complete Piccolo, her CD Impressions for Piccolo and Piano is available through CD Baby or by contacting her directly: [email protected], ThereseWacker.com.

We’ve been so pleased to have so many flutists join us for the first time this year! Among that group is Erika Andres, Erika joined this fall as part of her entry in our first Flute Artist Competition. She was chosen as one of the finalists by our panel of judges in the recorded screening round and will compete in the final round Saturday, March 3, 2018 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania during the Carter Pann Premiere Weekend and Residency at IUP.
 
Erika is joining several other FNMC members (most of whom are fellow graduate students at FSU) in a recital of FNMC works at the Florida Flute Association Convention on Saturday, January 27, 2018. Erika will perform our first commissioned work, Confluence for flute alone by Zhou Long.
 
Q&A with Erika…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
As wonderful as all of the classical and standard pieces in the flute repertoire are, I believe it is equally important to promote and play music of the present time as well.  New music is also very exciting as a performer, as, it not having been played thousands of times before, you can really play with your own personality and interpretation.  It is still of course important to try to be true to what the composer intended, so it is great that with new music, you have the opportunity to communicate with the composers and help them realize their visions of their works.
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I just recently joined FNMC back in the fall.  As both a flute performer and a composer myself, I was very interested in this organization's energies to actively promote new music for the flute.  I am very excited to be part of these efforts and am honored to be a finalist for their first Flute Artist Competition.
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
On Saturday, January 27, 2018 from 5:45-6:30pm in Orlando, Florida, there will be a concert of several of FNMC's commissioned works, and I will be playing Zhou Long's Confluence.  If you are attending the FFA convention, stop by and see this recital!
Also, on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 7:30pm, I will be giving my Master’s recital and will be playing a variety of repertoire of many styles and from different eras, one of these pieces being FNMC's newly commissioned work, Skinscape, by Bekah Simms.  It will be held in FSU's Dohnányi Recital Hall in Tallahassee, so if you are in Florida at the time, please come hear it!
 
More About Erika…
Erika Andres is an avid performer of new music for the flute and enjoys composing as well.  She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree for flute performance at Florida State University where she studies flute with Eva Amsler.  She received her Bachelor’s degree for flute performance and music composition at Armstrong State University where she studied flute with Lorraine Jones and composition with Randall Reese.

 We’re so happy to have the opportunity to feature one of our earliest members today and we’re so happy that she’s continued her involvement with and support of FNMC’s mission to create and support new music for the flute! Ellen is one of the earliest non-board members of FNMC, she joined as a commissioning member for both works (Zhou Long and Carter Pann.) Ellen has performed French Quarter by Nicole Chamberlain and Intensity by Carleton Macy with the Tornado Alley Flutes and will participate in their performance of French Quarter at the CMS National Conference in San Antonio this weekend (October 28, 2017). Ellen has also served as a preliminary round judge for the FNMC Composition Contest.
 
Q&A with Ellen…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
Supporting composers through FNMC is a fantastic opportunity to build our repertoire. As a flutist who has dabbled in composing myself, I believe it's critical to do something new and unique in order or us to fully develop creatively as performing artists. Dancers choreograph. I've always been baffled as to why classical musicians aren't required to compose, but it's been like that for a very long time. Performing new music on the flute is essential for our art form to develop and live in the present world, and I think new flute music is embracing and honoring the audience's experience more and more.
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
I'm fascinated by the possibilities that working with electronic media brings to our instrument and to our repertoire. I still have a lot to learn about in this arena. But, performing Road to Hana by Rob Deemer and hearing works for flute by Ian Dicke have inspired me to develop this side of my performance. I'm hoping to put together a recital devoted to exploring works with electronic and/or prerecorded sounds in the next 12 months.
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined the FNMC as a commissioning member because we seek out some of the best and brightest living composers to engage in writing new works for flute. By pooling our resources, we can partner with composers with great name recognition and expand the repertoire more quickly across the globe.
 
