THE LAS VEGAS FLUTE CLUB
Meet the Board Members!!
Dr. John McMurtery, President
John McMurtery enjoys a varied career as an orchestral flutist, soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Currently, he is section flutist of the New York City Opera Orchestra, having served as guest principal flutist with the Chicago Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and guest assistant principal flutist with the Detroit Symphony. In January 2017 he participated in the Chicago Symphony's tour of Europe with Maestro Riccardo Muti. Previously, he was principal flutist with the Opera Orchestra of New York, the Crested Butte Festival Orchestra, the Dicapo Opera, the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, and the Peoria Symphony. During the 2011-12 season he served as acting piccoloist with the Oregon Symphony. McMurtery has performed regularly with the New Jersey Symphony and the Amici NY Orchestra as part of the OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Of a Lincoln Center Festival performance of a Brian Ferneyhough work for solo flute, the New York Times wrote, “Carceri d’Invenzione IIb, a tour de force for flute bristling with invention, was played brilliantly by John McMurtery, exploring the extreme high and low registers of the instrument, zapping back and forth at hyperspeed." As soloist, McMurtery has appeared with the New York Symphonic Ensemble in Japan, the Peoria Symphony, Artemis Chamber Ensemble, and Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as guest artist at flute festivals in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee.
As chamber musician, McMurtery performs with Luna Nova and UpTown Flutes. He recorded for the NAXOS label with the West Side Chamber Orchestra as soloist on John Rutter’s Suite Antique, as well as chamber music on a CD featuring works by Sean Hickey. At the 2015 Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival he performed and recorded Messiaen’s Des canyons aux etoiles… under the direction of Maestro Alan Gilbert.
Prior to his appointment as Associate Professor of Flute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, McMurtery taught at Western Illinois University, the Westminster Conservatory Young Artist Program, the Lucy Moses School in New York City, and Drew University Summer Music. He is a board member of the National Flute Association and a past president of the New York Flute Club. Dr. McMurtery earned his DMA from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Julius Baker, Robert Langevin, and Jeanne Baxtresser. He received his MM from Rutgers University as a student of Bart Feller, and BM from Central Washington University where he studied with Dr. Hal Ott.
Emily Hill, Vice President
Emily Hill, originally from Forsyth, Illinois, completed a Master of Music Performance degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2022. During her time at UNLV, she participated in many ensembles including the UNLV Symphony Orchestra, UNLV Wind Orchestra, Early Music Ensemble, and Flute Ensemble. In these groups, Emily honed her skills on the main instruments of the flute family including piccolo, alto flute, bass flute, and Baroque flute. She also worked as a Part Time Instructor of flute lessons. As a passionate educator, Emily’s special research interests are in teaching music to students with ADHD and Autism as well as Music Wellness, completing research in both topics during her time at UNLV. For her academic success, she was accepted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Emily also holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Millikin University (2019) where she won two Young Artist Concerto Competitions performing in both 2016 and 2017. She participated in many ensembles, but most notably she held the Flute 2 and Piccolo position in the Millikin Decatur Symphony Orchestra for four years. For her contributions as a music student at Millikin University, Emily won multiple awards which include the Theodore Presser Scholarship Award and Phi Kappa Lambda award for Outstanding Music Student. Emily has studied with Dr. John McMurtery, Amanda Pond, and Dr. Laurie Glencross.
Emily has most recently become a Flute Instructor and Para Professional at Clark High School. She is also still active in the community, returning to play with both the UNLV Flute Ensemble and Early Music Ensemble. She hopes to continue building her own studio of students and performing in the Las Vegas area.
Marta Plominska, Vice President
Polish flutist Marta Plominska has performed in Europe and the United States. Ms. Plominska is the Part-Time Faculty at University of Nevada Las Vegas where she is currently working on her Doctor of Musical Arts. Marta is the winner of many awards. Among her recent successes, Marta has won 1st place at South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition, 1st Prize at Grand Prize Virtuoso Brussels International Competition, 1st place at the Flute Society of Kentucky Young Artist Competition, 1st place at the Oklahoma Flute Society Collegiate Competition, 1st place at IMKA International Music Competition, 1st place at Great Composers Competition – Masters of Wind Sonata, 2nd place at Arizona Flute Society, 2nd place at the Georgia Philharmonic Competition in Atlanta, 1st place at the International Music Competition Barletta in Italy, and 3rd place at the Emuse Music Competition in Greece. She developed her flute experience at summer music festivals in the USA, Poland, Germany, Hungary and Italy. Ms. Plominska has collaborated with many orchestras including Krakow Opera, Springer Opera House, Nevada Chamber Orchestra, Pan-European Philharmonia, PassionArt Orchestra and the Polish Youth Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to teaching career, Marta is an established international adjudicator. Highlights of her adjudicating positions are Stockholm International Music Competition in Sweden,Muse International Music Competition in Greece, MAP International Music Competition in California, III Malopolski Festiwal Fletowy in Poland, and Silver State Competition in Las Vegas.
Kauri Koizumi, Secretary
Hawaii born flutist Kauri Koizumi has been an avid educator and flute teacher on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Now a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she was a candidate for the Music Education Bachelor program and is now a candidate for the Wind Band Conducting Masters program. As well as being an active music educator, Ms. Koizumi is also an active performer. She has won many auditions for youth orchestras and medals for Solo and Ensemble in Hawaii and recently won an audition to play for Ms. Jasmine Choi. Ms. Koizumi has played for many renowned flute professors, such as Dr. Connor Nelson, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, and Dr. Elizabeth Janzen. Ms. Koizumi is also currently one of the Vice Presidents of the Las Vegas Flute Club, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has studied under several teachers such as Ms. Susan McGinn, Dr. Jennifer Grim, and now studies under Dr. John McMurtery.
Lauren Zwonik, Treasurer
Flutist Lauren Zwonik has had the esteemed pleasure of being a distinguished clinician, soloist, and lecturer in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Switzerland, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In all countries she hosted several masterclasses, conducted community and academic ensembles and performed in several solo recitals. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Zwonik was unable to travel to Italy in summers 2020 and 2021 to Italy for her fellowship with the Cortona New Music Sessions.
As a soloist, Ms. Zwonik has won the 2020 West Virginia University Concerto Competition with Martin's Ballade for Flute and Orchestra. She has won first prize in the Great Composers Competition for the Concerto and European Composer competitions, First Prize in the National Division II Opera Performance from the Crane School of Music’s 2017 performance of Aaron Copland’s Tenderland, and Second Prize in the Glory International Music Competition. In 2013, she won the senior soloist competition and performed the Mozart Concerto in D Major with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. As an educator Ms. Zwonik has worked with both individuals and ensembles ranging from primary school, university level, through retired citizens. Her passions in teaching and research include mental musicianship and fife and drum corps.
A native of Colchester, Vermont, Ms. Zwonik is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is the first student awarded with the Graduate Assistantship in Arts Administration with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, in addition to being the newest member of the LA Fife and Drum Corp. She completed her MM in Flute Performance at West Virginia University with a Certificate in University Teaching, and her BM in Music Education and Flute Performance, with a Minor in Music Business at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York.
Past teachers have included Alberto Almarza, Nina Assimakopoulos, Kenneth Andrews, and Berta Frank.
