JMU Flutes

10/08/2026

One of our favorite resources in the JMU Flute Studio!

Somehow fallen into oblivion, I strongly believe that “Tone Development through Interpretation” by Marcel Moyse urgently deserves to make its way onto wind players’ music stands.

As wind players, we spend a lot of time mastering our instruments, and in the process we end up listening to a lot of recordings of famous players of our instrument, or whatever YouTube brings to our ears. Though this process is natural, and can indeed bring many fulfilling moments, it presents two inconvenient results.
First, many times we end up limiting ourselves to imitating a player we admire without truly listening to what we do, thus impairing the blossoming of our own unique voice. We then become a pale copy of whatever we strive to imitate. Second, by listening mainly to our instrument, our learning horizon remains quite limited.

Moyse, for example, was incredibly inspired by the great singers of his era. Bringing vocal expression into wind playing is not only a fantastic idea. It’s the door opening to a universe of expression of human emotions through a musical instrument, deeply meaningful playing, a variety of articulations (the way we choose to bring notes to life), a large palette of dynamics, infinite tone colors, correct accentuation, and elegant phrasing. The true pleasure of totally involving our intellect, soul, heart and body in the art of making music to the absolute best of our abilities.

If you are a wind player, I cannot encourage you enough to get inspired by singers, and to get your hands on this absolut gem of a book by Marcel Moyse. It’s worth every single penny.

Here is the list of excerpts found in the book. It’s of great help if you want to listen to them and get inspired.



A. Register: low – Dynamic: soft (p, pp)



1. Saint-Saëns – Symphonie en do mineur, Mvt. I, section Poco Adagio

2. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor, Act I, « Verrano a te sull'aure »

3. Air Écossais : Blue Bells of Scotland (Boehm)

4. Air Russe - A. Varlamov, « The Red Sarafan »

5. Reinecke – Sonate 'Undine', Mvt. II Intermezzo : Trio: Più lento, quasi andante

6. Air Écossais (Boehm)

7. Weber – Der Freischütz, Act II, « Leise, leise, fromme Weise »

8. Verdi – La Traviata, Act II, « Pura siccome un angelo »

9. Weber – Obéron, Act II, finale : « Qu'il soit agréable de flotter sur la mer ! »

10. Verdi – La Traviata, Act III, « Parigi, o cara »

11. Taki –La lune sur un château en ruine (Kojo no tsuki)

12. Massenet – Manon, Act II, « Adieu, notre petite table »

13. Messager – Fortunio, Act II, « J'aime la vieille maison grise »



B. Register: low – Dynamic: loud (f, ff)



14. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act IV, « Ah, che la morte ignora »

15. Bizet – Carmen, Prélude à l'acte I, « Thème du destin »

16. Offenbach – Contes d'Hoffman, « C'est une chanson d'amour »

17. Saint-Saëns – Caprice sur des airs Danois et Russes op. 79 : Air Danois

18. Massenet – Werther, Entr'acte

19. Rossini – Guillaume Tell, Act I, « Ah, Mathilde »

20. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act IV, « Mira, di acerbe lagrime »

21. Verdi – La Traviata, Act II, « De' miei bollenti spiriti »

22. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act III, « Ah si, ben mio »



C. Register: low – Diversified expression



23. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III, « Fra poco a me ricovero »

24. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III, « Tu che a Dio spiegasti »

25. Verdi – Il Trovatore, IV, « Si, la stanchezza »

26. C. Bohm – Still wie die Nacht op. 326

27. Saint-Saëns – Samson et Dalila, « Printemps qui commence »

28. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor «Chi mi frena in tal momento ? »

29. Verdi – Il Trovatore, II, « Il balen del suo sorriso »

30. Bizet – L'Arlésienne Suite #2, Agnus Dei



D. Register: high – Suppleness (p, pp)



31. Saint-Saëns – Symphonie en do mineur, Mvt. I, section Poco Adagio

32a. Weber – Obéron, Act II, finale : « Qu'il soit agréable de flotter sur la mer ! »

