QUAC Music, Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

09/23/2023

A special message from Kylie Fortissimo!

QUACmusic.com/events

😍😍

09/02/2023

Announcing our virtual series of
Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music! 🌈 In effort to make our workshops more accessible, we are offering a special virtual series, taking place the first Sunday of each month! We have full scholarships available for those who register for all sessions, a $250 value! 😍🥰🎉

Not sure if it's right for you? Attend our free intro session to meet our coaches and hear more about the workshops on September 10th!

07/31/2023

Registration ends TONIGHT! Be sure to register before it’s too late, at quacmusic.com/events

We still have scholarships left as well!

07/30/2023

Attention all q***r musicians! Only ONE day left to register for our upcoming workshop, Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music in Pittsburgh, PA! We have nine scholarships that offer full and partial tuition waivers thanks to our generous donors and a grant, so all you need to do is bring yourself and enjoy 4 days of interactive classes with 5 q***r musicians who regularly incorporate their q***r identity into their music and professions. The workshop is open to all ages and disciplines. Let us know if you have any questions, and see you there!

07/28/2023

Only FOUR days left to register, and we still have scholarships left, so apply today!

Last, but not least, we introduce our final faculty member for our upcoming workshop: our Executive Director and founder, Taylor Irelan!

Taylor Irelan is proving to be an exciting emerging artist, regarded as "the whole package" (Helen Spielman) with a "clear sparkling sound [and] a vibrancy in all registers" (Philippa Davies), and a sound that is "clear, solid, and bright. . . much in the style of James Galway" (Sarasota Observer). Taylor has collaborated with award winning composers to commission, premiere, and record new works for the flute, as well as write his own works and transcriptions for flute and various ensembles. He has been coached by living composers on their music, such as his performance of Thea Musgrave’s Chamber Concerto No. 2 in the Barbican Centre as part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Total Immersion Project, which was recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 in London.

Taylor serves as piccolo/3rd flute with The Venice Symphony, and as a substitute flutist with several professional orchestras around the US. Previously serving as the principal piccolo for the London Graduate Orchestra, he has performed with the Jacksonville, Tulsa, Pueblo, and London Gay Symphony Orchestras, and both the Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra as part of their prestigious orchestral training programs.

As a soloist, Taylor has performed concerti with ensembles across the USA and internationally. Taylor has been a featured solo artist at music series and colleges internationally, and frequently performs in duo with Croatian pianist, Andrea Feitl. They recorded their debut album, The Journey, in 2022, which features all new commissions for flute and piano by LGBTQIA+ composers from around the world.

He has presented masterclasses at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, University of South Florida, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and Rollins College among others. He has performed at the National Flute Association Convention, Florida Flute Association Convention, and Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention.

Among his many accolades, Taylor has won the top prizes in the National Flute Association Professional Flute Choir Competition, Florida Flute Association Advanced Masterclass Competition, University of North Florida Concerto Competition, Florida Community College Activities Association's Student Artist Competition, and the Flute Fusion Young Artist Competition. He was selected as a finalist in both the Ars Flores Young Artists Concerto Competition and the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition.

Taylor received a Master of Music in Performance with Merit from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as part of the Guildhall Artist Masters in Orchestral Artistry program in association with the London Symphony Orchestra, supported by The Guildhall School Trust. He received a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of North Florida where he graduated summa cm laude. His primary flute teachers were Ian Clarke, Philippa Davies, Sarah Newbold, Les Roettges, Rhonda Cassano, and Katie Tomicek.

07/25/2023

🎵🧠 Time to put your musical knowledge to the test! Can you name three influential q***r composers? Comment below with your answers, and let's celebrate their contributions to classical music together. Get ready to expand your musical repertoire! ***rcomposers

07/23/2023

Only EIGHT days left to register, and we still have NINE scholarships left! Reserve your spot and apply for scholarship at quacmusic.com/events

Introducing another one of our amazing faculty for our Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music workshop, Leander Star!

"I lead a multi-dimensional career in multiple time zones—it’s never boring! Based in Memphis, Tennessee, I am on faculty at Rhodes College and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where I have the pleasure of teaching horn in the shadow of William Faulkner. In the Mid-South region, I am a regular performer with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, and the Arkansas Symphony.

Further afield, I tour with the avant-garde wind quintet The City of Tomorrow, a group that won the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In June 2021, the ensemble’s second album, Blow, featuring works by Franco Donatoni, Hannah Lash, and Esa Pekka Salonen was released by New Focus Recordings. During the pandemic, I also joined the Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet, a radical tuben-horn project and the brainchild of Ann Ellsworth, the horn professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

A Portland, Oregon native, I am a tenured member of the Oregon Ballet Theater and Portland Opera Orchestra and can often be found performing in the pit at the Keller Auditorium and in other venues in the Pacific Northwest. I commissioned and premiered a new work by Seattle composer Nat Evans at the 2015 Northwest Horn Symposium called How to Stay Dry in Western Oregon, based on Nat’s experiences and field recordings while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and I have performed Fantasie for Horns II by Vancouver composer Hildegarde Westerkamp all over the United States, including performances in Seattle, Portland, Eugene, Tennessee, and New York City.

