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Music Building
Virtuoso flutist Elizabeth McNutt discovered her passion for new and adventurous music almost as soon as she began playing. She has dedicated herself to this path, commissioning and premiering countless new works and becoming an expert interpreter of the masterpieces of the last century. Besides her ongoing collaborations with young and upcoming composers, “commanding flutist Elizabeth McNutt” (LA Times) has worked with such recognized figures as Pierre Boulez, Brian Ferneyhough, Harvey Sollberger, Cort Lippe, Philippe Manoury, Russell Pinkston, Roger Reynolds, Joji Yuasa, and Joan Tower. Particularly drawn to the new sound worlds of electronic music, she collaborates intensively with composers and technologists to create groundbreaking works for flute and live interactive computer systems. Her solo CD pipe wrench: flute + computer, on the Electronic Music Foundation Media label, was recently described as “astounding” (Flute Talk), “high octane” (Musicworks), and “a delightful listen” (SEAMUS Newsletter). Her other recordings are on the CRI and SEAMUS labels.
McNutt has performed across the United States, including concerts in Baltimore, Birmingham, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Her international appearances include England, Germany, Greece, Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland. Her "cyber-flute" repertoire has been featured at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series, Hallswalls Contemporary Art Center, Steinberg Gallery of Art, Berkeley Symphony, and International Computer Music Conferences. She was the featured artist in the 2002 Electronic Music Midwest Festival (the first time they have featured a performer instead of a composer), and the 2003 Third Practice Festival. She has also been a soloist at such festivals as Darmstadt, Scotia, Norfolk, and Arcosanti. McNutt is a frequent lecturer on topics including contemporary performance practice, flute technique, performing with technology, and collaboration. She has lectured at Peabody Conservatory, Louisiana State University, Cincinnati Conservatory, and Minnesota State University, among others. American Composers Forum, Colorado Flute Association, Mid-South Flute Society, and New Jersey Composers Guild have also sponsored her presentations. Her writing has appeared in Organised Sound (Cambridge Press), the National Flute Association’s Flutist Quarterly, Music Theory Online, the Boulder Daily Camera, and the Colorado Flute Association Newsletter.
McNutt has won awards and fellowships from the Boulder County Arts Alliance Neodata Endowment, National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, Arts International, Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute, and American Composers Forum. Formerly an instructor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, she recently joined the faculty of the University of North Texas. She also co-directs the new music organization Atomic Clock Music Events. Her degrees are from UC San Diego (DMA, 2000; MA, 1994) and the St. Louis Conservatory (BM, 1990); her teachers have included Harvey Sollberger, John Fonville, and Jacob Berg (flute), and Miller Puckette (computer music).
Photo: Elle Logan