More About Ellen…
Dr. Ellen Johnson Mosley is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Music/Flute at Morehead State University and Principal Flutist in the Cave Run Symphony. She performs across the country with the Baird Winds, Traverso Colore Baroque Ensemble, and the Tornado Alley Flutes. Dr. Mosley served as Principal Flutist of the Delano Chamber Orchestra for five seasons and has performed as a concerto soloist with the Delano Chamber Orchestra and the Concordia University Symphony. She is an active adjudicator and presenter at National Flute Association (NFA) conventions, member of the NFA Development Committee, commissioning member of the Flute New Music Consortium, and recipient of the Gunstream community engagement grant from the College Music Society. Schools that have welcomed her as a Guest Artist/Clinician include Emporia State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Kansas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Mosley has served as President of the Austin Flute Society, Chair of the Career and Artistic Development Committee for the National Flute Association, and Coordinator of Education and Manager of the Youth Orchestras Program for the Wichita Symphony. Dr. Mosley holds flute performance degrees from Florida State University (D.M.), the University of Texas at Austin (M.M.) and Wichita State University (B.M.). Her teachers include Eva Amsler, Marianne Gedigian, and Frances Shelly.
​www.ellenjohnsonmosley.com

Today, we’re pleased to feature Karen McLaughlin Large. Karen joined as a commissioning member during our first year (for the Zhou commission) and renewed as a commissioning member for the Pann commission. We’re so happy that she has contributed to the creation of two wonderful additions to the repertoire. Those of us who are commissioning members have received the Pann score and we feel confident that you’ll love it when you have the opportunity to hear it during the simultaneous premiere weekend (March 2-4) or soon after! Hopefully, as Karen mentions below, someday we’ll be a part of the group of flutists who supported the creation and dissemination of an addition to the standard repertoire for flute!
 
Karen has performed several FNMC Composition Contest works including multiple performances of French Quarter for flute quartet with Tornado Alley Flutes and Isolated Dance on a Bench for solo flute by Tai-Kuang Chao (at the 2015 Florida Flute Association Convention.). Karen has also served as a preliminary round judge for the FNMC Composition Contest. We were also grateful that she shared her performing talents and made a recording of Zhou Long’s Confluence for our YouTube Channel.
 
Q&A with Karen…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
I like being one of the first musicians to engage in musical conversation with the composer through a particular piece. Additionally, with each new composition, the repertoire for the instrument grows. I think of the people who couldn’t wait to perform Mozart’s newest work, or Telemann’s newest work, and think that I am perpetuating that age-old tradition! Regarding flute new music specifically, I am especially drawn to the variety of colors and effects the flute can create. I love performing extended techniques, especially for unsuspecting audiences!
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
I really love playing Ian Clarke’s music. His balance of tonality and atonality, extended techniques and conventional playing, and free and strict rhythm is really great. I can always program one of Clarke’s pieces and know that audiences will both love it and hear something they’ve never heard before too! Zoom Tube is my go-to piece!
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined FNMC as a commissioning member for Zhou Long’s Confluence. As a member of FNMC, I’m able to help expand the flute repertoire. I even have the opportunity to help decide which types of pieces and composers are commissioned! What a fantastic organization!
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I am presenting and performing at the CMS National Conference in San Antonio on October 26 and 28. My lightening talk is titled “Assessing College Music Skills on YouTube” and I am performing Nicole Chamberlain’s quartet French Quarter with Tornado Alley Flutes.
 
More About Karen…
Karen McLaughlin Large joined the Kansas State University music faculty in 2011 and teaches flute, music theory, flute techniques, film music, and directs the KSU flute ensemble. Dr. Large earned her Doctor of Music, Master of Music, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science degrees as well as graduate certificates in Music Theory Pedagogy and College Teaching from the Florida State University. She studied with Eva Amsler, Stephanie Jutt, and Joshua Carter (under Charles Delaney).
Dr. Large is a founding member of Traverso Colore: Baroque Ensemble and Tornado Alley Flutes. She is second flutist with the Topeka Symphony and is a member of the K-State faculty wind quintet - Konza Winds.  Dr. Large is also a member of the Florida Flute Orchestra, performing on the Sub Contrabass flute in G—one of only a few such instruments in the world. 
 
Dr. Large is the creator of the Virtual Flute Choir. Some of her other research interests include affective (emotional) responses to music, the relationship of music theory and performance, baroque flute performance practice, and romantic transcriptions for flute.
 

Alyssa (Borell) Andriotis is one of many members who joined FNMC as students at Florida State University. A strong advocate for new music, particularly of music for flute and electronics and new chamber music, Alyssa continued her membership and increased her involvement in FNMC as she completed her degree, moved to Oklahoma where she is building a busy teaching and performing career, and got married (to a composer, no less!).
 
