Chicago Flute Club
History

When the Chicago Flute Club was first incorporated in 1991, one of the stated objectives was to commission new compositions for the flute. This objective was first realized March 14, 2004, at the world premiere of the very first Chicago Flute Club Commission Concert. Martin Amlin was chosen from among a group of 22 juried composers and was commissioned to write a piece of music for flute and piano specifically for the Chicago Flute Club. From this endeavor Martin Amlin’s Sonata No. 2 for Flute and Piano was realized. Mary Stolper, a founding member and past president of the CFC, premiered the piece with Mr. Amlin himself accompanying her on the piano. The program for this concert consisted not just of the performance of the piece, but a medley of small presentations by historically important members of the Chicago Flute Club. Susan Phelps, President at the time, gave an introduction, followed by Kaye Clements, another founding member and Past President, presenting the history of the Chicago Flute Club. Jennifer Oh-Brown, Vice President at the time, presented the founding members and past and current presidents, almost all of whom were present. After Mary Stolper and Martin Amlin’s performances of the work (it was played twice back-to-back), Ms. Stolper instructed the audience on how she worked through the new commission, and Mr. Amlin discussed the process of creating a new work, and answered audience questions. This gala event was held at the Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago, with a dinner reception immediately following at the nearby Opera restaurant. That evening was both an important and memorable night in the history of the Chicago Flute Club. It is the goal of the Chicago Flute Club to establish a $50,000 endowment to ensure future commissions. An endowment fund was created in 2003 to support this project, and the Club’s first effort brought in over $3,000 in contributions. What an amazing start! This proved something the board has known all along – the Chicago Flute Club’s members have incredibly generous hearts. Since then, members have continued to support and contribute to this fund, though the Club is still far from its $50,000 goal. If you are interested in making a donation to our Special Projects Fund, please click here to donate or learn more. You can help to ensure that the Chicago Flute Club can continue to commission new works in the future, contributing to the repertoire of modern flute music. We thank you for considering contributing to this historic effort.