CFA Board Members
Chris Potter, President
Dr. Potter has performed in London, Paris, Mexico City, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Dallas, Boston, and Atlanta. She is an internationally recognized alto and bass flute virtuoso and has performed at many conventions of the National Flute Association as well as the British Flute Society convention in 2008. Her CD Flute Menagerie features solo works for alto and bass. She has commissioned and premiered many works for alto and bass, including Stone Suite by Sonny Burnette, Baikal Journey by Catherine McMichael, Obstinato and Scareso by Mike Mower and Two for Two by Katherine Hoover. She has just been appointed Chair of the newly formed Low Flutes Committee by the Board of the National Flute Association.
Chris was seen on the cover of Flute Talk magazine in February 2008 with the 10-foot high sculpture of a bass flute that is in her front yard. She is a frequent contributor to Flute Talk as well as The Quarterly, the magazine of the National Flute Association.
She has written and arranged many books. Halloween Duets (now part of Fun Flute Duets) and The Alto and Bass Flute Resource Book were both winners in the National Flute Association's Newly Published Music Competition. Her most recent book is Songs from the Shows for two flutes published by Kevin Mayhew. Her next publication is a vibrato workbook to be published by Falls House Press in spring 2010.
Dr. Potter holds an annual Alto and Bass Flute Retreat every summer. In 2010 it will be held at the end of July on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. The retreat includes participatory workshops on such topics as breath control, tone development, vibrato and discovering new repertoire.
A seven year member of the pedagogy committee of the National Flute Association, she has given many workshops at national conventions and helped compile a repertoire guide and an etude guide to be used by its international membership.
Chris has a Doctorate in Flute Performance from SUNY Stonybrook where she studied with Sam Baron. Her Bachelor's and Master's degrees were with Fulbright scholar Frank Bowen. She also attended masterclasses of Marcel Moyse and William Bennett.
Ysmael Reyes, Vice-President/Membership Coordinator
Venezuelan flutist Ysmael Reyes enjoys a varied career as a soloist, orchestral player, and teacher. Mr. Reyes has performed in the United States, Russia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago. Engagements for 2011 include concerto appearances in the US as well as recitals and masterclasses in Uruguay and Brazil. Mr. Reyes has been a prize winner in the First Latin American Flute Competition, the Music Award by the Dante Alighieri Society, the Ekstrand Memorial Competition, and the National Flute Association Convention Performers Competition.
Mr. Reyes joined the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra as Principal Flute in 2006, and is currently on the faculty at Regis University and the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts. In his home country he performed with the Simón Bolívar and Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestras. He is frequently invited to teach and perform at the Latin American Flute Academy and the National System of Youth Orchestras in Venezuela.
Mr. Reyes holds degrees from the University of Colorado (DMA), the University of Iowa (MA) and the University of the Arts in Venezuela (BM), having studied with Christina Jennings, Alexa Still, Robert Dick, Tadeu Coelho and Luis Julio Toro.
Valerie Erickson-Mesias, Secretary/Newsletter Reporter
I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a double major in Flute Performance from the Metropolitan State College of Denver. I previously studied with flute teachers Pat Peterson, Martha Fabrique, Nancy Teskey, Chris Potter, Fran Piazza, and Sylvia Greenfield, oboe teacher Sue Logan, and voice teachers Kim Peters and Karen Engelby. I performed in master classes by Goran Marcusson at the Colorado Flute Fair in 2002, and by Trevor Wye in Albuquerque, NM June 2002, 2003, and 2004, and attended his Denver class in November, 2005. I have attended master classes by Stephen Preston, Pam Endsley, Julie Duncan, and Amy Porter, Patricia George, and Christina Jennings, and traveled to the National Flute Conference in Las Vegas in 2003, and Albuquerque in 2007. I previously taught band with Fountain/Ft. Carson School District 8 at 3 elementary schools, and then for three years I taught PK-5 Music, 4th & 5th Grade Band, 3-10th Grade Vocal Choir, and 6-10th grade flute choir in Academy School District 20. I currently am a music sub in Jefferson County so that I can work closer to home, and have a large private studio between my locations of Universal Music in Thornton, my home in Lone Tree, and teaching group sectional lessons with the Douglas County Youth Band. I have played flute and piccolo with Colorado Wind Ensemble since October 2000 (www.coloradowindensemble.org). I am the secretary for the Colorado Flute Association. I have played flute since 1986, and it is my passion! My website is located at: https://valeriemesias.musicteachershelper.com.