We think many of our members will be excited about Alyssa’s current project (discussed below). She is developing a pedagogical approach to music for flute and electronics with a graded list of pieces! This sounds incredibly helpful for those who want to introduce their students to the world of flute and electronics (or who may be a bit apprehensive themselves.) The FNMC Composition Contest has introduced us to so many wonderful works for flute and electronics which we believe are highly deserving of wide performance. Hopefully, projects like Alyssa’s will help flutists feel more comfortable exploring those and other incredible pieces that incorporate electronics!
 
Alyssa has performed several FNMC Composition Contest Works including: French Quarter for flute quartet by Nicole Chamberlain, Lacquer and Grit for flute and piano by Viet Cuong, and Intensity for four C flutes with amplification by Carleton Macy. Alyssa has twice served as a preliminary round judge for the FNMC Composition Contest (Chamber Music in 2016 and Solo Flute in 2017) and performed on FNMC organized recitals at the College Music Society National Convention (San Antonio) and the Florida Flute Association Convention (twice).
 
 
Q&A with Alyssa…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
I like listening to the creativity of each individual composer and how they use the flute. I'm always surprised by the different kinds of sounds that composers are able to create on the flute--the flute's sonic abilities are always being expanded!
 
What are your favorite "new music" pieces and why?
I love any pieces for flute and electronics! Especially with live electronics, there is such an interesting interaction that happens between performer and computer that is a very unique experience and one that I hope more flutists get to discover. I'm actually currently working on a project to create a pedagogical approach to teach these types of pieces along with a helpful graded list of
pieces.
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined FNMC in 2014. As flutist, we are lucky that we have a huge repertoire, but sometimes it is difficult to find quality new pieces to perform. FNMC has introduced me to some really great composers and pieces that I would never have come across if not for this group.
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I'm really excited to be joining the Tornado Alley Flutes for our performance at the College Music Society National Conference in San Antonio this weekend. We are performing Nicole Chamberlain's piece, "French Quarter," which is so fun! I'm also looking forward to performing with my trio (flute, cello, and marimba) on Oklahoma City Community College's campus on November 13th. We are performing a variety of new(er) works for this ensemble as well as some duets of some really exciting pieces.
 
More About Alyssa…
Alyssa Andriotis is an Oklahoma based flutist and teacher.  She is an instructor at Oklahoma City Community College and is the Flute Fair Coordinator for the Oklahoma Flute Society.  Ms. Andriotis has presented lectures, workshops, and masterclasses around the country.  Committed to promoting new music, Ms. Andriotis is a performing member of the Flute New Music Consortium.  Her areas of interest include works for flute and electronics as well as new chamber music.
 
Ms. Andriotis has appeared as soloist with the Ball State Symphony Orchestra and the University of Oklahoma Civic Orchestra.  She has performed at the National Flute Association Convention, College Music Society National Conference, Florida Flute Association Convention, and the College Music Society Great Plains Conference.  Ms. Andriotis was a Semi-Finalist for the New World Symphony for the 2013-2014 season.  She was winner of the 2012 Undergraduate Concerto Competition at Ball State University and the 2009 Wisconsin High School Soloist Competition.
 
Ms. Andriotis holds a Master of Music from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music from Ball State University.  Her previous teachers include Eva Amsler, Valerie Watts, and Mihoko Watanabe.  andriotisflute.com

It’s pretty amazing when a composer is so excited about a consortium commission that he refers flutists! That is exactly what happened with Jennie Oh Brown, who has been friends with Carter Pann since they attended Eastman together.
Jennie is a huge supporter of new music for flute, in fact one of her chamber ensembles, the Heare Ensemble, will premiere a work for flute, cello, and piano by Carter October 28th! Jennie was familiar with FNMC Composition Contest winning composers Asha Srinivasan and Shawn Okpebholo prior to joining FNMC and she performed both of their winning works on tour last year! She also performed Shawn’s winning work, On a Poem by Miho Nohaka: Harvard Square for solo flute, at the NFA Convention in Minneapolis this summer! We’re very happy to have Jennie as a member of FNMC and we look forward to her continued involvement in the organization!
 

​Q&A with Jennie…
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined FNMC in 2016 when my dear friend Carter Pann mentioned to me that he had been chosen for the commissioned work. It was also terrific to find out that my colleague Shawn Okpebholo won the competition for the solo flute category and that Asha Srinivasan (whose music I love) was a previous winner. It's a great organization with an incredibly worthy cause!
 
What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice?
I'll combine the question of favorite tools and advice about practicing to talk about some of the great technology and apps that are out there for us. I have found that my Ipad pro, Pageflip Firefly pedal, and Forscore are great tools for performing. For practicing, I use Scanner Pro and Google Drive to get scores downloaded, and I also use an Apple Pencil to mark up my scores. I rely heavily on some new apps including Tuneable, and when the crazy poly/mixed meters are too fast in tempi, I love Time Guru and TempoAdvanced.
 
