About Us

Vision

A Community where all flute players have access to a high-quality music experience and are supported in their own unique musical journey.

Community Flute Choir of Fresno

What started as a conversation, two years in the making, the Community Flute Choir of Fresno was established in the fall of 2018 with our inaugural concert in the spring of 2019. Founded with the ideology and philosophy of Russell S. Howland and Janette Erickson, the Community Flute Choir of Fresno wanted to provide a space that nurtures and values instruction, diversity, and community. The mission became providing something that would be traditional, but innovative; something diverse that encompasses cultural, social, and intellectual differences; and something is accepting and supportive all involved in the community.

Building off the legacy of Russell S. Howland and Janette Erickson, the Community Flute Choir of Fresno brings their work and music to forefront of our musical endeavors. No matter what skill level or ability, everyone is welcomed to join and be a part of something unique and one of a kind. Together, we can create true expression and share the joys of music to everyone!

Foundation of the Flute Choir

The origin of the flute choir dates back to the 1960s where they consisted of just C soprano flutes. As the alto and bass flutes developed more in the years, they were soon incorporated into the flute choir. With today’s more modern flute choir, you will find a wide range of sound. From the “baby flute” or piccolo playing the highest C on the piano to the contrabass flute playing the lowest C on the piano – the modern flute choir is now able to cover full range of the piano.

With growing popularity, the flute choir scene was developed in Fresno in the summer of 1985, by Janette Erickson. Janette Erickson graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in flute performance and holds an M.A. degree in music theory from California State University, Fresno. She is also the Principal Flutist of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra. Originating from the middle movement of Ravel’s Scheherazade, a piece she loved, the title of the first flute choir in Fresno was born: Les Flutes Enchantees. As the director of the flute choir, Janette Erickson found that the traditional flute choir at the time was not exactly the sounded needed to portray the beautiful sounds of the flute.

She asked her dear friend and teacher, the late Russell S. Howland, who was a well-known arranger and woodwind specialist, if he would be interested in arranging a few Christmas songs for the group. 85 pieces later, Russell S. Howland helped turn the group of flutes into what Jannette would later call, “an augmented flute choir”. Born from this, Howland proposed the idea of using a bass clarinet, string bass, and harp to augment the flute choir and give it that voice it needed. A truly unique flute choir was started with using piccolo, flute, alto flute, and instead of bass flutes, a bass clarinet would be used. A string bass and harp would just add definition and refine the sound of the choir.