Ruth A. Maurer, Treasurer
Ruth A. Maurer is Professor Emeritus of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Colorado School of Mines and currently lives in Grand Junction CO.. While at Mines, Ruth taught economics, mathematics, operations research, and statistics. Since retirement from Mines, Ruth has taught online for several universities, headquartered both in the United States and internationally. She was Chair of the Applied Management and Decision Sciences Program at Walden University for 3 years. Dr. Maurer earned her Ph.D. in Mineral Economics (Operations Research, minor in statistics) from Colorado School of Mines; her masters is in mathematics and her bachelors is in physical science (mathematics and physics), both from Colorado State University. In her spare time, Ruth plays piccolo, C flute, alto flute, bass flute in the local flute choir, having played flute for 60 years. She has played with the Ft. Collins Symphony and the Jefferson Symphony (in Golden) in addition to playing flute and piccolo with the Aggie Band for 6 years. Ruth is the mother of the flute choir at Mines.
Kristi Ballif, Newsletter Editor
Kristi Ballif currently teaches flute at Mesa State College and plays in the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, the Western Colorado Flute Choir, and the Mesa State College Faculty Woodwind Quintet. She is the author of Music Theory for the Flutist, a theory book designed especially for flute students. As a clinician, she has presented for the National Flute Association Convention, the Colorado Flute Association, the Colorado Music Educator’s Association Convention, and the Gateway Canyons Lecture Series.
Kristi earned her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Arizona State University and her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Brigham Young University. Her primary instructors have included Elizabeth Ruppe, Trygve Peterson, and Elizabeth Buck.
Whitney Kelley, Website Chair
Flutist Whitney Kelley is emerging as an inspiring artist, reaching audiences across the country with her innovative performance and pedagogical techniques. Acclaimed for her “considerable technique” by the Winston-Salem Journal, she has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in numerous orchestral and recital settings, including guest appearances with Hollywood film composer Dave Grusin, jazz flutist Nestor Torres, and performances with orchestras in Chicago’s renowned Ravinia Summer Music Festival, the Texas Music Festival, North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Performance Festival, and the Longmont Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to her solo and chamber pursuits, Mrs. Kelley is an innovative pedagogue, presenting her research and teaching philosophies to music educators and performers through lectures, masterclasses, online videos, and publication in the upcoming NFA Pedagogy Anthology Vol. 2. While maintaining a thriving private studio as a faculty member of the Off Broadway School of Fine Arts in Boulder, Colorado, Mrs. Kelley has also served as a clinician, adjudicator, and coaching staff for a wide variety of music programs.
As an Arts Administrator, Mrs. Kelley staffs Summer Institutes and Chapter Affiliates for the Suzuki Association of the Americas at their headquarters in Boulder and serves as webmaster for the Colorado Flute Association. She is additionally pursuing a doctorate in Flute Performance and Pedagogy as a student of Christina Jennings at the University of Colorado. For more information, please visit www.whitneykelley.com .
Deborah Ray, Publicity Chair
Deborah Ray (Thornton, CO) brings more than 15 years of experience in writing and publishing with an emphasis in publicizing projects, which include coauthoring 20 books, writing two nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and publishing and managing a large profession-specific online magazine. Deborah has served on multiple Boards in the past, including the Advisory Board for Oklahoma State University's Technical Writing Program and the Advisory Board for Technical Communication, the professional journal of the Society for Technical Communication. Drawing on her music background and interests, she has also worked to publicize local music organizations, including Thornton Community Band and Mile High Community Band, as well as Dr. Christine Potter. Deborah is a founding member of Flute Salad and enjoys publicizing the group and performing with the trio ~12 times per year.
