Member Spotlight- Brittany Trotter

Get to Know...Brittany Trotter

In our second FNMC Member Spotlight we introduce Brittany Trotter. Brittany is one of several new members who joined in 2016 and have quickly become active in FNMC. She recently assumed the position of Corporate Sponsorship Chair.
 
Q&A with Brittany…
What is it about new music that appeals to you?
The overwhelming diversity of new styles of work is a prominent factor in why new music for the flute appeals to me. I enjoy how accepting composers are of non-traditional sounds and instrument combination. New music today is bring to light the different sounds and timbre colors the flute is capable of besides just mimicking the voice and birds. 
 
Who is your favorite “new music” composer and why?
 Jazz drummer, Antonio Sanchez has been on my radar since I heard his soundtrack work on the feature film "Birdman". What impressed me is that Sanchez composed the film's score on a drum kit while watching the footage. Sanchez's album by his fusion band "Migration" called "Meridain Suite" is a must listen as well. 
 
What are your favorite “new music” pieces and why?
Currently, my favorite new piece is Frederic Rzweski's Coming Together. I am playing it this semester with West Virginia University's New Music Ensemble. I enjoy Rzewski's bold take on big political topics and how he infused it in his pieces. For example, Coming Together is based on the letters by inmate Sam Melville. 
 
Describe your musical background and current activities.
I am a first year DMA student at West Virginia University studying under Professor Nina Assimakopoulos. I've received a bachelor of music education and performance at the University of Southern Mississippi and a Masters of Music at the University of Wyoming. I freelance around the greater Morgantown area.  
 
What flute brands do you play new music on?
I play on a DN model Murmatsu flute with a platinum Burkart headjoint with a 14K gold plated riser. 
 
When did you join FNMC and what attracted you to the organization?
I joined FNMC when my professor, Dr. Nicole Riner, asked me. I was intrigued by how, as a member of FNMC, I have voting rights on new compositions and get my very own copies of the winner's score that I help picked. FNMC also give its member the opportunity to take part in coordinated premieres. Being a member of FNMC is a new music junkie gold mine. 
 
Do you have any upcoming events you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I am a part of the WVU's graduate flute quartet , BETA, and we are have our first public performance on 10/9 at the Thomas a Becket Concert Series  at 3pm in Morgantown, WV. Please check out my website, www.brittanytrotter.com for information on more events. 
 
What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice?
My advice for flutists about approaching new music is simply GO FOR IT!
 
More about Brittany…
Brittany Trotter is an active freelancer, performer, and teacher in Morgantown, West Virginia. She has performed in various recitals and orchestras, including West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, the University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, the University of Southern Mississippi Orchestra, and substituted for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. 
 
As a teacher, Brittany has taught privately throughout southern Mississippi and southwestern Wyoming and was the adjunct flute professor at Laramie County Community College and the University of Wyoming flute studio graduate assistant.
 
She earned her Bachelor’s of Music Education and Music Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and her Master's in Music at the University of Wyoming. She is currently attending West Virginia University as a recipient of the Arlen G. and Louise Stone Swiger Fellowship to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts.  Her primary teachers include Dr. Danilo Mezzadri, Dr. Nicole Riner, and Professor Nina Assimakopoulos. 
 

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