SilverWinds Publishing

Aaron Alter 

A native of Chicago, Aaron Alter's musical background was a product of the rich musical life that he found growing up in the Windy City. Aaron received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, where he studied piano with Frances Larimer and Gui Mombaerts, and composition with Lynden DeYoung and David Noon. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Princeton University, where he studied with Milton Babbitt and James K. Randall.

Aaron’s new music, which he refers as his “New Beginning,” is an exploration of a new style and energy that defies categorization.  His new works display influences that span the range of Medieval European music all the way to Jazz and Rock.

Aaron also serves the City of Carlsbad (California) as the Chair of the Carlsbad Arts Commission.

Bill Butler

Growing up, my parents had a nice old upright player piano that was one of my earliest "toys". My favorite roll was one of Beethoven; the music was playful as were the punched holes in the roll as they danced by! Later at age five or six, my mom asked me if I would like to learn to play an instrument, to which I enthusiastically said FLUTE. She took me to piano lessons! Why should I learn to play this when it plays itself??? Needless to say, neither one “happened”.

In High school and College, I was played Trumpet and Flugelhorn in Jazz and Pep bands. That all ended when I started my career in the TV Broadcast industry! At 31 years of age, my wife convinced me to put music back in my life, so finally, enter the flute! Over the years as an adult, I have taken quite a number of music classes from theory to composition, Jazz Improv, Commercial music etc. I have played in Woodwind groups, Flute Choirs, Orchestras, even in the flute section of a great Balalaika Orchestra!

Finally, I started writing arrangements for flute groups, for fun!! I think that the “have fun” aspect of writing is the most important key, and I know I am not alone in this. Consider this; one of my teachers from the past released a Jazz CD titled “MAKE YOUR OWN FUN”! SO...... Let’s make some fun!

Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen is an engineer who wandered into the wonderful flute world in middle age.  Since then, eight of his pieces have won in NFA music competitions. 

He and his contra, Tiny, have served on the NFA Low Flute Committee for most of its existence. 

Jonathan is president of Flutes on the Brink and plays in Flute Cocktail (Maryland), the Metropolitan Flute Orchestra, and other groups.

Charles Fernandez

Charles Fernandez is an Emmy and Annie Nominated composer who began composing for television and film in 1989.

Winner of the 2016 National Flute Association's Flute Choir composition competition. His composition A Quiet House and a Mouse will be performed by the Collegiate Flute Choir at the NFA's convention in San Diego on Sunday. His composition will be available for the first time at the NFA convention booth Snowcrest and SilverWinds.

In television, he composed for Disney's Little Mermaid, Aladdin, 101 Dalmations, Bonkers and Doug among other Disney TV series, for Universal's Casper and Dreamworks' Toonsylvania.

In film, he's written for Disney's: Doug's 1st Movie, Aladdin and the King of Theives, Aladdin II.  For MGM: The Pebble and the Penguin, All Dogs Go To Heaven II, All Dogs Christmas Carol, Babes in Toyland, Tom Sawyer, as well as films for Universal and Artisan.

Charles Fernandez also composes original concert works, including: Holiday Horn Concerto; Oboe Concerto; Tone Poem for Clarinet and Strings; the Ballet "The Statue" and numerous other Chamber, Concert Band and Orchestral works and now a Flute Choir Piece!

Linda Kirkpatrick

Dr. Linda Kirkpatrick is the flute professor and Director of Instrumental Ensembles at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. She is the musical director/conductor of the Westminster Symphony Orchestra and Vice President of the Flute Society of Washington. She has been a member of the National Flute Association’s Professional Flute Choir, has directed flute choir reading sessions at NFA conventions and has published flute choir arrangements available through Silver Winds Publishing, ALRY and flute.net For more information, please visit www.lindakirkpatrick.com

Shahid Yasser Osuna

Shahid Yasser Osuna is an LA-based flutist and teaching artist. In 2019, he graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Wind Performance, studying with David Shostac. In 2021, Shahid completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in Instrumental Arts at the California Institute of the Arts under Dr. Rachel Rudich. Shahid plays with many orchestras and flute ensembles across the Los Angeles area.

His flute ensemble arrangements and compositions have been debuted through performances at national venues, such as at the 2019 National Flute Association Convention and also virtually featured, due to the recent pandemic, a blues-inspired arrangement of “Amazing Grace” written in 2020 which has been featured by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Shahid also teaches across Southern California through various music organizations, schools, and studios. He loves teaching students of all levels and ages.

