Flute Festival 2010

Featured Artist Biographies

Linda Chesis

The New York Times has called Linda Chesis “a marvelous artist whose sophisticated technical resources and lively, informed musicality vitalize everything she plays.” She has frequently collaborated with such renowned artists as Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, James Levine and the late Jean-Pierre Rampal and has performed with orchestras, major string quartets and in solo recitals throughout the US, France, Great Britain , Japan and Korea. The top prize winner at the Paris and Barcelona International Competitions, and at the National Flute Association Competition, Ms. Chesis has been the recipient of many awards including a Solo Recitalist’s Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has been the subject of numerous television and radio broadcasts and her performances can be regularly heard on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

Founder and artistic director of the Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival, Linda Chesis has been a guest artist at the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, Bravo! Colorado, An Appalachian Summer and Music from Angel Fire, among others. She is a founding member of both the Chesis/Cutler flute and harp duo, the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble and often performs with flutists Carol Wincenc and Laura Gilbert as “The Three Flute Moms.”

Ms. Chesis has been professor of flute and chamber music at Manhattan School of Music since 1986 and has chaired its Woodwind Department since 1988. Ms, Chesis also serves on the faculties of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and New York University. She has offered master classes at universities, conservatories and for flute associations across the globe. Her recordings can be heard on the EMI, Nonesuch and Music Masters labels.

April Clayton- April Clayton is the flute professor at Brigham Young University. Last year, while on sabbatical, she was Guest Artist Instructor at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. She has performed in London, Zurich, Paris, Leipzig, Moscow, Vancouver, Barbados, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, throughout South Korea, New York City, and across the United States. As the Chamber Music Program Director for the European American Musical Alliance, she teaches in Paris for one month every summer. Other faculty members for the program come from The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and the Paris Conservatory. April Clayton has performed at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the Artists’ International Competition, and has won many other competitions. She attended Oberlin Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory, and The Juilliard School. At Juilliard, she was the youngest student to have been admitted to the doctoral degree program. She was recently featured on the cover of Flute Talk magazine. Dr. Clayton is currently Principal Flute with the Utah Chamber Artists and a member of the Orpheus Winds Quintet. In addition to recitals that she performs around the world, she plays regularly with the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, and Ballet West, and records for television and movie scores at L.A. East Studios. She plays on a flute that was made for her by the Williams Flutes Company in Boston.

Elaine Lewis Jorgensen- flutist, has a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music in Flute Performance, a 3-year Special Doctoral Studies Fellowship from Juilliard School of Music in New York, a Master's of Music Degree from Manhattan School of Music, and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Utah.  Dr. Jorgensen has studied flute with the major flutists of our generation- Julius Baker, William Kincaid, Jeanne Baxtresser, Sandra Church, and Linda Chesis.  She has concertized in Italy, Germany, China, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and throughout the United States.  She has been a member of the Utah Symphony, the American Symphony, the Tanglewood Orchestra at the Berkshire Music Festival, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Dr. Jorgensen has taught at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley State College, Riverdale School of Music (NY), and the Waterford School (UT).  She is currently Professor of Flute, Director of the Snow College Flute Choir, Director of the Horne  Youth Conservatory, and teaches woodwind pedagogy, class piano, conducting, chamber ensemble, introduction to music, and is responsible for summer music workshops at Snow College.  She has conducted professional flute choirs and choral groups in the United States and Europe.  Her students have won many national and state prizes for their performances and many have gone on to graduate programs at nationally ranked universities and conservatories for their master's and doctorate degrees.  Dr. Jorgensen is the coordinator of the Summer Flute Festival.

Lawrence Gee- pianist, has a Bachelor of Music in piano accompanying from Indiana University School of Music and a Master of Music in piano solo from the same institution.  Presently, Mr. Gee teaches more than 35 piano and voice students and in 1998 was appointed to adjunct piano faculty at the University of Utah.  His voice students are recognized nationally and perform extensively in regional opera companies.  As a soloist, Mr. Gee is an ongoing recitalist for the Temple Square Concert Series.  He performed as a soloist with the Mormon Symphony.  He has also performed extensively with violist Franco Gulli and has been the master class accompanist for Mr. Gulli at L'Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy.  In addition, he has been the staff accompanist for ballet and voice departments at Interlochen National Music Camp.  He has also been the assistant conductor at New York City Opera and has accompanied many local and regional opera productions.