Mary Stolper, Flute
Mary Stolper is a frequent soloist and chamber music performer who has made guest appearances throughout the United States and Europe.
Ms. Stolper toured former East Germany with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and received excellent critical reviews for her performance of the Nielsen Flute Concerto. She also traveled with the Chicago Symphony for the world-renowned tour of Russia with Maestro Solti and eight European Tours with Maestro Barenboim. Ms. Stolper performed with the Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra in Vienna, Austria with a performance of Bernstein's "Halil" for solo flute and strings. Also with the Sinfonietta, she performed the United States Midwest premier of the Concerto for Flute by Joan Tower. While in Prague soloing with the Czech National Symphony, she recorded her second CD called “American Flute Concertos”. The latest concerto to her credits is Voices for Flautist and Orchestra, by Shulamit Ran.
Ms. Stolper's performance credits also include the following organizations: Chicago Chamber Musicians, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia Recital Series, University of Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players, "Live from Studio One" WFMT radio broadcasts, American and Joffrey Ballet Orchestras, Contemporary Chamber Concerts at Orchestra Hall hosted by Shulamit Ran, Da Camera Chamber series in Houston, Texas and the Old First Church Chamber Series in San Francisco, and the music “NOW” series at Symphony Center under Maestros Boulez and Colnot. For 15 years she was assistant principal and solo piccolo of the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago, and Principal Flute of the Chicago Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra.
Currently, Ms. Stolper is Principal Flute of the Grant Park Symphony and Concertanti di Chicago Chamber Orchestra. She is the solo flutist for Chicago Opera Theater and the new music ensemble Fulcrum Point. As an active studio musician she has also played for hundreds of TV and radio commercials.
Dedicated to the performance of music composed by women, Ms. Stolper invited two Chicago Women Composers/Performers to perform with her at her Carnegie Hall recital debut. Several compositions have been written for her to show her outstanding versatility on the piccolo, flute alto flute and bass flute. Ms. Stolper has been a frequent guest recitalist and lecturer on the subject of Women Composers. She produced and recorded the flute music of Shulamit Ran, former composer in residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In the past, Ms Stolper has served on the boards of New Music Chicago, Chicago Society of Composers, American Women Composers, Musicians Club of Women and the artistic review panel of the Illinois Arts Council. She was one of the founding members and a past president of the Chicago Flute Club and has served on the board of the National Flute Association. As part of the flute and harp duo ESPREE, she toured for five years and was the first place winner of the very first National Flute Association Chamber Music Competition.
Ms. Stolper earned her Master's Degree in flute performance from Northwestern University, where she studied under Mr. Walfrid Kujala. She has also received instruction from Geoffrey Gilbert, Jean Berkenstock and Edwin Putnik. In addition, she has participated in master classes with William Bennett and coaching from Samuel Baron.
As a singer/actor/musician, Ms. Stolper appeared in the 1999 Pocket Opera Company production of Don Quixote, with the character role of Sancho Panza. Repeated again in 2000, along with the production of “Golk” where her role was that of the President of the United States.
She is currently Chair of the Flute faculty at DePaul University in Chicago, and has been on that faculty since 1986. The latest CD, for the Cedille label, will feature duo compositions of Chicago Composers and will be released in the late spring of 2003. Her articles about various subjects relating to the flute and piccolo have appeared in journals around the world, and translated into several languages.
Mary's Interview:
Instrument?
Flute
What are you listening to?
Just "Ella”, Ella Fitzgerald
Describe your work.
Intense, difficult, rewarding.
Most important lesson you’ve learned?
Get back up.
Recent dreams?
None of your damn business!