Christina Jennings, Flute Fair Chair
Flutist Christina Jennings is praised for virtuoso technique, rich tone, and command of a wide range of literature featuring works from Bach to Zwilich. The Houston Press declared: “Jennings has got what it takes: a distinctive voice, charisma, and a pyrotechnic style that works magic on the ears.” The first flutist in fifteen years to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, other honors include First Prize at the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition and the William C. Byrd Competition. In 2007 Musical America listed her as “an artist to watch.” Highlights of the 2007-2008 season include performances with the Takács String Quartet, a performance of the Christopher Rouse Flute Concerto with the Spokane Symphony, a collaboration with Juthro Tull, and Philadelphia performances of Pierre Boulez’s Le marteau sans maître.
Active as a concerto soloist, Ms Jennings has appeared with the Utah and Houston Symphonies, Orchestra 2001, Park Avenue Chamber Orchestra, Flint Symphony, Orchestra de Camera (Mexico), and Pro Musica (UK). Recent chamber music festivals include Strings in the Mountains (CO), Cascade Head (OR), OK Mozart (OK), Chamber Music Quad Cities (IA), and the Bowdoin International Festival (ME).
As broad-gauged in her musical pursuits as she is in her repertoire choices, Ms. Jennings is Principal Flute with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (Houston), collaborates with pianist Lura Johnson, and enjoys mixing disciplines through projects with David Parsons Dance Companies and members of Pilobolus. In addition, she is the founder of Oklahoma City’s Brightmusic Series. Chamber music partners have included So Percussion, the Brentano and Avalon Quartets, soprano Lucy Shelton, and cellist Colin Carr.
Christina Jennings can be heard in works by Alec Wilder alongside jazz great Marian McPartland in a shared CD for Albany Records. Also on Albany Records is a disc featuring Ms. Jennings as soloist in Shulamit Ran’s flute concerto Voices with the Bowling Green Philharmonia. Of the recently released Jennings-Johnson Duo CD, the American Record Guild declared: “Jennings is an extraordinary musician, with facile technique, a soaring tone, and a natural sense of phrasing that is often absent from flute playing.”
Ms. Jennings grew up in Vermont and is the daughter of Andrew Jennings, former member of the Concord String Quartet. She received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees at The Juilliard School, and her principal teachers include Carol Wincenc, Leone Buyse and Jeanne Baxtresser. Based in Boulder, she teaches at the University of Colorado.
Michelle Stanley, College Events Chair
Michelle Stanley (www.michellestanleyflutist.com) is Assistant Professor of Flute at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Dr. Stanley is second flute/piccolo in the Colorado Ballet Orchestra and performs regularly with a variety of groups such as the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, and the Boulder Bach Festival. Michelle is a founding member and performer with the Sonora Chamber Ensemble that regularly performs and commissions chamber music. She has commissioned and premiered works from composers throughout the United States.
Ms. Stanley has performed for College Music Society conference, was included in a performance of the music of George Crumb for his 75th birthday celebration in 2004 and most recently performed in Los Angeles as a featured performer on a recital of the music of Russell Steinberg. She was also featured on a concert of early music at the Berkeley Early Music Festival, the Back Door music festival, the WASBE festival in Japan, and was a performer at the National Flute Convention in Atlanta, GA. Her recording of commissioned flute chamber music is to be released by Centaur Records in the fall of 2008.
Ms. Stanley received a M.M. and D.M.A from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and received a B.M. in Music from the University of New Hampshire. She also attended Trinity College of Music in London where she studied with Anne Cherry. Michelle was the President of the Colorado Flute Association and program chair for the Association’s annual Flute Celebration from 2002-2004.
