Dr. Ben Carlee is a Chicano flutist, educator, arts entrepreneur, and administrator from San Antonio, Texas. His passion for music began with the chiptunes of NES games and later the sweeping orchestral worlds of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. With limited access to classical concerts growing up, he found inspiration in these soundtracks, an experience that continues to shape his commitment to expanding access, representation, and repertoire within classical music. He currently serves as Flute Professor at East Texas A&M University.

An active performer, clinician, and adjudicator, Dr. Carlee has appeared at numerous National Flute Association Conventions, the Wisconsin and Chicago Flute Festivals, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, Texas Flute Society Festival, and North American Conference on Video Game Music. He has adjudicated for TMEA, ATSSB, the National Flute Association, Texas Flute Society, and Wisconsin Flute Festival. Orchestrally, he has appeared as Guest Principal Flutist with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Irving Symphony Orchestra, Sherman Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony Viva.

Committed to expanding the flute repertoire and amplifying Mexican and Chican@ voices and video game music, Dr. Carlee commissioned and premiered Jorge Sosa’s Sones para Flauta y Mariachi, the first concerto for flute and mariachi, with UTSA’s Mariachi Los Paisanos at the 2024 National Flute Association Convention. His forthcoming Centaur Records album, Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá: Flute Music by Mexican and Chican@ Composers, celebrates Mexican, Chican@, and queer voices. His work in video game music includes performances with Video Games Live and world premieres by Thomas Yee at the North American Conference on Video Game Music, including Rhapsody on Eight Themes from Octopath Traveler and Fantasy for Flute and Game Boy. His research interests include vocal pedagogy for flutists, nineteenth-century Mexican flute music, and ludomusicology.

Dr. Carlee is Founder and Executive Artistic Director of the Madison Gamer Symphony Orchestra, a prizewinner in the 2024 UW–Madison Arts Business Competition that has received recognition from the League of American Orchestras. He also serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Madison Flute Club.

Mentorship and expanding access to the arts are central to Dr. Carlee’s work. His National Flute Association service has included coordinating the Lesson Scholarship Program and mentoring through the NFA Emerging Artist Program. He has also served as Managing Director of UW–Madison’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Festival and as a mentor with Overture Center for the Arts’ ACES program, supporting K–12 students from underrepresented backgrounds interested in arts careers.

Dr. Carlee holds degrees in flute performance from the University of Texas at San Antonio, East Texas A&M University, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was an Advanced Opportunity Fellow in the Mead Witter School of Music. His principal teachers and mentors include Heather Martin, Kristin Hayes, Martha Long, Rita Linard, Julie Luker, Rachel Woolf, Julee Kim Walker, and Conor Nelson.

Raised in Austin, TX, Alice Jones enjoys a multifaceted career that welcomes new listeners into the world of music. Her compositions include the #tinyefforts series and commissions from Amity Trio, Decoda, Gaudete Brass, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and Millikin University. A graduate of Yale University, SUNY Purchase, and the CUNY Graduate Center, Alice teaches flute at Montclair State University and the Juilliard Music Advancement Program, serves as the Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Career Services at The Juilliard School and Treasurer of the NFA Board, and is a Haynes artist.

Flutist Christian Lampkin is commended for his “terrific style, sound projection, and commanding stage presence” (Sound Espressivo Global Competition). A dynamic performer, educator, and arts advocate, he serves as a flutist and piccoloist with the USAF Heritage of America Band and is on faculty as Adjunct Professor of Flute and Artist in Residence at Christopher Newport University. He has also served on the faculties of South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and Hampton University

A prize winner in competitions hosted by the Schubert Club, Upper Midwest Flute Association, and Colorado Flute Association, Lampkin has performed with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Snow Pond Symphony, and the Color of Music Festival Orchestra, among others. His career spans performances, masterclasses, and adjudications across the United States and internationally.

As a researcher and pedagogue, Lampkin centers his scholarly work on fostering inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ+ students in private studio teaching and championing 20th- and 21st-century flute repertoire by LGBTQ+ composers. He is also a founding member of the Umoja Flute Institute, which supports flutists of African descent, and co-founder and conductor of the Melanin Rhapsody flute choir. Deeply involved in service to the flute community, he serves on the Board of Directors for the National Flute Association, works as a mentor in its Emerging Artist Mentorship Program, and is an active member of the Career and Artistic Development Committee.

