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.
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Upcoming Events
August 9 and 10, 2025 - National Flute Convention, Atlanta, GA - Saturday performance at 12 pm with the Memphis Flute Choir. Meet and Greet with Powell Flutes at their exhibit hall booth at 4:30 pm.
Past performances
March 9-15, 2025 - International Contemporary Ensemble in residence at Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
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.
February 6, 2025 - Iris Collective presents Elise Blatchford, flute and Patrick Sutton, guitar. Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN.
January 26, 2025 - Solo recital with Jacob Coleman, piano. University of Memphis. 3 pm, Harris Concert Hall, Memphis, TN. Free.
January 25, 2025 - Guest artist, Austin Peay State Flute Day, Clarksville, TN.
January 24, 2025 - Solo recital with Jacob Coleman, piano. University of Kentucky - Lexington, KY. Free.
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.
More Past performances
Audio/Video
With The City of Tomorrow:
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.
Fall 2019 Wind Ensemble Flutes
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.