the Mission
In Radiance's mission is to break through the stereotypes of traditional classical concert settings by performing concerts that are interactive and reach out to audiences and communities, involving them in the creative process. The programming for these non-traditional concerts comes from commissions of new works and arrangements of existing pieces to grow the repertoire for flute quintet.
the Artists
Flutist Maria Gabriela Alvarado, Outreach and Events Coordinator, has built a career in the United States as a respected performer and pedagogue of the baroque and modern flute. As a recitalist, she has performed solo concerts throughout the United States, Germany, and South America. As a performer of the baroque flute, Ms. Alvarado has performed at the prestigious American Bach Soloists Academy, the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, the Boston Early Music Festival, and the International Baroque Institute at Longy.
Ms. Alvarado enjoys collaborating in numerous chamber music projects. In addition to In Radiance, she is also a founding member of Amaranti Ensemble. Originally from North Texas, Amaranti is a period instrument chamber ensemble that brings chamber music to audiences across the United States. Amaranti refers to the amaranthus flower, which was fabled in Greek mythology and folklore as being never-fading. The ensemble was awarded Second Place at the EMA Battle of the Bands, performed at the 2016 International Baroque Institute at Longy, and was featured in the Boston Early Music Festival in 2017 as well as the “Works in Progress” series at the Harpsichord Clearing House. In March 2019, Amaranti was featured at the Darkwater Women in Music Festival, performing works by female composers from across multiple centuries.
Currently, Ms. Alvarado is completing doctoral studies in flute performance under the tutelage of Dr. Mary Karen Clardy at the University of North Texas. She holds a Master of Music Degree and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Atlantic Union College. In 2017, Ms. Alvarado joined the faculty of Mountain View College. She maintains a private studio in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.
Flutist, Pianist, and Teaching Artist Stacey Chou, Grants/Fundraising Coordinator and Webmaster, is a flutist and piccoloist for the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast and on piano and flute faculty at Note-Worthy Experiences Music Studio. She earned her Graduate Performance Diploma and her Master of Music Degree from the Longy School of Music of Bard College under the tutelage of Marco Granados. At Longy, she had teaching assistantships with the Teaching Artist Program and the El Sistema Side-By-Side Orchestra program. She was awarded the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching Artistry and was one of the winners of the annual Longy Honors Competition. Ms. Chou graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction from the Eastman School of Music. In addition to regularly performing in the Boston area, she frequently performs and teaches across the United States and other countries, and often brings music to places where music instruction or performance is not as easily accessible. As a 2017-2018 Fellow in the Global Leaders Program, she had the opportunity to collaborate with NGOs in Chile and Brazil to further her passion in this area. Ms. Chou has most recently been seen performing with the Urbana 18 Worship and Music Team at staff leadership and international student conferences, and whose live album was released in the Spring of 2019.
Public Relations Manager and Secretary April Cheung’s relationship with the flute was not love at first sight. Following the piano and oboe and then failure to make a sound on her first flute lesson, she never put the flute down after 15 years. She took her flute to Las Vegas, Flagstaff, Boston, and Denver, where she now resides. Through her experiences in these cities, she has learned the importance of a mind and body connection through training in yoga, Alexander Technique, body mapping, and long arduous hikes. She also loves electronic music, looking forward to delving into this new sound world in future endeavors and collaborations. Ms. Cheung believes in the importance of social justice and equal opportunity, spending time volunteering for El Sistema Colorado and teaching flute sectionals at Adams City High School through the educational outreach program of the Colorado Wind Ensemble. She also teaches private music lessons and group flute and piano lessons at Neighborhood Music Stapleton.
Ms. Cheung received her Master of Music Degree from the Longy School of Music of Bard College and her Bachelor’s Degree in Flute Performance from Northern Arizona University. Her teachers include Marco Granados and Emily McKay. She has served as principal flutist of the Longy Conservatory Orchestra and the Northern Arizona University Orchestra. Ms. Cheung has performed in masterclasses for Trevor Wye, William Bennett, Lorna McGhee, Jennifer Grim, Stephanie Jutt, and Michelle Stanley.
Laura Pillman, Multimedia Production Specialist, holds Teaching Fellowships in the Center for Chamber Music and Instrumental Studies divisions at the University of North Texas. She is in demand as a performer of new and electroacoustic compositions and was contracted for a performance at the 41st International Computer Music Conference. Ms. Pillman performed as a soloist with the 41st International Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the Coeur d'Alene International Young Artist Competition, and recently returned from Romania as a competitor in the 16th Gheorge Dima International Music Competition. She was recently named the alternate int eh Texas State MTNA Young Artists Competition and has been a prizewinner in the Oklahoma Flute Society Young Artists Competition. As a member of the Pierre Monteux School and Ohio Light Opera orchestras, Ms. Pillman has extensive orchestral and opera experience. She is an active chambeer musician and her woodwind quintet won Baldwin Wallace University's Ovation Award in 2012. Her main teachers include Mary Karen Clardy, Conor Nelson, and George Pope.
Joanne Wheeler, Artistic Manager and Treasurer, is a Boston-area flutist and music educator. She performs regularly with the Brookline Symphony Orchestra and for the Beethoven Society of Melrose, MA. A supporter of new music, she has also performed with Strange Interlude, the Longitude New Music Ensemble, the Syracuse University New Music Ensemble, and has worked with composers Paul Sayed, Andrew Waggoner, Peter Kramer, Dr. Peter J. Evans, and Dr. Joseph Downing.
In addition to performing, Ms. Wheeler is also an experienced music educator. She is on the faculty at the Suzuki School of Newton as a Musicianship teacher, where she enjoys teaching music theory and solfège to a range of beginning and intermediate Suzuki students. She maintains a small private flute studio in the Boston area, and teaches general music at Wellesley Middle School. As a Teaching Artist, she has given workshops about Luciano Berio’s Sequenza I at the Boston Flute Academy, Boston Flute Festival, and various community organizations in the greater Boston area.
In 2014, Ms. Wheeler graduated from the Longy School of Music of Bard College with a Master's Degree in Flute Performance as a student of Marco Granados. In 2010, she graduated from Syracuse University with a B.M. in Music Education with Performance Honors, where she studied with the principal of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Deborah Coble. She has also studied with Dr. Katherine Kemler at Louisiana State University, Dana DiGennaro in Syracuse, NY, and Sandrine Francois at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France.
Ms. Wheeler holds an Initial Teaching License for Music, grades K-12 in Massachusetts, a Teaching Artist Certificate, and will be pursuing her Flute Book 2 Suzuki Certification this summer.
If you are interested in a chamber coaching or masterclass, send us a message to learn more!