A special chamber concert featuring Alexa Still, Christopher Jenkins and Ina McCormack.

Alexa Still in Concert: Global Flute Music. A special chamber concert featuring flute solos and Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, with performers Alexa Still, flute; Christopher Jenkins, viola; and Ina McCormack, harp. TMS will host the event on Thursday, June 1st at 7:00 PM at its historic University Circle campus.

More About The Performers:

Alexa Still, flute

Alexa Still is known internationally primarily through her 20+ recordings that have garnered unanimous praise: “impeccable in technique and taste, seductive in phrasing” (Stephensen Classical C D Guide). “Still plays... so convincingly I cannot separate her from the music” (American Record Guide), “whatever she plays sounds musical in every turn of the phrase” (Gramophone), “a stunning showcase for the astonishing Alexa Still” (Fanfare). “Still showcases her exquisite lyricism and virtuosity on every track” Cleveland Classical. Alexa got her doctorate in New York (SUNY Stony Brook), won competitions including the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition, and, East and West Artists Competition and then at age 23, went back home as principal flute of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Other awards include a Churchill Fellowship and a Fulbright. Alexa left the NZSO to devote more time to solo engagements and teaching, first at the University of Colorado at Boulder, then the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (where she was also director of Performance Research), and since 2011, she has been at the Oberlin Conservatory.

Alexa has performed as soloist in 16 countries, including many world premieres. Alexa’s articles have been read around the globe, and she has also served her profession as President of the National Flute Association (USA). Regular summer engagements include the Round top Festival (Texas) and Orford Musique (Quebec). When her flute is in its case, Alexa is an avid motorcyclist.

Christopher Jenkins, viola

Christopher Jenkins, Associate Dean for Academic Support at Oberlin Conservatory, is an educator, administrator, and performing violist. He also acts as Oberlin's Conservatory Liaison to the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Musicology. His international engagement has included performances and teachings around the world. He is currently earning a DMA in viola performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a PhD in Historical Musicology from Case Western Reserve, where his work focuses on the music of African-American composers.

In 2022, alongside music theorist Philip Ewell, Chris was a cofounder and co-organizer of the Theorizing African American Music conference held at CWRU. Chris is the winner of several awards for scholarship and music performance, including the Karamu House “Room in the House” Fellowship; CWRU’s Adel Heinrich Award for Excellence in Musicological Research; American Society for Aesthetics’ Irene Chayes “New Voices” award; the American Viola Society’s David Dalton Research Competition; and as third-place laureate in the Sphinx Competition. In 2023, his first book, on diversity issues in music education, will be published by Routledge Press and the College Music Society. His alma maters include Harvard University, Columbia University, New England Conservatory, and the Manhattan School of Music.

Ina McCormack, harp

Harpist and aspiring musicologist, Ina McCormack seeks to integrate interdisciplinary scholarship and multimedia collaboration into her renderings of classical and contemporary repertoire. A passionate ensemble musician, Ina routinely performs as guest principal harpist with numerous regional and national orchestras. Recent engagements include the Cleveland Ballet Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. She also maintains a substitute position with the New World Symphony. As part of the “Five Minutes for Earth” Project, Ina performed the live premiere of Philip Maneval’s “The Demise of the Shepard Glacier” last October. Other notable honors include appearing as Featured Soloist and Harp Fellow for the 2019 National Repertory Orchestra and winning First Place at the American Harp Society’s 19th National Competition. Ina holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music where she currently studies with Yolanda Kondonassis as the first harpist admitted into their Doctor of Musical Arts program. In addition to her performance endeavors, Ina will be pursuing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Case Western Reserve University within the coming year.