As far as practicing skills go, when I'm preparing music with a lot of extended techniques, I approach it with more time in slow practicing than my more traditional repertoire. The reason for this is to give the music enough time to feel intuitive so you can "speak" it with some fluency and ease. I remember when I picked up Jennifer Higdon's Rapid.fire for the first time, and I was so intimidated by the multiple layers of extended techniques draped over numerous phrases. I very methodically worked on the phrase with one technique, mastering it before layering the other. Now, I've performed that piece perhaps 20 - 30 times, most recently just a couple weeks ago, and it's like that old phrase where it feels like "riding a bike." It's become a go-to piece when I need a showstopper and because of my initial investment in careful practice, the technical aspects of the piece have stayed in my fingers.
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
(Provide any web or video URL you would like to share.)
The center of my performing life revolves around my role as Artistic Director of a fabulous chamber ensemble of elite musicians Picosa. Please visit our website at PicosaMusic.com to hear about upcoming events.  (Editor's Note: Check out this video for more about the ensemble.)

I am also particularly excited about three upcoming concerts. The first one will be performing the premiere of an absolutely gorgeous trio for flute, cello, and piano by Carter Pann and commissioned by SDG Music Foundation which is incredibly rich and indulgent, like the musical version of the world's best chocolate. Secondly, I'll be celebrating the opening of our new concert hall and music building at Wheaton College with three consecutive faculty recitals with two of my colleagues. Third, I'll be performing Joel Puckett's Shadow of Sirius with the Elmhurst College Wind Ensemble in the Spring. For more information about my performances, please visit JennieBrownFlute.com
 
More About Jennie…
Jennie Brown is flutist and artistic director of Picosa and recording artist with Innova Recordings.  Her album of the music of Joseph Schwantner was released in 2015.  She teaches at Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges and is director and faculty member of Credo Flute.  DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad.  JennieBrownFlute.com

We’re excited to feature another of our brand new members! Christine Erlander Beard (Christie) has long been an advocate for new music (especially for piccolo) and we’re excited that she’s joined FNMC! We were also really excited to see that she’s performing a work by Dana Wilson at the 2017 NFA Convention, Whispers from Another Time for piccolo & piano. Dana was the winner of the 2016 Newly Composed Category for Conjurer for flute and chamber ensemble. We’re looking forward to collaborating with Christie and we’re happy she took the time to share a little about herself!
 
Q&A with Christie…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
One of the most exciting things about being a flutist today is how active we are as a poplation in commissioning and/ or encouraging composers to write new music for our instrument! We do not have the same wealth or depth of repertoire for our instrument as the violin, but I think flutists in the 20th and 21st centuries recognized this and have committeed themselves to rectifying this for future generations of flutists. My own personal mission is to inspire and encourage composers to explore the voice of the piccolo as a lyrical and expressive instrument, and to continue to add significant works to the piccolo's limited (athough growing) repertoire.
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
Narrowing down my *favorite* contemporary composer is an impossible request! I have recently been turned on to the British composer Andy Scott and will be including some of his flute music in my 2017-2018 tour schedule. I am especially drawn to composers who successfully fuse elements of popular music with the classical tradition (including minimalism), and particularly love the music of composers such as David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Nico Muhly, Judd Greenstein, Michael Gordon and Steve Reich. (Sadly, most of them haven't written solo any pieces for flute, but they do have terrific chamber works in their catalogues that include flute or piccolo).
 
How did you become interested in new music?
 I was an undergraduate student at Arkansas State Univ when my interest in new music was piqued, as I was pegged the "go to flutist" for the very active composition studio there. My MM and DMA were both earned at the Univ of Texas, where upon my arrival in 1996, there was no flute spot open in the UT New Music Ensemble. But I was persistent and insisted that I be granted an audition despite that. The director, Dan Welcher agreed to hear me and after playing for him, he put me on the sub list my 1st year, after which I became the principal flutist in the UTNME for the duration of my studies there (the next 5 years).
 