Isabella Ubertone, K-12 Student Chair
Isabella Ubertone, former CFA president, teaches flute and penny whistle as well as directs The Uberflutes, Flute Vivace and The Early Music Recorder Consort at Colorado Academy. She enjoys performing as a soloist and chamber music for weddings, church services and other local events. Isabella also has a flute studio in Denver at The Music Box. Isabella has her bachelor’s degree in flute from Graceland University and a Master’s of Music degree in flute performance from U.N.I.
Judy Megibow, Adult Amateur Chair
Judy just moved to Boulder this spring. She has a B.A. in Music Education from Rutgers University, a B.Mus in Music Therapy from Michigan State University, and an M. M. in Flute performance from the University of Tennessee. She also holds an M.S. in Special Education from the University of Kansas, and worked as a special education teacher for emotionally disturbed children for many years.
In the past she has played in community orchestras on a regular basis. She founded and played in a woodwind quintet for 6 years in Topeka, KS, and founded and played for 11 years in a Klezmer Band, /Tennessee Schmaltz/, in Knoxville, TN. The band has put out 2 CDs.
Here in Boulder, Judy is still searching for performing groups. She is setting up a small teaching studio in her home, and will continue to study the flute. Stay tuned.
Kay Lloyd, Flute Choir Chair
Kay W. Lloyd holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Hastings College (NE) and a Masters degree in Flute Performance from Wichita State University. Ms. Lloyd is principal flutist with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and the Mahlerfest Orchestra, Music Director at Longs Peak United Methodist Church, the Executive Director of Longmont Symphony Orchestra and has been conductor of the Longs Peak Flute Ensemble for the past 21 years. She maintains a private flute studio, is an active performer and adjudicator in the area, and performs in the flute and guitar duo, Silverwood. In her spare time she enjoys reading and travelling with her husband, Gary.
Sherry Lee, Flute Industry Representative
Raised in Elkhart Indiana (the flute capital of the world as many say), I began my flute journey at the age of 16, helping my mother solder keys in our basement. I graduated from Concord High School at the age of 18, and by the age of 19, I was working for my step-father at the DeFord flute Company. I spent nine years there doing flute padding & body soldering. In 1979 Emerson DeFord sold his DeFord Company to King Company and started his new company, “The Emerson Flute Company.” I was his first employee. From 1979 to 1990 I worked for Mr. DeFord, first as a key solder, then a flute builder (or stringer as they called it in a student factory) for over three years. After spending about six months in each department in the Factory and learning all I could about each process, I became foreman, teaching others to solder, build flutes and pad flutes until 1990. In October of 1990 I went to Vermont to build professional flutes under Jonathon Landell. Then in October 1991, I returned to Grand Junction to open my repair business. I have been repairing professional and student flutes and other woodwinds for the last twenty years under the name Lee’s Woodwinds or Sherry’s Flute Repair.
Around 2001 I worked with Haynes company to learn their way of building professional flutes under the supervision of Chris McKenna. I continued my work with Haynes company from home for the next few years, building flutes from my home in Grand Junction.
My knowledge I accredit to my step-dad, Mr. Emerson DeFord, with influences from Jonathon Landell (Landell flutes), Patricia North (Cincinnati Fluteworks), Chris McKenna (Haynes Company) and my husband, Patrick Lee. Without his push and business knowledge, I would probably still be working for my step-dad.
My first flute lessons were from Emerson DeFord, then Mr. Johathon Landell. He pushed me to learn more about playing the flute. Knowing I was going to be a professional repair person and not a professional player, I thank all the flute teachers that helped me along the way.
I feel that my desire to learn more and please my customers keeps us in business. I contribute my growth to all my customers that have been so loyal to me in the last 20 years. We have grown from a very simple repair shop to become a Dealer of over 10 different flutes lines and a Professional Flute Repair shop in Grand Junction, CO.
