Raleigh Flute Choir

Performers

A native of Brazil, Dr. Thiago Bottega is a prize winner in diverse solo and chamber music competitions in both his home country and in the United States. As a soloist, he has appeared with orchestras throughout the Americas, among them the Santa Maria Symphony Orchestra, the Caxias do Sul Wind Ensemble (Brazil), the Tolima Symphonic Band (Colombia), and the USM Symphony Orchestra (US). Dr. Bottega holds a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in flute performance and pedagogy and a Master of Music degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria (Brazil). He recently relocated to the NC Triangle area, where he is now a freelance musician. In his free time, he enjoys listening to his vinyl collection and playing popular music with his wife Lauren in their home studio.

Kimberly Bridgers graduated from Indiana State University with a B.A. in Music Performance.  Her main instructors were Laura Douglas Jesson and Dr. Joyce White.  She continued her music and performance education with James Pellerite and later with Brooks de Wetter-Smith.  Kim moved to Raleigh in 1993 and quickly became active with the Raleigh Flute Association, the Raleigh Flute Choir, the Raleigh Civic Symphony Association and Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra.  She has enjoyed performing with many orchestras, chamber groups, and theatre orchestras in the area and has taught at the Cary School of Music, Meredith College, Marsh Woodwinds, and her private home studio.

Irene Burke has a Degree in Music from the Crane School of Music in New York and performs professionally with several arts groups in the Raleigh Area.  She has also performed with other orchestras in the Northeast as well as being a member of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra since relocating to this area in 1986.  She also is a member of the Durham Symphony, and the Carolina Philharmonic in Pinehurst, NC as well as the Raleigh Flute Choir.  Ms. Burke was a student of Samuel Baron and Donald MacDonald.  Special performances include Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, SC, the Biltmore Estate, and holiday performances at the White House and Colonial Williamsburg. Ms. Burke is also a CPA with her own private CPA firm.  

Amy Holt, a Raleigh native, earned her Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from the University of Georgia. She is the president of Raleigh Area Flute Association and maintains a private studio. In addition to freelance work, Amy performs with the Raleigh Flute Choir, the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, and is a substitute for the North Carolina Symphony.

Andrea McKerlie Luke is an arts administrator, performance critic, and freelance flutist from Chapel Hill, NC. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from Meredith College in 2013, with a minor in Professional Writing & Presentation Media. She serves on the board of RAFA (the Raleigh Area Flute Association) as its Development Director and Public Relations Coordinator. Luke is the Executive Director of CVNC.org (the Cultural Voice of North Carolina), for which she has been a contributor since 2011; she is also the Executive Director of Raleigh Symphony Orchestra.

Emma Morris is the Music Director of the Silver Fantasy Flute Choir and a member of the Raleigh Flute Choir. She actively performs and teaches in North Carolina and in the past has played with many renowned groups across the East Coast of the US. Emma earned her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance at University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and her Master of Music in Performance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. When she isn’t playing or teaching flute, Emma enjoys hiking with her husband and their dog Boo.

Lauren Robbins-Pollack earned her MM degree in flute performance from the University of Arizona and her Bachelor’s in Music from the University of Michigan, where she studied music education and performance. A member of the Raleigh Flute Choir since 2011, she also plays with the Triangle Wind Ensemble, is active in the Raleigh Area Flute Association, and teaches at the Cary School of Music. She has performed with the National Flute Association Professional Flute Choir and has toured Europe and Asia with the International Flute Orchestra.

Rosene Rohrer is a Lancaster, Pennsylvania native who graduated from Millersville University in Music Education and then studied with Timothy Day. She is a co-founder of both the Raleigh Flute Choir and the Raleigh Area Flute Association and has served as President of the latter since 1986. She performs in a flute/guitar duo with her husband and in local musical theater orchestras. Also, she teaches privately and leads music and worship at the Raleigh Mennonite Church.