I’ve always been fascinatedby how people learn.
My love of music, performing, and sharing that love with students first drew me to questions about how people learn. Over the years, I’ve found myself returning to those questions again and again. I’m happiest when I’m curious, noticing something new, making connections, or seeing an idea from a different angle. Every student arrives with different strengths, different challenges, and a different story, and my favorite part of teaching is discovering the path that helps each individual unlock their own understanding.
Whether we’re refining tone, preparing for an audition, overcoming a technical obstacle, or simply rediscovering the joy of making music, I love helping students experience the moments when something finally clicks. Lasting growth rarely comes from trying harder. It comes from seeing differently. My role is to help each student find the doorway that leads to that understanding.
Outside the studio, I find joy in noticing beauty, making connections, and paying attention to the small things that are easy to overlook. Those values shape the way I teach, too. I hope my students leave not only as stronger musicians, but as more attentive, confident, and expressive people.
What Students Carry Forward
Over the years, my students have earned places in selective ensembles, festivals, university music programs, competitions, and other musical opportunities. I am deeply proud of these accomplishments and of the preparation, courage, and persistence they represent.
Just as important, I want students to leave the studio with greater trust in their own ability to notice, question, and grow. The flute becomes a place to practice that way of being, and over time it can shape how they engage with the rest of their lives.
Student Accomplishments
Students from the Abigail Walsh Flute Studio have received recognition and opportunities at the regional, state, national, and collegiate levels.
Music Program Acceptances
Students have been accepted as music majors to:
- New England Conservatory
- Manhattan School of Music
- The Hartt School, University of Hartford
- New York University
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Iowa
- Baldwin Wallace University
- Brigham Young University–Idaho
- Eastern Illinois University
- Grand Valley State University
- Illinois State University
- Luther College
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Western Connecticut State University
- Western Illinois University
- Western Michigan University
National Selections & Recognition
- Selected, National Flute Association Masterclass Performers Competition, 2024
- Winner, Flute New Music Consortium New Music Composition Competition, 2024 and 2025
- Selected, National Flute Association National Collegiate Flute Choir, 2024
- Selected, National Flute Association National High School Flute Choir, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014, and 2018
Competition, Concerto & Scholarship Awards
- Winner, Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, 2021
- Winner, University of Illinois Springfield Concerto Competition, 2016
- Second Place, Great Lakes Flute Festival Collegiate Artist Competition, 2023
- First Place, Illinois Symphony Guild Scholarship Awards, 2016 and 2019
- First Runner-Up and Talent Winner, Miss Connecticut, 2008
- First Place, Jacksonville “Talent Among Us” Competition, 2019
- Second Place, Jacksonville “Talent Among Us” Competition, 2015 and 2016
- Iowa State Solo Contest Outstanding Performance Award, 2005
- Iowa Flute Wonders Competition, 2004 and 2005
All-State and Honors Ensembles
Multiple students have been accepted to:
- Michigan All-State Band
- Connecticut All-State Band
- Connecticut All-State Orchestra
- Illinois All-State Band
- Illinois All-State Orchestra
- Iowa All-State Band
- Hartt Community Division Honors Program
Youth Orchestras and Regional Ensembles
- Connecticut Youth Symphony
- Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble
- Eastern Connecticut Regional Band
- Northern Connecticut Regional Orchestra
- Illinois Regional Band, IMEA
- Springfield Youth Symphony
- Grand Rapids Youth Symphony
- Kalamazoo Junior Youth Symphony Orchestra
Summer Programs
- Interlochen Flute Intensive
- Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Career Overview
For more than two decades, my career has included university teaching, orchestral and chamber performance, masterclasses, clinics, educational outreach, and the publication of Plugged In: Practice and Performance Method for Flutists, which received the National Flute Association’s Newly Published Music Award.
I have held teaching appointments at Grand Valley State University, the University of Illinois Springfield, Western Michigan University, Illinois College, and The Hartt School Community Division. As a performer, I’ve appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician with ensembles including the Grand Rapids Symphony, West Michigan Symphony, Holland Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, and many others.
These experiences continue to shape my teaching, but more importantly, they continually remind me that every student deserves thoughtful, individualized instruction and a teacher who meets them where they are.
Experience & Credentials
My teaching has been shaped by more than two decades of university and private studio work, performance, publishing, presentations, and community engagement. The sections below offer a fuller view of the past and present experiences that continue to inform my work.