James Hall, Greeley Events Chair
Flutist James Hall’s varied career includes significant achievements as solo recitalist, chamber player, orchestral musician, concerto soloist, and teacher. He is former principal flute with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and has been co-principal flutist of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, principal flutist of the St. Joseph Symphony, and has also performed with the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, the Kansas City Civic Opera, and the Kansas City Chorale. He has collaborated with the Aurora Trio, Music from China, and Carol Wincenc. He has been featured soloist with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, the Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Conservatory of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned both master's and doctoral degrees.
As a winner of Artists International, Hall gave his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004 with pianist Patricia Higdon. As the Hall/Higdon Duo, the two continue to perform recitals and give masterclasses throughout the United States and abroad. Hall has been on the faculties of Pittsburg State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is currently the flute professor at the University of Northern Colorado.
Nancy Andrew, Colorado Spring/Pueblo Area Chair
Nancy Andrew is instructor of flute at Metropolitan State College of Denver, and has a large private studio in Colorado Springs called the North Springs Flute Studio. Recently certified in Suzuki, she enjoys teaching students of all ages. Previous faculty positions have included the University of Oregon, the University of Arizona, and Youngstown State University. Her orchestral experience includes performances with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Boulder Bach Festival, the Eugene Symphony, the Oregon Mozart Players, the Erie Philharmonic, the Baltimore Opera, the New England Bach Festival, and the Annapolis Symphony. She has also toured with the United States Air Force Academy Band. A frequent recital performer, Ms. Andrew has presented concerts and masterclasses worldwide. She specializes in performances and presentations related to the legendary French flutist Marcel Moyse and has been featured as a guest artist in this capacity for the National Flute Association and British Flute Society conventions, the Swiss Flute Association, the Zurich Conservatory, the Seattle Flute Society, the Utah Flute Association, and the Colorado Flute Association, among others. Ms. Andrew is the founder and former executive director of the Marcel Moyse Society and for many years was the editor of the Moyse Society Newsletter. Long active in the National Flute Association, she served as Program Chair for the 2007 convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico; she has also served two terms on the board of directors, has adjudicated competitions, including the Young Artist Competition, and has performed and presented at numerous conventions.
Ms. Andrew holds degrees from Peabody Conservatory (D.M.A.), the State University of New York at Stony Brook (M.M.), and the University of New Mexico (B.M., B.A.). Her teachers have included Marcel Moyse, Robert Willoughby, Samuel Baron, Thomas Nyfenger, and Frank Bowen.
Shelley Warren, Western Colorado Events Chair
Shelley has over 26 years of experience as a professional flutist, teaching and performing in the United Sates and Europe. She has a Bachelor of Music/Performance Degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Music/Performance Degree from Baylor University, and has been Professor of Flute at Barry University in Miami, Florida, Broward Community College in Ft. Lauderdale, and Mesa State in Grand Junction, CO, compiling more than 20 years teaching at the University level. She has performed in music festivals in Greece, Spain, England, Italy and on Cape Cod. Shelley was a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida, Sinfonia Virtuosi, Greater Palm Beach Symphony, Miami Beach Symphony, Waco Symphony, more than 15 chamber music groups, and performed with the Miami Opera, Miami City Ballet, Ft. Pierce Opera, Gold Coast Opera, Houston Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Dance Theater of Harlem, and in over 65 musicals. Her teachers include Geoffrey Gilbert, Walfrid Kujala, Charles Delaney, Martha Rearick and Helen Ann Shanley, and she has taken masterclasses with James Galway, Jean Pierre Rampal, Julius Baker, and William Bennett. Shelley is currently Principal Piccolo in the Grand Junction Symphony, and plays in 7 chamber ensembles that bring live music to all the elementary schools in Grand Junction each year through the Symphony’s Springfest Program, and she teaches and performs throughout the Western Slope.
Shelley is also a Licensed Massage Therapist (MA#11819), Certified TRAGER Practitioner, Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage/Complete Decongestive Physiotherapist, Reconnective Healing/Reconnections Therapist and Reiki Master with over 16 years of experience. She was an on call massage therapist for more than 6 years at the Doral di Saturnia Spa in Miami, FL and 3 years at Chipeta Health and Fitness in Ridgway, CO and has had a thriving private massage practice in both places. Shelley offers private massage sessions as well as group lessons in relaxation therapy at her office in Montrose, or is available for in-home sessions as well.
