Bio
Flutist Dustin White has been described as having a "masterful command of the Western concert metal flute" (The WholeNote) and lauded for his "fine attention to detail and expert technical ability" (PAN Journal) and "excellent performance and repertoire choices" (The Flute View).
A strong advocate of living composers and new music, he has premiered dozens of solo, chamber, and ensemble works by composers at varying stages of their careers. He strongly believes promoting equity and diversity in classical music programming is both an ethical imperative and artistic necessity. As a performance scholar, he is particularly interested in the synthesis of new flute music by means of cultural exchange. His debut solo album Ri Ra (Mon Hills Records) explores the intersection of Western contemporary art music and Middle Eastern flute traditions. Recently, he has taken up studies on the Arabic nay. Being a classically-trained musician, he also enjoys and is comfortable in many traditional Western styles and has extensively studied and performed solo, chamber, and large ensemble/orchestral repertoire.
Dustin has served as Program Assistant for the Flute Xpansions Sonic Immersion program for contemporary and experimental flutists and also as Assistant Director of the International Flute Symposium. Committed to increasing equity and accessibility in music education, he is both a teacher with and Communications Coordinator of Through the Staff, a student-founded organization whose mission is to provide free music lessons to underserved youth nationwide.
Dustin has been a featured performer and workshop clinician at the Flute Society of Washington's Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention as well as the International Flute Symposium. He has been awarded prizes in the GLORY International Modern & Contemporary Music Competition, West Virginia University's chamber music competition, and the Rochester Flute Association's Emerging Artist Competition. Dustin also has been awarded numerous grants and scholarships in recognition of his performance, academics, teaching, and artistic vision.
Dustin received his Master of Music degree from West Virginia University and his Bachelor of Music degree from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. His principal teachers include Nina Assimakopoulos, Kenneth Andrews, and John Oberbrunner.
Dustin plays on a silver Powell Conservatory flute with an Aurumite Soloist-cut headjoint and a vintage Haynes Custom grenadilla wood piccolo.