Professor of Flute Professor of FluteArea Coordinator of Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion
International performer and educator Tabatha Easley is the Professor of Flute and Coordinator of Winds at Virginia Commonwealth University. Born and raised in Alaska, she has presented concerts and masterclasses on six continents and across the U.S.
Equally adept as an orchestral performer and soloist, Ms. Easley has performed with the Richmond and Virginia Symphonies, served as principal flutist of the Charlottesville Symphony, played regularly with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, and was a member of the Fairbanks Symphony and Arctic Chamber Orchestras in Alaska. She has also been a soloist with the Fairbanks Symphony, Astoria Sinfonia in New York, the Cole Conservatory of Music Orchestra, Orange County Arts High School Orchestra, Virginia Commonwealth University Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, The University of Cauca Wind Ensemble in Popayán, Colombia, as well as Orchestra “EAFIT” in Medellín, Colombia.
An advocate of new music, she has been involved in over twenty commissions and premiers, and her research pursuits focus specifically on music of the Americas and women composers. Her CD Hair, Cloth, Thread features several new works for flute and percussion and has been featured on WCVE’s “Classical Evening” with George Maida and WBEZ’s “Worldview” with Steve Bynum in Chicago.
Active in several professional organizations, Ms. Easley is the Committees Liaison for the National Flute Association after having served as Secretary, Assistant Secretary and the Collegiate Flute Choir Competition Coordinator. She was the 2021 performance committee program chair for College Music Society’s 2021 National Conference, and a subcommittee member for the International conference which will take place in Colombia, South America. She has also performed at the 2022 International Low Flutes Virtual Festival, the Society of Composers Inc. National Conference, the International Double Reed Society Conference in Tokyo, Japan, and the National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors National Conference. Ms. Easley has also served on the board of directors for the Flute Society of Washington, and was the program chair for the MidAtlantic Convention in 2009.
Ms. Easley holds a doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music; the first Alaskan to do so. She is also a contributing editor in Charles West’s 2016 publication, Woodwind Instruments: Purchasing, Maintenance, Troubleshooting and More. To listen to Dr. Easley’s music visit her soundcloud here!