Shelley uses her knowledge of essential oils, shiatsu for structural dysfunction, chair massage, reflexology, acupressure, chi and polarity therapy, as well as advanced, hi-tech magnetic therapy, TENS, far-infared technology and living ŒPi-Mag‚ water to customize each therapeutic session. Shelley is an Independent Nikken Wellness Consultant and makes customized silk floral arrangements.
Becky WeidmanWinter, Southwestern Colorado Chair
Becky Weidman-Winter teaches flute at Western State College and music at the Crested Butte Community School. She is completing a DMA from the University of North Texas where she studies with Terri Sundberg and holds degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder (MM) and Oberlin Conservatory (BM), having studied with Alexa Still and Michel Debost.
Becky has performed across the country as a guest artist in New York, Texas, and Colorado and in 2007 won the Mid-South Young Artist Competition in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She has been a member of the Garland, Las Colinas, and Arlington Symphonies and the band Tin Roof Tango in Dallas, Texas. From 2001-2004 she was on the faculty at the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, teaching flute, piano, and Intro to Instruments and performed frequently with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.
Gail Atkinson, NFA Liason
Gail Atkinson began her flute studies in the 7th grade and has been playing ever since. She earned her Associate of Science degree in Music at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah and has taken conducting at Mesa State College under Dr. Kirk Gustafson and Dr. Calvin Hofer. She has studied flute with McLloyd Erickson (Snow College, UT), Anita Ford (Ogden, UT), Max Dalby (Logan, UT), Leslie Timms (Logan, UT), Judith Thomas (Grand Junction), and Veronica Burke (Gunnison, CO). Gail has performed with several bands and orchestras in Utah, Illinois, and Grand Junction. She has been a member of the Western Colorado Flute Choir since 1986, and co-conductor since 2009.
Gail has been married for 35 years, and has 3 boys, 3 girls, and 11 grandchildren. She enjoys reading, sewing, crafts, and camping, but her favorite thing is spending time with her family.
Laura Schulkind, K-12 Student Assistant Chair
Laura Schulkind, Founder and Executive Director of Mountain Chamber Music Society, currently performs with Core Ensemble of the Mountain Chamber Music Society. She holds the Master of Music degree in flute performance, and the Master of Arts in Education degree. Her major teachers include Maralyn Prestia, David Shostac, Samuel Baron and Leone Buyse. She has performed at the Aspen Music Festival and at the inaugural concert for Harris Recital Hall in Aspen. Miss Schulkind has participated in the Red Cedar Chamber Music Festival, where she was an invited performer in the summer of 2005, and a presenter in summer, 2006. A soloist for the Evergreen Chamber Orchestra's 20th and 25th Anniversary Seasons, she was also principal flute with the Orion Winds, the MSCD Symphony Orchestra, and toured internationally with the Long Island Youth Orchestra. Competitive honors include First Place winner with the Denver Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition (1983), the University of Northern Colorado Symphonic Band Concerto Competition Winner (1995), among others. An elementary school teacher, she is also presently adjunct faculty at Red Rocks Community College and maintains a private flute studio.her private studio in Golden, CO.
Margaret Peterson, K-12 Student Assistant Chair
Margaret Peterson is a National Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). She holds a B.A. degree from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL and a Master of Music degree in performance from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Margaret's primary flute instruction has been with Walfrid Kujala, Arthur Kitti and Oscar Werner plus Master Classes with James Galway in Stowe, England and Weggis, Switzerland. Margaret has been a member of the Fox Valley Symphony, Aurora, IL; taught and developed the flute program for fifteen years at Colorado Academy, Denver, CO,and manages the Four Winds Flute Quartet in Golden, CO. She teaches Suzuki and traditional methods in her private studio in Golden, CO.