Location: Marquis Hall, Coe College

Join us for classes for all ages and skill levels on Performance Anxiety, How to Practice Scales, Improvisation, All-State & Honor Band Auditions, Flute Choir, a chance to try new flutes/piccolos, and so much more!

$10 to cover lunch

For any questions, email Coe College Flute Instructor Rose Bishop at flute.rosebishop@gmail.com

This workshop is intended for junior high, high school, college students who plan to audition for Honor Band/All-State/College/etc, or for flutists of any age who just want to improve their overall playing, learn more about how to manage performance anxiety, and play in a community flute choir. We take special care to focus on all levels of playing, with a class specifically dedicated to junior high school students. The technical difference in audition requirements from junior high to high school is quite large, so I strive to help bridge that gap by building on their fundamentals and their confidence. 

International prize-winning flutist Rose Bishop serves as Instructor of Flute at St. Ambrose University, Coe College, Cornell College, and Kirkwood Community College. An active orchestral musician, she serves as Principal Flute of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Quincy Symphony Orchestras and Acting Principal Flute with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the York Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the Quad City Symphony, the Salina Symphony, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, among others.

A highly sought-after guest artist, Bishop has appeared as a guest soloist with ensembles including the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra and numerous university and municipal bands, in addition to enjoying various guest artist residencies at universities throughout the nation. An active clinician, Bishop has performed, lectured, and presented at events including the National Flute Association Convention, the Kansas Wesleyan International Music Festival, Upper Midwest Flute Association Festival, Iowa Flute Festival, Wisconsin Flute Festival, Portland Flute Society, the St. Louis Flute Fair, to name a few.

Rose Bishop recently released her solo debut album, Diversions, of solo flute repertoire that she either commissioned during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, or performed as part of her residency with the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra in October, 2021. This album features compositions by all living female composers, and includes works by Amber Beams, Nicole Chamberlain, Linda Robbins Coleman, and Lisa Neher.

Dedicated to community outreach, Bishop is the Flute Faculty, Founder and Artistic Director of the Eastern Iowa Flute Workshop and the Cornell College Summer Flute Camp, and is a frequent contributor to Flute Talk, the Flute View, the Flutist Quarterly and the Flute Examiner Magazines. Bishop serves as a member of the National Flute Association’s Career and Artistic Development Committee and is a Trevor James Alto Flute Artist. Rose and Lizzy Darling are co-authors of A Flutist’s Guide to the Voxman Etudes, a pedagogical text and supplementary recordings of Voxman’s Selected Studies for Flute. www.rosebishopflute.com

Flutist and educator Dr. Elizabeth Robinson is an active soloist, orchestral, and chamber performer. Known for her infectious energy and boundless enthusiasm, Dr. Robinson has shared the stage with orchestras and wind ensembles across the country. In addition to her current position as Marvin Maydew piccolo chair of the Topeka Symphony, she has performed regularly with the Colorado MahlerFest orchestra, Heartland Opera, and dozens of other groups.

Her debut album, Aviary, can be found on Aerocade Music. Described as “…worth a listen, and these performers and composers are worth watching” (Flutist Quarterly), Aviary features a collection of Robinson’s audience-friendly commissions for solo flute, piccolo, and flute quartet. Among them is Kim Osberg’s Fowl Play, a piece inspired by the coffee table book Extraordinary Chickens. The album was honored by the American Prize in the chamber music category, as well as the Ernst Bacon American Music category.

Aviary has blossomed what is now Aviary Quartet, a group of professional flutists dedicated to exploring the whimsical side of chamber music. The 2024-25 season will feature choral transcriptions by Dale Trumbore, as well as a whimsical ode to the American hippo bill, Lake Bacon, by Lisa Neher.

Robinson’s most recent project was the creation of the Chamber Winds of South Dakota, a modern-day ode to 18th and 19th century Harmoniemusik which brought musicians from around the Midwest to South Dakota for a weekend of chamber music. The Chamber Winds debut album was released in June of 2025.

In an effort to expand the flute repertoire, Robinson co-founded the Flute New Music Consortium (FNMC), and currently serves the organization as Vice President. Since its start in 2013, FNMC has commissioned new works from composers including Zhou Long, Carter Pann, Valerie Coleman, Samuel Zyman, and Reena Esmail. Robinson coordinates FNMC’s annual composition competition and is proud of collaborations with several of its winning composers. In addition to organizing performances of the works commissioned by FNMC, Dr. Robinson often promotes works from the competition. For her efforts in growing FNMC, Dr. Robinson has been recognized in the National Flute Association’s Flutists’ Quarterly Magazine and by the Atlanta Flute Club Newsletter.

Dr. Robinson was appointed to the faculty at South Dakota State University in 2022.

Heather Neuenschwander is an active flutist and piccolist in Iowa City and the surrounding area. Heather is the piccolo player with the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, a position she won by audition in Fall 2021. She has also performed on flute and piccolo with several orchestras, bands and ensembles throughout Iowa and Michigan, including the Ottumwa Symphony, Muscatine Symphony, Metropolitan Festival, American Gothic Festival, Grinnell College Symphonic Band, Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra, Dearborn Symphony and the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. Heather has performed at the National Flute Association Convention on multiple occasions and presented in person and virtually for the Exhibitor Showcase “The Highs and Lows of Harmony Flutes” including performing three world premiere compositions which she helped commission.

Heather maintains a vibrant flute studio at her home and online where she enjoys working with students of all ages. Her previous teaching credentials include providing flute and piccolo instruction at West Music (Iowa City), Flute Specialists, Inc. (MI) and the Oakland University Preparatory Division (MI). Heather is also a former middle and high school band director, holding previous certifications (K-12 music) in both Michigan and Illinois. Heather is the head of Online Sales and Promotions for Flute Specialists, Inc., a flute sales and repair store based in Clawson, MI. She has been at this position for ten years and loves helping flutists find their perfect instrument. Heather has also previously worked at Flute Authority (IA) play testing flutes.

