Susan Altemose is a fifth-year undergraduate student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania pursuing degrees in Music Education and Flute Performance. She’s a member of the Wells Flute Studio and studies with Dr. Kimberly Reighley.
At West Chester, she has held several different leadership positions. Within the Wells School of Music, she served as a Student Ambassador. Additionally, she was an active member in the West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band for four years. During those four years, she served as a Flute Section Leader and Student Coordinator.
Outside of school, she was a Visual Technician for Phoenixville High School’s Marching Band this past season. Additionally, she recently completed her second-year interning for the annual Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. As of now, she’s in the process of completing an internship with The International Alliance for Women in Music.
At the Wells School of Music, she participated in numerous ensembles. Spanning from 2020 to 2023, she served as the piccolo player in Concert Band, Wind Symphony, and the Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, she served as Principal Flute in Wind Symphony. This semester, she’s a member of the Wind Ensemble, playing piccolo. Lastly, she participates in the Trilovati Flute Ensemble, playing alto flute.
Last spring, she completed Student Teaching in the Avon Grove School District. Her two placements were at Penn London Elementary School and Avon Grove High School respectively. At Penn London Elementary School, she taught General Music for Kindergarten through Second Grade. For Avon Grove High School, she taught Concert Band, Guitar Class, and Music Theory.
Within the past year, she expressed interest in taking her marching band career to the next level. Specifically, she earned a spot with the Reading Buccaneers, marching in the 2023 season while balancing Student Teaching. During this season, she learned and marched mellophone for the very first time. This year, she’ll be marching her second season, experiencing the first year of the DCI All-Age category. With this, she’ll have the opportunity to experience and perform at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for DCI finals.
Ballade,Op.288,CarlReinecke(1824-1910)
Ballade, Op. 288, Carl Reinecke’s final composition, was originally written for solo flute and orchestra. This piece also utilizes many themes from Reinecke’s “Undine” Sonata. There are three distinct sections that can be heard. In the beginning, the piano introduces the “adagio” section, consisting of a slow, passionate, and emotional main theme. This section is also a piano and flute duet. The second section, marked “allegro”, takes an unexpected turn. Within this section, snappy and energetic sixteenth notes are presented with a lively tempo. However, this section is interrupted midway with lyrical passages of major arpeggios. Lastly, the third section returns to its initial “adagio” tempo. The final section begins with a cadenza between the flute and piano before returning to the main theme. As the music progresses, its sound modulates from darkness to brightness, ending in D Major.
Reflections, KatherineHoover(1937-2018)
Reflections, an unaccompanied solo piece for flute, was composed by Katherine Hoover in 1982. This piece is based on a short sequence from the ancient Norwegian Olavs-fest in Nidaros. To start, a simple melody is introduced by the soloist. As the piece progresses, new variations are presented, originating from the initial melody. Each variation comes with its own style. There are several moments where variations are extremely rhythmic, while others maybe freer and more expressive. These contrasting moments create opportunities for the soloist to showcase the flute’s virtuosic nature.
SonatineforFluteandPiano, HenriDutilleux(1916-2013)
Sonatine for Flute and Piano, written by French composer Henri Dutilleux. This piece was written in 1943 for the Paris Conservatory as a test piece for the graduating class. Overtime, it has become a staple in the flute repertoire. In this work, there are three contrasting sections. The first section “allegretto” begins with the piano introducing the main, mysterious theme in 7/8 meter, handing it off to the flute. As the section progresses, the spotlight shifts completely to the flute in back-to-back cadenzas. The final cadenza acts as a transition into the following lyrical section: “andante”. This section is a short interlude between the previous section and the final one approaching. It serves as a break not only for the soloist, but the listener, containing simple, yet beautiful melodic lines. Towards the end, the flute moves from performing calm, sweet lines to aggressive, energetic phrases. This serves as a transition into the final section: “animé”. The final section is extremely dense and filled with demanding technical passages. As this section progresses, a final cadenza is performed by the flute. This cadenza recalls themes heard previously. As the cadenza concludes, an accelerando begins, pushing to the end. The accelerando is played by both the flute and piano. It grows rapidly, ending the piece at a rapid speed.
RisingOceans, HermanBeeftink(b. 1953)
Rising Oceans, composed by Herman Beeftink in 2020, is a piece written for piccolo and piano accompaniment that is centered around climate change. Specifically, it depicts the rising sea levels through the various tempo shifts in the music. Beeftink shares that “As the waves break higher and higher, the situation deteriorates and we grow desperate, but we are too late to stop the catastrophic collapse; the oceans rise, the tempests rage, structures collapse and humanity is exhausted.” Each tempo change is paired with a specific adjective or phrase. Here are the words utilized in order as they appear: Apprehensive, Placid, More urgently, Worried, Pleading, Desperate, Catastrophic, Inexorable, Desolate, Exhausted, Grave