Columbia Flute Choir

Columbia Flute Choir
Since 1994, Falls Church, Virginia

Sharyn L. Byer, Director

Columbia Flute Choir, under the direction of Sharyn Byer, has been delighting Washington audiences since 1994, performing throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The ensemble features all members of the flute family including piccolo, C flute, alto flute, bass flute, contr'alto flute, contrabass flute, and sub contrabass flute in G. Columbia Flute Choir presents a variety of classical music as well as original works for flute choir, and hosts an annual Flute Choir Festival in the Fall. Highlights of previous seasons include Columbia Flute Choir performances at The White House, on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, in the Helen Hayes Gallery at The National Theatre, on Columbia Institute of Fine Arts "Distinguished Artist Series", during Fairfax City's "Spotlight on the Arts", on the "Old Town Hall Performance Series" in Fairfax, and the "Muldoon Concert Series" in Annandale. Columbia Flute Choir has presented world premieres at the Washington Flute Society's Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair and performed at the National Flute Association's Annual Convention.

Current Members include: (as pictured above) Back row: Sharyn Byer (Director), Steve Tung, Nancy McAlpin, Rhonda Bowen, Ann-Marie Hofer, Jennifer DeSantos, Lindsey Larson, Lauren Panfili, Amy Hutchens, Rebecca Davidson, Melvin Lauf, Jr., Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda Baldwin. Front row: Heather Tribble, Chris Kirby, Audrey Murray, Michael Bowyer, Jessica Jones, Liz Crane, Lindsay Hemphill. Not pictured: Tyra Haley, Amy Ritsko-Warren, Ariana Markowitz, and Megan Lomonof.

Click here for information on our CD!

2006/2007 Season Performances

Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 7pm - National Flute Association Convention – East Atrium of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Convention Center

Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 10:00 am - Columbia Flute Choir Festival, Falls Church, Virginia - see box below

Friday, March 9, 2007 - 8pm - Old Town Hall Performance Series, Fairfax, Virginia

Saturday, May 5, 2007 - 8pm - Columbia Flute Choir in Recital with The Metropolitan Chorus, Mount Olivet United Methodist Church 1500 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, Virginia 22207. $17 for adults; $15 for students, seniors and military.

2007/2008 Season Performances

Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 9:30 am (Please note earlier start time) - Columbia Flute Choir Festival, Falls Church, Virginia - see box below

Thursday, December 20, 2007 - 6:00 pm - Columbia Flute Choir performs at The White House.

Monday, February 4, 2008 - 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm - Columbia Flute Choir at the National Theatre, Washington, DC in the Helen Hayes Gallery - as part of the Monday Night at the National FREE concert series. Seating is limited! Tickets are required and are distributed without charge one half-hour prior to performance, on a first-come first-served policy. For more information call 202-783-3372 or visit: http://www.nationaltheatre.org/monday/monday.htm

Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 3:00 pm - FSW Membership Recital, Washington, DC - Columbia Flute Choir will be featured on The Flute Society of Washington Recital in the beautiful new theater at the Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts. A reception will immediately follow the performance. Visit the link below for directions via car and Metro. OTHER INFO: The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts is a community arts school that has a beautiful new theater favored by Washington-area musicians and chamber groups. Located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC, there are plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance, in addition to the National Zoo. Lots of street parking available! - Location/Directions: http://www.sitarartscenter.org/about_us/our_location.php

2008/2009 Season Performances

Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 10:00 am - Columbia Flute Choir Festival, Falls Church, Virginia - see box below

OUR ANNUAL FLUTE CHOIR FESTIVAL

The Fifteenth Annual Columbia Flute Choir Festival sponsored by the Columbia Institute of Fine Arts and Columbia Flute Choir will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2008 - 10:00 am - The event is held at Columbia Baptist Church, 103 West Columbia Street, Falls Church, Virginia. The church telephone number is 703-534-5700. Participants in previous years have included Flutes on the Brink, Baltimore Flute Choir, Frederick Flute Choir, The Musical Offering Flute Ensemble, The Woodbridge Flute Choir, the Fauquier Flute Ensemble, and, of course, Columbia Flute Choir. The Columbia Institute of Fine Arts can be reached at 703-534-2508.

Photos, Press, Video Footage, and CD Recordings

Announcing our first commercial CD, "Music from the Turn of the Century... The 21st Century!" Click here for more information. Our debut CD was reviewed internationally. Read the review here!

Our first full-length recital featured the music of our own flutists and composers Melvin Lauf, Jr. and Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda at Columbia Baptist Church on April 6, 2001. The choir and the composers were featured in The Connection Newspapers in a feature article by Julie Griffith. Download the article here: PDF Format (1.6 MB) or JPEG Format (1120 KB). Check out photos by Pam Brooks/The Connection Newspapers at http://flute.net/cfc/april-2001-concert/

In December 2000, we were invited to play at The White House (Washington, DC). Check out the photos of our visit at: http://flute.net/cfc/whitehouse/ - Also photos from the 2007 visit to The White House at: http://flute.net/cfc/the-white-house-2007/

If you missed seeing us at the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center in 1999, you can still view the archives at: http://kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/archive.html. Just go to the bottom of the screen and do a search for Columbia Flute Choir in the month of December 1999.

Click here for the high-resolution version of our official publicity photo.

For more information about the group, please contact Sharyn L. Byer, 115 Gresham Place, Falls Church, Virginia 22046. 703-532-6565. Email: sharyn@flute.net. All contents (C)Copyright 1996-2008 Columbia Flute Choir.