.: bonnie's biography :.

Music has been a life-long passion for me.
I picked up a flute one summer when I was nine years old, and never put it down. Following a traditional path of private lessons, recitals, competitions, all-state band and summer music camp, music was an instrumental part of my young life. Music gave me some much-needed confidence and introduced me to countless friends and mentors throughout the years. Classical music was the center of my early studies and performances, but later exposure to jazz and non-western music set the stage for a lifetime of exciting musical explorations.

Combined with a love for travel, music has taken me to some pretty interesting places. From jamming with local Chinese musicians in a Shanghai music shop, to playing with Egyptian tabla drummers while floating in a felucca down the Nile River, to playing the blues with the Tuareg "Blue Men" at the edge of the Saharan Desert in southern Morocco, to playing jazz standards with a master ukulele player on the island of Maui, music has opened doors and created unforgettable experiences that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I also collect flutes and other instruments from all over the world, many of which I enjoy playing and teaching with.

When I'm traveling with my beloved husband, Matt, I not only bring my flute, but I pack some sort of recording equipment, as well. I started out with those micro cassette recorders, but now I prefer portable digital recorders. Wherever I go, I record the natural and cultural soundscapes of a place. Some of my favorite soundscapes include the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing behind the sounds of a traditional Hawaiian lua, the bustling noise-filled scenes of music, story-telling, and con-men in Marrakech's Djma el Fna, the symphony of Sandhill cranes and snow geese wintering in central New Mexico's Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, and the timeless music of the Tarahumara Indians celebrating Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in Northern Mexico's Copper Canyon.

No matter where I travel, I always enjoy coming back home to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Matt and I, and our family of dogs and cats live in an old adobe house near the Rio Grande. I play with several ensembles and perform regularly as a free-lancing 'flute for hire'. I play regularly with the Albuquerque Worldwind Quintet, Saoirse (a Celtic band), and in the pit orchestra for Musical Theater Southwest. One of my favorite people to play music with is my dear friend Donese Mayfield. Donese is a folk harpist that can play anything from O'Carolan to Miles Davis. We call ourselves Two Roses, and seem to attract some pretty quirky gigs, including playing for the release of wild stallions out in the middle of nowhere, the installation of an aluminum yucca made out of jet fuel tanks, and for several political functions, one which included a live mermaid swimming in an aquarium.

Some flutists have a long resume of impressive orchestras they've played with. Others have an extensive list of teachers they've studied with, or awards and competitions they've won. I decided a while ago, that wasn't the path for me. After earning my bachelor's degree in music from Arizona State University and 5 years playing with the Mesa Symphony in Arizona, I decided my music needed to be more about creativity, improvisation, connection, therapy and healing. Whether I'm playing for an Irish wake or a lesbian wedding, performing as a pied piper for a moveable Shakespeare festival or Christmas carols for convicted criminals, playing therapeutic music for cardiac rehabilitation patients, or playing Morning Has Broken at sunrise at the top of Mt. Sinai for hundreds of pilgrims, music is a powerful force. Music connects people on so many different levels -- levels we're still discovering.

Never underestimate the power of music.