Raymond Pancost

Dr. Raymond Pancost earned his Bachelors from the University of Michigan and DMA from USC. Before becoming a Special Education teacher some 25 years ago, he played oboe in the California Chamber Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, and taught oboe at Cal State University of Long Beach.

His arrangement of Wayne Barlow's The Winter's Passed received an Honorable Mention in the NFA's Newly Published Music competition - Flute Choir category.

Francine Ross Pancost

Francine Pancost earned her Bachelors from the Eastman School of Music, studying with Joseph Mariano, and Masters from U.S.C. She began arranging when she heard some pieces she loved and wanted to play in a flute orchestra. Since they weren’t already arranged, she took the initiative to arrange and publish them and SilverWinds Publishing was born. Francine plays Alto and Bass Flute in Los Angeles based Song of the Angels Flute Orchestra and FluteSonic Flute Orchestra. She also plays in the Metropolitan Flute Orchestra and International Flute Orchestra.

Larry Tuttle

Larry Tuttle writes iconic and optimistic music with a strong sense of story and narrative arc. Larry is the winner of the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Audience of the Future Composition Competition, for his orchestral work CHORALE AND FIDDLE TUNE.  His concert overture BY STEAM OR BY DREAM won second prize at the Keuris Composers Competition in The Netherlands, in the category of Youth Symphony Orchestra. Larry is a frequently commissioned composer in the world of wind ensemble and concert band.

Larry is also known as one of the world’s foremost composers and performers of music for the Chapman Stick, a hybrid instrument that combines qualities of the electric guitar, bass and piano. His solo album of compositions for The Stick, THROUGH THE GATES, is considered to be one of the landmark recordings of that instrument, and he has taught at the Interlochen Stick Seminar.

Larry is a composing and performing member (bassist) of the Flutesonic Flute Orchestra in Los Angeles. Flutesonic serves as a productive workshop environment for the development of his flute choir pieces.

Martha Uhey

 Martha Uhey is a native Californian who has spent her lifetime migrating further and further north, landing in the San Francisco Bay area in “retirement”. After playing flute and piccolo for a fulfilling 40 years in orchestras in the San Luis Obispo area, she has now switched her focus to the low end of the flute family and flute orchestras. She performs on bass and contrabass flutes here and abroad with wonderful groups, including the International Flute Orchestra and Metropolitan Flute Orchestra. 

Creating the Julia Burke Flute Choir at her local middle school has reconnected Martha with her undergrad roots (UCLA) in music composition. Because of the backing of band director Bob Athayde and strong community support, the flute choir was given four alto flutes and four bass flutes. However, Martha was having trouble finding music appropriate to the students’ playing level, so she arranged music for them. From there Martha has reconnected with her love of writing music, now arranging flute ensemble arrangements for all levels of playing. 

Eileen Walpole

Eileen is a product of the Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach school district’s (near Los Angeles) music programs. Living in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, she’s performed with various community orchestras and bands around the Los Angeles area, including the Beach Cities, Bellflower and Southeast Symphonies. Band experience includes the El Camino College and Palos Verdes Symphonic Bands. Eileen and her husband Tom led their own flute choir for 10 years (beginning as a part of the Greater Los Angeles Flute Society) in the South Bay. 

In 2005, their flute choir performed in the Society's annual flute festival and at the NFA Convention in San Diego. She also went to the NFA convention in 2017 in San Diego with the Los Angeles Flute Guild’s flute choir under the direction of Janelle Barrera and featuring soloist Sarah Jackson, piccolo with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

Eileen currently performs with the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band and the band's flute choir as well as the Los Angeles Flute Guild's Flute Ensemble. When Eileen isn't working as a software engineer or playing her flute, she's scrapbooking her adventures and cooking. 

Scott Zeplin

Scott Zeplin earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Texas  State University and his Master of Music degree at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He is the conductor of the First State Flute Choir of Newark, Delaware and performs on flute, alto flute, and bass flute with the Pennsylvania Flute Choir of Glenmoore, Pennsylvania as conductor emeritus. Scott also performs in the flute section of the Delaware Winds in Dover, Delaware. Scott is a full-time music teacher at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware where he teaches middle school band and middle and high school woodwinds.