Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for her “superb command of color and nuance,” Elise Blatchford is the Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Memphis Scheidt School of Music in Tennessee.
A chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician, and teacher, Ms. Blatchford is a flutist who embraces the independent, the experimental, and the DIY. As a founding member of the new music woodwind quintet The City of Tomorrow, Ms. Blatchford won first prize at the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and received a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning grant in 2014. The quintet tours nationally and has enjoyed residencies at Yale, Tufts, Vermont College of Fine Arts, and Williams College. Ms. Blatchford has appeared with the International Contemporary Ensemble in New York and at the Banff Centre for Creativity in Alberta, Canada.

As a recitalist, Ms. Blatchford frequently programs music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and has been an invited guest at venues across the U.S., including the Dame Myra Hess Series at the Chicago Cultural Center, Yale University, the University of Oregon, and Virginia Tech.

Also at home in the traditional orchestra world, Ms. Blatchford served as Guest Principal Flute for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's 2018-19 season. She has performed with the Oregon Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, IRIS Orchestra, and the YOA Orchestra of the Americas. With YOA, she toured extensively throughout South America, the Caribbean, and mainland China, made an appearance at Carnegie Hall, and recorded with Philip Glass.

Ms. Blatchford holds degrees in flute performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory. A Powell Artist, she performs on a 14K gold handmade Powell flute.

@memphisflutes on IG

Upcoming Events

January 24, 2025 - Solo recital with Jacob Coleman, piano. University of Kentucky - Lexington, KY. Free.

January 25, 2025 - Guest artist, Austin Peay State Flute Day, Clarksville, TN.

January 26, 2025 - Solo recital with Jacob Coleman, piano. 3 pm, Harris Concert Hall, Memphis, TN. Free.

February 6, 2025 - Iris Collective presents Elise Blatchford, flute and Patrick Sutton, guitar. Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN.

February 28-March 1, 2025 - Mid-South Flute Festival with featured guest Marianne Gedigian. See site for registration and schedule. Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, University of Memphis.

March 9-15, 2025 - International Contemporary Ensemble in residence at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Past performances

November 11, 2024 - Memphis Faculty Wind Quintet plays music from the Americas. 7 pm, Harris Concert Hall, Memphis, TN. Free.

September 27, 2024 - Overly Sensitive Orchestra plays Punisher, with Marcella Simien. 7:30 pm at the Green Room, Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN.

September 10, 2024 - The City of Tomorrow with Winsor Music, Boston, Mass.

September 2 to 8, 2024 - Residency at Avaloch Farm with the City of Tomorrow and composer Brad Balliett. Boscawen, New Hampshire.

August 14 to 18, 2024 - International Conference of Women in Brass, with Leander Star, horn, and Jacob Coleman, piano. Mito City, Japan.

March 25, 2024 - Recital at University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 7:30 pm, free admission. Master class on 3/26 at 1 pm.

March 5, 2024 - Performance and master class at University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, Eugene, Oregon.

February 24, 2024 - College Music Society Southern Chapter Conference: Rhodes College, Memphis, TN - 10 am performance with James Brinkmann with a call for scores project of solo flute repertoire.

February 11, 2024 - Memphis Chamber Music Society - Music of the Baroque (traverso), 2 pm.

February 8, 2024 - The City of Tomorrow in residence at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.

February 7, 2024 - The City of Tomorrow in residence at University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.

February 6, 2024 - The City of Tomorrow at Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS. 7:30 pm.

February 3, 2024 - The City of Tomorrow at Crosstown Arts, the Green Room, Memphis, TN. 7:30 pm.

January 5-10, 2024 - residency at the Vermont College of Fine Art with The City of Tomorrow. Concerts on January 9th and 10th at 7 pm. Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA.

December 6, 2023 - Concerto soloist with University of Memphis Wind Ensemble - Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending. 7:30 pm, Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, Plough Hall.

November 13, 2023 - Memphis Wind Quintet in recital, 5:30 pm, Harris Concert Hall, Memphis, TN.

November 7, 2023 - Class at Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA - 3 pm.

November 6, 2023 - Solo recital at University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA - 7:30 pm.

November 5, 2023 - Class for the Sacramento Flute Club, Sacramento, CA - details TBA.

