Biography

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Rie Schmidt is a graduate of SUNY Purchase. In 1983, she gave her Carnegie Recital Hall debut as a winner of the Artists International Competition.

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Ms. Schmidt is a member of Westchester Philharmonic, American Symphony, has performed with New York City Ballet Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra and many Broadway shows. She was a featured flutist and dancer in Leonard Bernstein's Mass that was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in 1981.

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She and her husband, guitarist Benjamin Verdery, concertize as a duo throughout the US and Europe, and have recorded two CDs of music for flute and guitar. She is a founding member of Flute Force, a flute quartet, which has three CDs: Flute Force (CRI), Pastorale, with flutist Julius Baker (VAI) and Eyewitness, with narrator Garrison Keillor (innova).

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Ms. Schmidt teaches at the Suzuki Music School in Westport, CT, the Bloomingdale School of Music, the Allen-Stevenson School and the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

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Her publications include Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe (McGinnis and Marx) arranged for flute quintet, and Barber's Adagio (Schirmer Music).

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Ms. Schmidt was the president of the New York Flute Club from 1995-98.

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For more information about Rie, visit her site at www.fluteforce.org.

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