Bonnie McAlvin

Flutist-composer Bonnie McAlvin is known for her rare ability to play multiphonics—a technique somewhat akin to the playing of double-stops on a string instrument. Her 2015 video release, Parallel Transformations, drew international attention for its use of multiphonics in a completely tonal context, and she is featured on the list of famous flutists of All About Flute for this special technique. She was recently invited to present a lecture recital on tuning multiphonics at Hands-on Flute Research, a weeklong international conference supported by Initiatives, meetings and Publications on Artistic Research, hosted at the University of Aveiro in Portugal.

McAlvin won the National Flute Association’s national convention performer competition of 2011 and was featured at the United Nations as flutist-improviser for ResoNations 2009, an international telematic conference designed to promote diplomacy. In 2011, she was invited by the National Flute Association to appear as soloist at their annual convention and she was the guest artist for the 2014 International Electro-Acoustic Music Festival, performing a work for the great electroacoustic composer John Eaton.

As a composer, McAlvin’s work has naturally centered on flute music, but her commissions have extended to orchestral works, piano music and several chamber works. Her recent film score My First Kiss and the People Involved screened in five American cities last season including Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Woodstock and Ashland, Oregon. The film was the top pick of the LA Film Festival for CriterionCast and the LA Daily News, and the musical score received a critical grade of “excellent” from The Hollywood Reporter.

Other recent commissions include Sandstone Peak, a work which premiered last month on the provocative pairings series of the Delaware-based chamber ensemble Melonamie, and a work-in-progress for the young flutists at the Special Music School, New York City’s K-12 public school for the musically-gifted. Other works to be premiered in coming months include Overlooking Hither Hills, a work composed for the Chamber Orchestra of the Hamptons and The L-Train, commissioned by Japanese pianist Emiko Sato for a special program of music dedicated to (of all things!) the Leittonwechsel transformation. McAlvin’s works have been performed by members of the Cleveland Orchestra, members of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and world-ragtime-piano champion William McNallys have been performed by members of the Cleveland Orchestra, members of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and world-ragtime-piano champion William McNally.