Mary Matthews is a dynamic and versatile performer with a distinguished career as an international soloist, chamber musician, orchestral flutist, recording artist, author, and Assistant Professor of Flute at Florida State University. ​Mary has performed on four continents, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Fundação Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, and Bulgaria Hall. She has performed as a soloist with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria), the Colorado Wind Ensemble, the ODU Wind Ensemble, and the FSU Symphony and Sinfonia Orchestras, among others. She is the second flutist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga Symphonies.​

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As a studio musician and recording artist, Mary’s work is featured in soundtracks for film, television, and video games, with credits on platforms like Netflix, HBO, and Disney. Her discography includes seven albums: Flutelore (Big Blue Records), Kairos (Big Blue Records), Intersections (Ravello Records), Three-Nine Line (MSR Classics), Charuhas (Naxos), Preludes & Recitations (Tonsehen Records), and Newfound Chamber Winds Live Album (Big Blue Records).

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Mary is the flutist of Khemia Ensemble, a group committed to expanding the boundaries of contemporary music. The ensemble blends acoustic chamber works, multimedia, and influences from various genres. Khemia was awarded the 2023 Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant and has performed at National Sawdust, the Mizzou International Composers Festival, and the Wunsch New Music Festival. Khemia has also held residencies at universities across North and South America. Additionally, Mary is a member of the Newfound Chamber Winds and Duo Elektra, with performances at events like the ICA Festival in Dublin, Ireland, the WindWorks Festival of the North in Husavík, Iceland, and the MidWest Clinic in Chicago.

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As an advocate for new music, Mary has premiered more than 60 new works and is known for her mastery of extended techniques and adventurous programming. She is the co-author of the Beatboxing and Beyond method books with Nicole Chamberlain. The first book, which introduces extended flute techniques, was praised as “a revelation” (Flutist Quarterly) and was named a finalist in the 2022 National Flute Association Newly Published Music Awards. The second volume, Into the Beyond, was a finalist in the 2024 NFA Newly Published Music Awards, and the third volume will be released in August of 2025 and will focus on low flutes. 

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Before joining the faculty at FSU, Mary served as Associate Professor of Flute at Tennessee Tech University’s School of Music. She is a faculty member at the Newfound Chamber Winds Fellowship Program and offers workshops at FSU's Summer Music Camps. Mary has presented masterclasses and workshops at institutions worldwide, including the Sofia Symphonic Summit (Bulgaria), Tónlistarskólinn á Akureyri (Iceland), Michigan State University, Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music, and El Instituto Eduardo Laredo (Bolivia). She has presented her academic work at conferences  and institutions such as the Peabody Institute Career Development Series, the College Music Society’s National Conference, and the International Alliance for Women in Music Congress. Her doctoral thesis is titled The Flute Music of Anna Bon di Venezia in the Context of Eighteenth-Century Flute Repertoire, and her article on the topic was published in the National Flute Association's Flutist Quarterly.

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Mary has won numerous awards, including the South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition, Kathryn E. MacPhail Young Artist Competition, and Firelands Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. She received an Honorable Mention in the Mary Graham Lasley Young Artist Competition and was a finalist in the Coeur D'Alene, William C. Byrd, and J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competitions. Over her career, she has received over 20 performance, research, and community outreach grants, including the Boedecker Path to Excellence Grant and the Bradley Research Grant at Florida State University.

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A Rochester, NY native, Mary began her formal flute studies at the Eastman School of Music's Preparatory Program. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from The Hartt School, a Master of Music Degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. Her primary teachers include Jan Angus, George Pope, and Janet Arms. Mary lives in Tallahassee, FL with her husband, trumpeter Brandon Norton, and their four-legged family members, Avery, Chipper, Nala, and Ariel.

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View a full repertoire list HERE

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