In photo above: Linda (third from right) poses with recent MSM students following a woodwinds concert at MSM.
Described by The New York Times as “a marvelous artist, whose sophisticated technical resources and lively, informed musicality vitalize everything she plays”, Woodwind Department Chair Linda Chesis is a Haynes Flutes Artist who is considered to be one of the most exciting and dynamic flutists of her generation.
Deeply committed to educating the next generation of musicians, Ms. Chesis has been on the flute and chamber music faculties at Manhattan School of Music since 1986. In 1988 she was appointed Chair of the Woodwind Department, and in 2012 she was the recipient of the President’s Medal for Distinguished Teaching.
“Each student is unique with a distinct set of strengths musically and personally. My goal is to identify these and utilize them as a basis for our work together. There are so many different career paths one can choose; I want everyone to discover what they love and what allows them to be their best selves.”
“Drive, determination, resilience and passion. Curiosity, flexibility and imagination. Excellent communication skills and innate musicianship.”
“‘Beyond the Excerpts’ is a course that is an in-depth exploration of standard orchestral works enabling students to develop a multidimensional relationship with the repertoire from which the orchestral audition material is drawn; it also includes tools for thorough and creative orchestral audition preparation. This initiative was created during the 20/21 academic year as a virtual course but has now become an in person opportunity for all woodwind department students.”
Described by The New York Times as “a marvelous artist, whose sophisticated technical resources and lively, informed musicality vitalize everything she plays”, Linda Chesis is a Haynes Flutes Artist who is considered to be one of the most exciting and dynamic flutists of her generation.
Her career has taken around across continents, along the way working not only with legends in the flute world, but also with world-famous graphic designers, and even farmers on dairy farms.
Linda began her flute studies at Yale University, where she graduated with an art history degree, and she went on to study with renowned flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal at the Paris Conservatory. Not long after returning to the US, her solo work was reviewed by The New York Times,and a series of performances on a dairy farm in upstate New York led to her founding the Cooperstown Summer Festival, which just completed its twenty-third season.
“I learned early on that repertoire for the flute as a solo or chamber music instrument was very limited, and in order to explore further and beyond that, I wanted to create something bigger for myself and for a community,” explains Linda.
The original design for the Cooperstown poster was by celebrated graphic designer Milton Glaser, the creator of the iconic “I Love NY” slogan and design, who would create many more of the festival’s posters over the years.
Since those early days, Linda went on to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in major halls throughout the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Korea and China. A top prizewinner at the Paris and Barcelona International Competitions and at the National Flute Association Competition, she has received several career awards, including a Solo Recitalist’s Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Linda’s philosophy of teaching, informed by her lessons with Rampal, is that music is a “unspoken form of communication, directed from the heart, through the instrument, and to the listener,” says Linda.
“Music is an unspoken form of communication, directed from the heart, through the instrument, and to the listener.” Linda Chesis Chair, MSM Woodwinds Department
“Music is an unspoken form of communication, directed from the heart, through the instrument, and to the listener.”
Linda Chesis
Chair, MSM Woodwinds Department
130 Claremont Avenue New York, New York 10027 212-749-2802
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