Mission Statement
The Kansas City Flute Choir is dedicated to providing a unique musical experience to flutists of all ages in the greater Kansas City area; to providing an outlet for flutists who are unable to find another school or community music ensemble in which to play; and, through performances and outreach education programs, to exposing Kansas City audiences and young musicians to a variety of flutes and new and innovative repertoire. Founded in 2005, the Kansas City Flute Choir is an equal opportunity organization devoted to promoting harmony, fellowship, and unity through music.
Music Director/Conductor Emily Smith
Emily Smith is a founder and music director of the Kansas City Flute Choir, principal flute with the Olathe Community Orchestra, and a teaching artist with Kansas City Young Audiences. She holds degrees in music from Kansas State University (B.M.E.) and the University of Kansas (M.M.E). A freelance flutist and flute instructor, Ms. Smith is accomplished on a variety of flutes, including C flute, piccolo, alto and bass flutes, and fife. She performs regularly with the Collage Flute Ensemble, Silverwood flute and string ensembles, and the Sunflower Ragtime Orchestra. She has also performed with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, the St. Joseph Symphony, the Liberty Symphony, the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, and the Overland Park Community Orchestra. As a flute educator, Ms. Smith has served as an adjudicator for district and state band auditions as well as regional and state solo/ensemble festivals. She was invited to give a presentation for a pedagogy workshop at the National Flute Association's Annual Convention in 2003. Under her direction, the Kansas City Flute Choir performed at the NFA Convention in Kansas City in 2008; she also led a flute choir reading session at the KC Convention. In 2009, she was awarded the Lighton Prize for Teaching Artist Excellence along with her KCYA colleagues, TriPercussion. Ms. Smith is a member of the Kansas City Federation of Musicians and the National Flute Association. Her teachers include Dr. John Boulton, Drs. Al and Mary Lee Cochran, Dr. Judy Johnson, and Betty Strand. She maintains an active private flute studio in Olathe, KS, where she resides with her husband, musician Steven Smith.
Websites and contact:
esmithflute@gmail.com
http://www.musicsmiths.net/
http://collageflutes.org/
Websites and contact:
esmithflute@gmail.com
http://www.musicsmiths.net/
http://collageflutes.org/
Co-Founder Dr. Townes Osborn Miller
Townes Osborn Miller, flutist/teacher, earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees under Eldred Spell at Western Carolina University where she held a graduate assistantship, and completed her D.M.A. at the University of Kansas. A co-founder of the Kansas City Flute Choir, she currently teaches at Mott Community College, Flint, Michigan, and Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, Michigan. The founder of the Panapolli Trio, Dr. Miller also freelances in the greater Kansas City music community. She has also served as an adjunct instructor of flute, music fundamentals, and music appreciation at Kansas City Kansas Community College, and she taught private flute students at the Toon Shop School of Music. Dr. Miller has performed with the St. Joseph Symphony, St. Joseph Symphony Municipal Band, Kansas City Puccini Arts Festival, Kansas City Civic Orchestra, Overland Park Orchestra, New Theater Restaurant, Psalmfest for the Historic Northeast Cultural Arts Commission, and the Asheville (NC) Choral Society. She has also been the featured soloist with the St. Matthias Chamber Orchestra (NC), the Oak Ridge (TN) Civic Music Association Guild, and with Midland Adventist Academy (KS). She has performed in master classes, both in the United States and England, with William Bennett, Clare Southworth, Goran Marcusson, Alexa Still, George Pope and Jim Walker. She is a member of the National Flute Association, Kansas City Federation of Musicians and Kansas City Flute Association.