33. Flotow – Martha, The last rose of summer

34. Delibes – Lakmé, Act II, « Dans la forêt près de nous »

35. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor, Act I, « Verrano a te sull'aure »

36. Verdi – La Traviata, Act III, « Parigi, o cara »

37. Delibes – Lakmé, Act III, « Tu m'as donné la plus doux rêve »



E. Register: low to middle – Suppleness, delicacy and color variation



38. Reichert – Fantaisie mélancolique

39a. Massenet – Élégie

40. Martini – Plaisir d'amour

41. Lutz – Rêverie : Fantaisie Japonaise

42. Verdi – La Traviata, Act III, « Addio del passato »

43. Wagner – Tannhäuser, Act III, « O du mein heller Abendstern »

44. Massenet – Manon, Act II, « En fermant les yeux »

45. Verdi – La Traviata, Act II « Dite al giovine »

46. Boehm – Fantaisie sur un air Écossais

47. Weber – Oberon

48. Saint-Saëns – Carnaval des animaux : Le Cygne

49a. Bizet – l'Arlésienne Suite #1, Adagietto



F. All three registers – Fullness of tone



50. Verdi, Rigoletto, Act III, « Bella figlia dell'amore »

51. Rossini – Guillaume Tell, Act I, « Ah, Mathilde !

52. Rossini – Guillaume Tell, Act I, « O Ciel ! Tu sais si Mathilde m'est chère »

53. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act II, « Mal reggiendo »

54. Verdi – La Traviata, Act I, « Ah ! Fors'è lui »

55. Weber – Obéron, Act III, « Arabie, mein Heimatland »

56. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act III, « Ah si, ben mio »

57. Verdi – La Traviata, Act II, « De' miei bollenti spiriti »

58. Rossini – Guillaume Tell, Act IV, « Asile héréditaire »

59. Verdi – Il Trovatore, Act IV, « Mira, di acerbe lagrime »

60. Verdi – La Traviata, Act II, « Amami, Alfredo »

61. Massenet – Werther, Entr'acte

62. Halévy – La Juive, Act IV, « Rachel, quand du Seigneur »

63. Massenet – Werther, Act III, « Pourquoi me réveiller »

64. Gounod – Faust, Act III, « Salut, demeure chaste et pure »



G. All three registers – Diversified expression



65. Gounod – Mors et Vita, Judex

66. Saint-Saëns – Samson et Dalila, Act II « Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix »

67. Bach-Gounod – Ave Maria

68. Donizetti – Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III, « Fra poco a me ricovero »

69. Massenet – Thaïs, Act II, Méditation

70. Bizet – Carmen, Act II, « La fleur que tu m'avais jetée »

71. Tulou – Fantaisie – Air écossais

72. Bellini – Norme, Act II, « Mira, o Norma » - « Ah, perchè la mia constanza »

73. Bellini – Norma, Act I, « Casta Diva »

74. Massenet – Sapho, Act II, « Ô Magali, ma tant amado »

75. Gounod – Mireille, Act II, « La brise est douce et parfumée »

76. Massenet – Sapho, Act I, « Ah, qu'il est lion, mon pays de clarté »

77. Gounod – Werther, Act I, « Il faut nous séparer »

78. Bruneau – l'Attaque du moulin, Act II, « Adieu, forêt profonde »

79. Donizetti – Don Pasquale, Act III, « Tornami a dir che m'ami »



H. Interpretation of classical pieces



80. Händel – « Largo » : Serse, « Ombra mai fu »

81. Händel – Sonate en trio en do mineur HWV 386a, 3e mouvement

82. Mozart – Quatuor pour flûte et cordes en ré majeur K. 285, 2e mouvement

83. Beethoven – Sonate pour flûte en si bémol majeur op. Anhang 4, 2e mouvement

84. Chopin – Nocturne en mi bémol majeur, op. 9 n° 2

85. Mendelssohn – Rondo Capriccioso, op. 14, Andante

86. Beethoven – Romance en fa majeur pour violon et orchestre, op. 50

87. Beethoven – Concerto pour violon en ré majeur, op. 61, Larghetto

88. Wagner – Tristan et Isolde, Act III, 1re scène

89. Bach – Sonate pour violon et clavier en mi majeur, BWV 1006, 1er mouvement

90. Bach – Sonate pour violon et clavier en la majeur, BWV 1015, 3e mouvement

10/07/2026

Congratulations to our Symphonic Band and Concert Band flutes on their combined concert entitled “The Places You’ll Go!”

