Contact:
Eric Sloss
412-268-5765

For immediate release:
May 25, 2006

Carnegie Mellon School of Music Professor Jeanne Baxtresser To Receive National Flute Association's Lifetime Achievement Award

Jeanne Baxtresser, the Vira I. Heinz University Professor of Flute, will receive the National Flute Association's Lifetime Achievement Award at the NFA's 2006 convention Aug. 10-13 in Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH—Jeanne Baxtresser, the Vira I. Heinz University Professor of Flute in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Music, will receive the National Flute Association's (NFA) Lifetime Achievement Award at the NFA's 2006 convention Aug. 10-13 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The Lifetime Achievement Award, the NFA's highest honor, recognizes flutists whose character and dedication to the art of playing the flute, combined with their lifetime accomplishments, have served as models of inspiration for generations of musicians.

"I am very fortunate to have had a long career doing what I love to do," Baxtresser said. "Being recognized by the National Flute Association for the work I have done is a great honor. I am proud to be counted among such an extraordinary group of people whose lives have been dedicated to the art of music and the flute," she said.

Baxtresser is internationally recognized as a leading recording artist, author and teacher. She made her heralded solo debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at age 14 and began her professional career as principal flutist of the Montreal Symphony after graduating from The Juilliard School. She was subsequently appointed principal flutist of the Toronto Symphony before being invited to join the New York Philharmonic by Music Director Zubin Mehta. Baxtresser was solo flutist of the New York Philharmonic for 15 years.

While in New York, Baxtresser served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music. In 1998, she was appointed the Vira I. Heinz Professor of Flute at Carnegie Mellon, where she has attracted outstanding flute students from every continent. Today, her students hold principal and section positions in major orchestras throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.

This spring, Baxtresser was named a University Professor, the highest academic distinction faculty can achieve at Carnegie Mellon. The title is awarded on the basis of national or international recognition for research, artistic and literary accomplishments, and other scholarly activities. Baxtresser is also a visiting artist lecturer at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and is frequently invited to give master classes worldwide.

Among her solo and chamber recordings is the acclaimed "New York Legends — Jeanne Baxtresser." She has also recorded major symphonic works with Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Masur and Mehta. Upcoming projects include two new recordings to be released this summer, "Chamber Music for Flute" and "A Collection of My Favorites."

This summer, Baxtresser will continue her series of acclaimed weeklong flute master classes at Carnegie Mellon. The Jeanne Baxtresser International Master Class 2006 will be held June 18-25 at the School of Music.

The first NFA Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Jean-Pierre Rampal in 1991. Past recipients include Julius Baker, Baxtresser's teacher at The Juilliard School and her predecessor as principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic; Doriot Anthony Dwyer; Samuel Baron; Michel Debost; and Bernard Goldberg, former principal flutist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

For more information on the National Flute Association, including the 2006 convention schedule, visit www.nfaonline.org or call 661-299-6680. For more information on Baxtresser, including information on her upcoming master classes and recordings, visit www.jeannebaxtresser.com or contact Ann Rosenblum at 908-608-1325. High-resolution photos of Baxtresser are available in color and black and white at www.jeannebaxtresser.com/press.

Additional information on Carnegie Mellon's College of Fine Arts can be found by visiting www.cmu.edu/cfa or contacting Eric Sloss at 412-268-5765 or ecs@andrew.cmu.edu.