Teaching
Previous Higher Education Appointments
- Visiting Professor of Flute, Grand Valley State University
- Applied Music Specialist, University of Illinois Springfield
- Flute Instructor, Faculty Sabbatical Replacement, Western Michigan University
- Flute Instructor, Illinois College
- Flute Instructor, The Hartt School Community Division
Courses and Areas Taught in Higher Education
- Applied Flute
- Chamber Music
- Flute Pedagogy
- Woodwind Methods
- Introduction to Music Technology
- Introduction to Western Classical Art Music
- History of Rock and Roll
- History of Jazz
- World Music
- Music Appreciation
Private Studio
- Founder, Abigail Walsh Flute Studio, 1999 to present
Education
Degrees
- Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance, The Hartt School
- Master of Music in Flute Performance, The Hartt School
- Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, University of Iowa
Principal Teachers
- Janet Arms, The Hartt School and New York City Opera
- John Wion, The Hartt School and former New York City Opera principal flutist
- Tamara Thweatt, University of Iowa and former Los Angeles Philharmonic piccolo
- Robert Dick, University of Iowa and contemporary flute specialist
- Tadeu Coelho, University of Iowa and University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Betty Bang Mather, former University of Iowa professor and Baroque specialist
- Trevor Wye, flute pedagogue, two years of intensive summer masterclasses
- Margaret Linnan Kegel, private instructor and former director of Miyazawa Flutes
Performance Experience
Orchestral & Ensemble Experience
- Illinois Symphony Orchestra
- Grand Rapids Symphony
- Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
- West Michigan Symphony
- Holland Symphony Orchestra
- Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra
- Peoria Symphony Orchestra
- Vintage Parlor Orchestra
- Whiting Park Festival Orchestra
- Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra
- Hartford Opera Theater
- Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
- Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
- Oskaloosa Symphony Orchestra
- Ottumwa Symphony Orchestra
- Western Michigan University Faculty Quintet
- West Michigan Flute Quartet
- West Michigan Flute Orchestra
- Great Lakes Flutes
- Cedar Rapids Municipal Band
Selected Solo, Recital & Chamber Performances
- Guest Artist Recital, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
- FreePlay 49: Echoes of Time, GVSU NME Featured Artist Recital
- Castles in the Air, GVSU Faculty Recital
- Illinois College Fine Arts Series
- Rites of Spring, virtual concert of works by Composers Alliance of San Antonio
- Illinois Symphony Orchestra Around the Town Chamber Music Festival
- Harp and Soul, UIS Faculty Recital with Julia Jamieson, harp
- Wanderlust, Illinois Central College Arts Week Guest Recital
- Guest Artist Recital, Millikin University
- Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue, Benedictine University Concert Series
- Paris-Belle Concert Series
- Lenten Brown Bag Concert Series, First Presbyterian Church
- Moods a la Mode, Glenbrook Lane Artist Series
- Lincoln Land Recital Series
- St. John’s Lutheran Church Concert Series
Competitions & Awards
- Winner, National Flute Association Newly Published Music Award
- First Prize, CanAmerican Flute Symposium Solo Artist Competition
- Finalist, The American Prize, Professional Instrumental Soloist Division
- Finalist, The American Prize, Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music
- Semifinalist, National Flute Association Piccolo Artist Competition
- Second Prize, Flute Society of Washington Young Artist Competition
- Second Prize, Emeritus Recording Competition
- Winner, National Flute Association Masterclass Performers Competition
- Finalist, University of Iowa Concerto Competition
Guest Artist and Faculty Appearances
- Engelbach-Hart Music Festival
- University of Illinois Springfield Flute Festival
- Composers Alliance of San Antonio
- Flute by the Sea Masterclass
- Five Seasons Chamber Music Festival
- Hartt Summer Flute Intensive
- Western Illinois University Summer Music Institute
Conference and Festival Appearances
- National Flute Association National Flute Convention
- Great Lakes Flute Festival
- Michigan Music Conference
- Southeast Michigan Flute Association Flute Festival
- Florida Flute Festival
- Flute New Music Consortium New Music Festival
- Wisconsin Flute Festival
- Flute Society of Washington Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair
- Iowa Flute Festival
- Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference
Leadership Roles & Community Initiatives
- Advisor to the Board, West Michigan Flute Association; former Vice President and Interim President
- Co-Founder and Former Program Director, Great Lakes Flute Festival, supported by a Michigan Arts and Culture Council grant
- Co-Founder, Camerata Music Scholarship Chamber Music Program, University of Illinois Springfield
- Co-Founder, University of Illinois Springfield Community Music School
- Former Director, University of Illinois Springfield Flute Festival
- Co-Founder, Grand Valley State University Community Engagement Music Project, supported by a Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center Teaching Innovation Grant
Let’s Connect
If you’re interested in lessons, a clinic, consultation, performance, or another collaboration, I’d be glad to hear from you.
Contact Abigail