Heather Neuenschwander has a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Oakland University (Rochester Hills, MI) and a Bachelor of Music Education from Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). Heather’s influential teachers include Sharon Sparrow (Associate Principal Flute with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Jeffery Zook (Piccolo with the DSO), Amanda Blaikie (Second Flute with the DSO) and Ervin Monroe (former Principal Flute with the DSO). She has also studied with Marina Piccinini, Laurie Sokoloff, Nicola Mazzanti and Jennifer Clippert. Heather is a previous winner of the David Daniels Young Artist Concerto Competition earning the privilege to play the 3rd movement of the Ibert Concerto with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. While at Oakland University, she received the Matilda Award for Outstanding Graduate Student in Instrumental Performance.

Heather currently lives in Coralville with her two sons, her husband Josh, and their two cats Pumpkin and Gordie.

Amy Kraeplin is a Cedar Rapids-based music educator and flutist.  She is currently the 6th grade band director at Boulder Peak Intermediate School where she helps coordinate the Linn-Mar beginning band lesson program and teaches individual woodwind, brass, and percussion lessons to students in 5th through 8th grades.

In addition to her work as a band director, Amy maintains a successful private flute studio, she is a regular clinician and IHSMA judge, and was previously the flute instructor at Coe College. In 2013, Amy founded the Cedar Rapids Area Youth Flute Ensemble, a group made up of the top flutists from area high schools, which she continues to co-direct each summer. She performs with the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and serves the organization as librarian and city commissioner. Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in flute performance and music education from the University of Iowa where she studied with Tadeu Coelho and a master’s degree in music education from Bowling Green State University. She lives in Cedar Rapids with her husband Keith and her sons, Everett (16) and Fletcher (13).

Jennifer Cunningham, D.M.A. is the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA and holds a DMA in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa, and an MM and BM in Flute Performance from the University of Arkansas. She has served as piccoloist with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, she has also performed with Orchestra Iowa, Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, Janesville (WI) Armory Dinner Theatre, Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and Sinfonia Nolte. She was a winner of the 2008 National Flute Association Piccolo Masterclass Competition and in 2012 was a recipient of the prestigious T. Anne Clearly Fellowship for International Dissertation Research at the University of Iowa.  In her role at Kirkwood she is an advocate for community arts partnerships and organizations. She serves the National Association of Schools of Music as a peer reviewer and member of the nominating committee, and is past Region IV vice-chair.  She currently serves on the board of the Cedar Rapids Community Orchestra, and is Chair of the City of Cedar Rapids Municipal Band Commission. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity for Women.

Dr. Cunningham, has over 20 years of experience in higher education including teaching at the University of Iowa, and the University of Arkansas, and a faculty member at Northeastern State University (OK), and Kirkwood Community College. She has participated in a number of panels regarding career development in the arts, and had a featured publication for the League of Innovation in the Community College on leading in the arts in times of uncertainty. In addition to her private studio, Dr. Cunningham has been on the summer faculties of the University of Arkansas Summer Music Camp, the University of Iowa Summer Music Camp, and the Lakeland University (WI) Summer Music Camps. She resides in Cedar Rapids, IA with her husband, tuba player, Blaine Cunningham, and their two daughters who are aspiring musicians, and two german shepherd dogs who regrettably do not play musical instruments.

Bolivian American flutist Cris Dohler Rodas has been described as a polished performer with "such a delightfully rich sound!" (Valerie Coleman, flutist & composer). Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Cris began their flute journey at the age of 15, teaching themselves by following along with James Galway videos. After that, their flute education led them to study at Frostburg State University (MD) with Dr. Keith Hanlon from 2014-2016, Dr. Carolyn Oh of Montgomery College (MD) from 2016-2017, and they earned their BM degree in flute performance from the University of Maryland, College Park with Dr. Sarah Frisof in 2019. In 2021, they earned their MM in flute performance from Bowling Green State University where they studied with Dr. Conor Nelson and Jeff Zook. Cris has performed in masterclasses for Valerie Coleman, Chris Norman, Leah Arsenault, Nikolai Popov, Tim Munro, Sharon Sparrow, Lindsey Goodman, Loren Lind, and Aaron Goldman. While in school, they were a First Prize winner of the Flute Society of Washington's Collegiate Soloist Competition, and Second Prize winner of both the Flute Society of Washington and Montana Flute Association's Young Artist Competitions. As a freelancer currently based in Iowa City, Cris presents occasional solo recitals and has performed with the Quad Cities, Ottumwa, Muscatine, and Dubuque symphonies in addition to past engagements with regional orchestras in Michigan and the Washington, DC area. Most recently, Cris was invited as a Guest Artist & Teacher for the inaugural International Flute Convention in Mexico, where they had the opportunity to share their teaching and artistry with the international flute community. They have also performed at the National Flute Association, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, Greater Philadelphia Flute Society, DuPont Underground, and Strathmore Music Center.

Dedicated to decolonizing the classical music field, Cris is focused on uplifting the voices of marginalized communities through their work. In 2022, they self-released their first EP titled "In Memory Of" (Spotify & Apple Music). This project is a collection of four commissioned works for flute/clarinet/piano and flute/piano combinations, all framed as a reflection on the social turmoil that we experienced during the COVID pandemic and Summer of 2020. Now, Cris is dedicated to transforming the field of music through their own private studio, workshops with other flute studios, and recording their first full-length album project celebrating music from Latin America. Find out more at cdrflute.com