More About Christie…

Described by Flute Focus as “…having shattered any notions that the piccolo might be lacking in deep, expressive powers," Christine Erlander Beard enjoys an active international career as a soloist, chamber artist and teacher, and is in constant demand throughout North and South America and Europe. Christie strives to showcase expressive music written for the flute and piccolo as well as promoting new and original works by living composers. An artist for Sankyo Flutes, she serves the National Flute Association as a member of the Piccolo Committee, and as a contributing editor to The Flutist Quarterly. Beard is Professor of Flute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. www.christiebeard.com
 

Without Shelley Martinson, FNMC would not exist. It was her idea, developed to solve a problem she encountered while working on her doctoral thesis, that served as the foundation for creating FNMC. She wanted to commission new music, but the expense is often far beyond the budget of most musicians, the solution…a consortium, and not just a one-time consortium, but a standing organization that would commission new pieces, with each commissioner eligible to participate in the simultaneous premiere, and that the organization would provide continued support for the commissioned works. FNMC has really grown since the fall of 2013 when we held our first board meeting; we’re about to complete our second commission (there’s still time to join!), preparing to choose the third composer, we’re holding our fourth composition contest, we’ve organized concerts of FNMC Composition Contest works all over the country, and we’re preparing to hold our first Flute Artist competition (the finals will feature a required piece we’ve commissioned by Bekah Simms, a former composition contest winner.)
 
Shelley has actively supported our first commission (Zhou Long’s Confluence for solo flute) and is a commissioner for our second commission (Carter Pann’s new work for flute and piano) and is looking forward to performing it in March.  She has also performed several composition contest works including Garuda for flute solo by Alex Nante, Van Gogh Vignettes for Flute Duet by Greg Steinke, and three of the flute quartet’s; Nicole Chamberlain’s French Quarter, In Memoriam: Sacagawea for by Greg Steinke, and Intensity  by Carleton Macy. Shelley is a member of the Tornado Alley Flutes (Carlos Feller, Karen MacLaughlin Large, Shelley Martinson, Ellen Johnson Mosley, and Elizabeth Robinson). This group includes four FNMC Commissioning Members and they’ve actively supported the quartets listed above. They will perform French Quarter at the CMS Convention in San Antonio, TX in October.  Shelley and her husband, Dr. Philip Martinson, perform as a flute and trombone duo and actively support new music for that instrumentation. They’ve commissioned two composition contest honorees to write works for them. They premiered Nicole Chamberlain’s Wail at the 2016 NFA Convention in San Diego and will premiere a new work by Kay HE this year for flute, trombone, and electronics!
 
We hope you enjoy learning more about Shelley!
 
Q&A with Shelley…
 
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
While I enjoy performing and listening to music from all eras, I’m always excited to hear (and play!) new works. Composers continue to explore and experiment, discovering new sounds and techniques, and seeking new inspirations. I enjoy the technical and musical challenge of preparing, interpreting, and performing new music, as well as the chance to work with living composers to create something new.
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I think I could be considered our first member! The concept for FNMC evolved in fall 2013 with a lot of time, energy, and enthusiasm from our founding board members: Elizabeth Robinson, Ashley Shank, David Graham, and I. FNMC centers around the idea that flutists can come together to commission and discover new works for the flute – this basic mission still excites me. Not only have our large-scale commissions produced wonderful new pieces for the flute, but I’ve also discovered great new pieces and composers through our composition competition.   
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I look forward to performing several new works at the NFA Convention in Minneapolis this week. Dr. Stacey DiPaolo and I will perform FNMC composition competition winner, Asha Srinivasan’s Bapu for flute, clarinet, and electronics on Friday morning. I’ll also perform Amanda Harberg’s Feathers and Wax for Flute and Piano and Tilmann Dehnhard’s Wake Up! For Piccolo and Alarm Clock on Sunday. Though I’m not participating, I look forward to attending the FNMC organized session, “Keeping Score: A Conversation about Commissioning New Works,” on Saturday at noon. Looking ahead to the fall semester, Dr. Philip Martinson and I will premiere a new work by Kay He (also a FNMC Composition Competition Winner) for flute, trombone, and electronics.

More About Shelley...

An active performer, Shelley Martinson joined the faculty of Southwestern Oklahoma State University as Assistant Professor of Music in fall 2013, where she instructs courses in applied flute, flute studio, music history, and chamber music.  Martinson serves on the board of the Oklahoma Flute Society (Past President) and is chair of the National Flute Association's (NFA) Career and Artistic Development Committee. Recipient of the NFA's 2014 Graduate Research Competition, Martinson earned her Doctorate of Music in flute performance with a certificate in World Music from Florida State University. She holds additional degrees in flute performance and music history from the University of Akron and Skidmore College. www.shelleymartinson.com