His principal teachers include Aaron Goldman, Eric Lamb, Nicole Esposito, Brook Ferguson, and additional mentorship from Marina Piccinini and Dr. Virginia Broffitt Kunzer. Chris personally endorses Altus Handmade Flutes and Azumi Flutes, and plays on a 1207 Atsui 18K Gold flute with an original platinum clad Lafin headjoint. 

 

 

A freelance flutist, artist, improviser, and composer from Seattle, Leanna Keith (she/they) delights in creating sound experiences that make audiences laugh, cry, and say: “I didn’t know the flute could do that!” Their works focus on timbre-shifting, the mixed-race experience, queer theory, and the breaking of genre boundaries. Leanna is obsessed with conduction, taiko drumming, butoh, circus arts, and the limitless capacity of humanism in sound creation. She is dedicated to playing music by living composers, and advocates for the usage of music as social activism. Leanna is currently pursuing their doctorate in contemporary flute performance at the University of California San Diego.

Roya Farzaneh is Assistant Professor of Flute at Western Carolina University and an active performer throughout East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, where she serves as principal flutist with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra and second flute/piccolo with both the Symphony of the Mountains and the Brevard Philharmonic. 

Farzaneh's accomplishments have earned her recognition as a prize winner or finalist in numerous renowned solo flute competitions, including the National Flute Association, the Texas Flute Society’s Myrna Brown Artist Competition, and several regional organizations such as the Central Ohio, South Carolina, and Kentucky Flute Societies.​ Her summer residencies have included the National Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, the Monteux School, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

She previously taught at East Tennessee State University, Northeast State Community College, and Presbyterian College in South Carolina. In addition, she served as artistic director of the ETSU Community Music School and conductor of Flute Loops, a Columbia-based adult flute ensemble under the Congaree New Horizons initiative.

As an Iranian-American flutist, Farzaneh has devoted much of her research to expanding the repertoire through collaborations with Iranian female composers. Her dissertation, "An Annotated Bibliography of Works by Iranian Female Composers," won the 2024 National Flute Association Graduate Research Competition, and she has presented recitals and lectures for the National Flute Association, the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, and South Carolina Flute Societies, and the Flute New Music Consortium.

Farzaneh has also presented lectures on physical and mental wellness at several national conferences. Drawing from her experience as a personal trainer, she incorporates evidence-based research to provide insight on how we use our bodies as flutists and how important the mind-body connection is. Farzaneh actively integrates mindfulness practices into her pedagogy, fostering a holistic approach to musicianship that addresses both physical and mental well-being.

Farzaneh holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music from the University of Akron, and a Bachelor of Music from Middle Tennessee State University, and has additionally studied with Trevor Wye in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Brian Dunbar is a dynamic and imaginative flutist whose artistry spans the worlds of solo, chamber, and orchestral performance. Celebrated for his vibrant sound and compelling musical storytelling, he brings a spirited blend of virtuosity and soul to every stage he inhabits. A native of St. Augustine, Florida, Dr. Dunbar’s musical journey has taken him from the coastal landscapes of his hometown to the halls of Stetson University, the University of Michigan, and ultimately Louisiana State University, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts. 

Dr. Dunbar serves as Associate Professor of Flute at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where he inspires the next generation of artists to explore the expressive possibilities of their craft. Prior to joining the Crane faculty, he shaped young musicians at Southern University and A&M College, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Louisiana State University. His artistry has been recognized in numerous national and international competitions, and his discerning musical voice has led him to serve on the juries of the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, the Rochester Flute Association’s Emerging Artist Competition, MTNA State and Regional Competitions, and the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, among others. 

As Co-Principal Flute of the Orchestra of Northern New York, Dr. Dunbar is known for his radiant tone and interpretive finesse. He has appeared with ensembles such as the West Point Band, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Phoenix Orchestra, Boston Festival Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. A passionate champion of new music, he has premiered numerous works as a member of the innovative New Resonance Orchestra, bringing fresh sonic landscapes to life through collaboration and curiosity. 

Deeply committed to artistic equity and community engagement, Dr. Dunbar is an active presence in several professional organizations, including the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, the National Flute Association, and the internationally recognized Sphinx Organization. Through performance, teaching, and advocacy, he continues to shape a musical life rooted in exploration, inclusivity, and the transformative power of the arts.