October 27, 2023 - Recital of music for soprano, traverso, and harpsichord with Mary Wilson. 7:30 pm, Harris Hall, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN.

October 22, 2023 - University of Memphis Flute Studio Recital, 7:30 pm, Harris Concert Hall, Memphis, TN.

October 3, 2023 - Faculty wind chamber music, University of Memphis Scheidt School of Music. 7:30 pm.

August 3-6, 2023 - Performances at the National Flute Association Convention, Phoenix, AZ.

March 4, 2023 - Guest artist, Kansas City Flute Association’s Flute Day. Leawood United Methodist Church, 2915 W 95th St, Leawood, KS. Events from 9 am to 5 pm. Register here.

March 24-25, 2023 - Mid-South Flute Festival with guest artist Sooyun Kim of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Day-long event with concerts, master class, competitions, vendors, and flute activities. Registration and information.

More Past performances

Audio/Video

Danza de la Mariposa for solo flute by Valerie Coleman. Performed by Elise Blatchford, flute.

Alma for flute and piano by Tania León. Elise Blatchford, flute Jacob Coleman, piano.

Sonata for flute and piano by S. Prokofiev - mvt. II. Elise Blatchford, flute Jacob Coleman, piano.

Sonata for flute and piano by Carl Vine, mvt. I. Elise Blatchford, flute Jacob Coleman, piano.

Carl Vine, Sonata for Flute and Piano, movements 2 and 3. Elise Blatchford, flute Tingting Yao, piano.

With The City of Tomorrow:

Premiere performance of The Fauvettes by Brad Balliett The City of Tomorrow: Elise Blatchford, flute, Stuart Breczinski, oboe, Rane Moore, clarinet, Nanci Belmont, bassoon, Leander Star, horn Performed at Tufts University on February 20, 2019. www.thecityoftomorrow.org

Delizie Contente Che L'Alme Beate by Jacob Druckman for wind quintet and electronic sounds www.thecityoftomorrow.org Performed by The City of Tomorrow: Elise Blatchford, flute, Stuart Breczinski, oboe, Rane Moore, clarinet, Nanci Belmont, bassoon, Leander Star, French horn Performed at 1 Rivington St. in New York on February 5, 2018.

De Memorias by Tania León - performed by The City of Tomorrow The City of Tomorrow: Elise Blatchford, flute, Stuart Breczinski, oboe, Rane Moore, clarinet, Nanci Belmont, bassoon, Leander Star, horn Performed at Tufts University on February 20, 2019. www.thecityoftomorrow.org

Study flute at the University of Memphis

The Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis in Tennessee offers the bachelor of music and master of music degrees in music (BM and MM) and the doctor of musical arts (DMA) degree. As a flute player, you can major in flute performance, music education, music business, or minor in music while taking flute lessons.

There are considerable flute scholarship and flute assistantship opportunities available to students who audition, and the university is serious about keeping tuition affordable. I offer a free sample lesson to anyone visiting campus and I am happy to answer any questions you might have about the school via email You can also read testimonials from former students about their experience here.

I bring energy and focus to all the lessons I teach. Hard work should be praised, and enthusiasm for the music is important in fostering a disciplined work ethic. Lessons focus on fundamentals:

Tone development and intonation through embouchure work, long tones, and ear training.
Technique through scales, arpeggios, proper hand position, and training light, supple fingers.
Musicality, interpretation, and style through the study of repertoire from the baroque, classical, and romantic periods in addition to music of the 20th and 21st century.
Development of creativity and sense of freedom via improvisation.

I mostly teach students at the university, but I accept private students on a limited basis and by audition only. Contact me for more information.

Prospective Students

degrees and majors

BM, MM, DMA, music minor.

Music performance, music education, musicology, music business, recording technology

special opportunities

Memphis Flute Choir, River City Flute Quartet, flute pedagogy class, study abroad, audition for Memphis Symphony sub list, audition prep class

Play better than you ever thought you could.

It all starts with that single goal, that first hour, that weekly plan. Add supportive and inspiring fellow students. Mix in varied performance opportunities and a high level of expectation. You'll never know what you can do until you try.

Apply to the University of Memphis School of Music