Symphonic Band Flutes (left to right):
Moriah Stachitas, Freshman
Gaby Bryson, Junior
Emi Hughes, Senior
Michael Discenza, Junior

Concert Band Flutes include:
Addison Lewallen, Sophomore
Harley Fitch, Sophomore
Brogan Johanson, Freshman
Jeshaly Morales Trejo, Freshman

10/01/2026

Congratulations to our JMU Symphony Orchestra flutes on an incredible first concert of the year. Concert highlights included Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol and a collaboration with Dr. Sam Suggs Sam Suggs, double bass on Coleridge-Taylor’s Variations in B Minor.

Looking forward to the JMUSO’s next performance at JMU’s Contemporary Music Festival on November 1st, 2026!

Pictured (left to right):

Vanessa Britton (Senior)
Emma Lisson (Senior)
Isabel Aviles (DMA)
Dr. Kira Omelchenko (Director of Orchestras)

Poster designed by JMU Flute Studio member Joshua Brancaleone (DMA).

09/26/2026

💜💛🎼 Introducing the 26-27 JMU Flute Studio! 💜💛🎶

🎉

Our DMA and MM students + Dr. Cahill! 😊

Our SENIORS, Class of 2027! 😍

Our Juniors, Class of 2028! 😎

Our Sophomore/Transfer/already-have-one-degree flutists! 🩷

Our FIRST YEARS, Class of 2030! 🤩

09/26/2026

Congratulations to our JMU Wind Symphony flutes on presenting their first concert of the academic year! It was particularly special collaborating with Kirsten Blair on John Mackey’s Places we can no longer go…

Looking forward to the next performance for JMU’s Contemporary Music Festival on November 1st! 💜💛

05/18/2026

So, so proud of these graduates! They are all headed towards exciting next chapters. Congratulations! 🎉

Dr. Rebecca Needham (DMA Flute Performance, Pedagogy, & Literature) will be teaching music at Blinn College and Austin Community College in Texas. Hooray!

Isabelle Pearson (MM Composition, and also wonderful flutist and pianist!) will begin a PhD in Composition at the University of Oregon.

MaryKate Mandeville (BM Music Education, AND one of our Outstanding Seniors selected by the faculty) plans to teach middle school band in VA. Her students will be so lucky to have her!

Our also got a shoutout at commencement for winning a CVPA Travel Grant to Bulgaria this summer!

So excited for these wonderful people to do good in the world! We will miss you! 💜💛🎶

05/04/2026

Bravo to Daniel Esperante, who performed the Ibert Concerto with the JMU Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the 2026 Concerto/Aria Competition! Gorgeous performance! And as a bonus, Daniel also conducted Elgar’s Nimrod Variation to honor graduating students! Bravo to Symphony flutes Daniel, , .g.lisson , and !

04/29/2026

It’s a busy season here! Congratulations to Isabelle Pearson on an inspiring MM Composition recital! Such beautiful and varied music! And lovely to hear her and much of the featured as soloists, orchestral players, with singers, and in a flute trio to conclude it all! Check out her music ! 🎉💜💛

04/24/2026

Congratulations to Emma Lisson on her beautiful junior recital! Her lovely program featured works by Martinů, Coleman, Paradis(?), and Burton, with pianist Jeanette Gipson! So proud of you! 💜💛🎶 .g.lisson

04/17/2026

Brava to MM student Isabelle Pearson, who played a gorgeous recital last weekend! Not only did she play a flute program beautifully, she also played a lovely piano program! AND she’s a composition major! So proud of her hard work and many talents! 💜💛🪈🎹✍️🎵