Described by Flute Focus as “…having shattered any notions that the piccolo might be lacking in deep, expressive powers,” Christine Erlander Beard enjoys an active career as an international soloist, chamber artist and teacher throughout North and South America and Europe. Noted for “…not only having a beautiful tone and phrasing, but the capacity to reveal the deep soul of a composition” (Martin Rokeach, composer), Beard has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Russia, and the USA, and in 2019 she was named the Second-Place winner in the American Prize competition’s Professional Soloist Division. Christie is a substitute flutist for both the Omaha and Sioux City Symphonies, principal flute of the National Composers Orchestra, and principal flutist for Broadway touring productions at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater.

Passionate about working with composers, Christie strives to showcase expressive music for flute and piccolo, as well as promoting music by living composers, underrepresented composers, and music with social justice themes. Her newest endeavor, the #flutistactivist initiative is an ongoing project to commission new works with social justice themes and present them in workshop-recital formats that aim to educate audiences about how and where to get involved rather than simply being passive listeners. Her growing interest in sociomusicology has influenced her programming to include music by banned/censored composers, protest music, and music of the Holocaust.

Upcoming engagements in 2024-2025 include performing recitals in Omaha at Gallery 1516 and the Samuel Bak Museum; presenting Holocaust-themed lecture-recitals at the Holocaust Museums in Texas and Michigan; and serving as a guest artist at the Costa Rica International Flute Festival. A resident of Council Bluffs, IA, Dr. Beard is the Kayser Professor of Flute and International Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where she teaches flute, piccolo, chamber music, and contemporary music literature. christiebeard.net

Available for:

• solo recitals

• chamber music

• orchestra

• concerto soloist (orchestra or band)

• contemporary music ensemble

• pit orchestra (musicals)

• private lessons (flute/piccolo)

• masterclasses

• flute festivals

• flute choir (guest conductor)

• competition adjudication (flute/piccolo, chamber music, composition, new music)

• lecture-recitals (topics include music of the Holocaust, protest music, banned/censored composers, the flute in myth and legend)

• clinics (self-marketing strategies for the 21st c. musician, the piccolo un-EAR-plugged, how to achieve a beautiful singing tone, extended techniques, etc.)

• wedding music