I studied horn with Gail Williams and William Barnewitz at Northwestern University, with Bob Ward and Jonathan Ring at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and with Bill Stalnaker in Portland, Oregon."

07/23/2023

🌈🎵 Pittsburgh is more than just a city; it's a canvas for q***r joy in music! From inclusive spaces to empowering events, our city embraces and uplifts LGBTQIA+ artists. Join us August 14-18 in this musical haven and let your authentic voice shine through the power of classical music. 🎶✨ ***rJoyInMusic

07/16/2023

Calling all q***r classical musicians! Join us in Pittsburgh, PA from August 14-18 for an unforgettable musical experience. Expand your network, showcase your talent, and enhance your musical skills in a supportive and inclusive environment. Get ready to unlock your q***r joy in music! 🌈🎶 ***rJoyMusicWorkshop ***rnews ***rmusic

07/15/2023

Introducing our next faculty member for our upcoming workshop, Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music!

We are thrilled to introduce Elise Blatchford (she/her)!

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. This season will include recital appearances in Chicago, Memphis, Indiana, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

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.

07/10/2023

Introducing our next faculty member for our upcoming workshop, Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music!

We are thrilled to introduce Dr. Kinard Douthit (he/him)!

Dr. Kinard Douthit is an avid performer and music educator from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Currently, Dr. Douthit is an Assistant Professor of Music and Instructor of Flute And Music Business at Winston-Salem State University and an Adjunct Professor of Music at Forsyth Technical Community College. Dr. Douthit is also Assistant Director of Bands and Conductor of the WSSU Flute Choir. Formerly, Dr. Douthit taught in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System for seven years as Director of Bands at Philo Middle School. His research focuses on African-American composers of flute music and flute pedagogical techniques. Dr. Douthit also recently joined the Instrumental Faculty of the North Carolina’sGovernor’s School in 2020.

Currently, Dr. Douthit is the Principal Flutist of the Piedmont Winds and also performs with countless ensembles and organizations across North Carolina. Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Douthit performed with the Western Piedmont Symphony Chamber Orchestra for their Educational Concert Tours, and also performs regularly with the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, and Community Theater of Greensboro. He has performed a variety of theater shows as well. Dr. Douthit performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, with faculty chamber ensembles, and is now engaged with several commercial projects across the Triad area.

Dr. Douthit completed the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Appalachian State University, the Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Douthit holds memberships in the National Flute Association, NC Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education, the HBCU National Band Director’s Consortium, the Intercollegiate Music Association, and has recently joined the board of Equality North Carolina.

07/07/2023

This week we will be sharing more about our amazing faculty for our upcoming workshop, Unlocking Q***r Joy in Music! Be sure to register asap, we still have scholarships available!

We are thrilled to introduce Timothy Hagen (he/they)!

Timothy Hagen is an internationally acclaimed performer, composer, scholar, and educator. His flute playing has been praised for "technical virtuosity and musical sensitivity" (NewMusicBox) and "real flair" (The Well-Tempered Ear), and he has been a prizewinner at multiple major flute competitions, including the Myrna Brown Artist Competition (First Prize and Best Performance of the Commissioned Composition), Australian International Flute Competition (Second Prize), and Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition (Jack Smith Award for Most Promising Talent). As a soloist, Hagen has appeared in concert at New York’s 92nd Street Y and Lincoln Center in addition to multiple concerto performances with the Missouri Symphony. He is Principal Flute of the Dubuque Symphony and was Principal Flute of the Missouri Symphony from 2009-2016. Additionally, he has performed with orchestras across the country, including the Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and Dallas Wind Symphony. His experience as a chamber musician includes fellowships at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Atlantic Music Festival.

In addition to his experience as a performer, Dr. Hagen’s compositions are performed by professional musicians across the country and have frequently won prizes from the National Flute Association (USA) since 2018. Both his music and his pedagogical writings are published under the Owl Glass Music imprint, and his scholarly work has appeared in the journals of the National Flute Association and British Flute Society.

As an educator, Dr. Hagen has worked with all ages and experience levels, having served on the music faculties of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and Oklahoma State University, in addition to significant experience as a teaching artist and workshop facilitator with esteemed institutions such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lincoln Center Education, and Dallas Symphony. His students have found success as performers, collegiate and private flute instructors, public school teachers, historians, and scientists. He is forever indebted to his teachers, including Marianne Gedigian, Jim Walker, Philip Dunigan, Renée Siebert, Tadeu Coelho, Chelsea Czuchra, Felicia McNaught, and Tina Ballard.

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