Joshua Smith
Violin

Hailed as a "flute phenomenon" upon his debut in Cleveland, young American flutist Joshua Smith has already achieved a decade of success as principal flute of The Cleveland Orchestra and now also enjoys a budding career as a recitalist and chamber music partner.

Born in May, 1969 and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Smith worked closely with renowned pedagogue Frank Bowen and then attended Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner. In 1990, while still a student at Curtis, he was invited by maestro Christoph von Dohnányi to join The Cleveland Orchestra as Principal Flute.

Praised for his "breathtaking sensitivity," "tonal beauty," and "fluent, facile artistry," Mr. Smith appears as soloist with the Orchestra on a regular basis. His 1993 recording of the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp (with Dohnányi and harpist Lisa Wellbaum on Decca/London) was chosen by National Public Radio's Performance Today as "THE recording of this piece to own." He joined maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen for performances of the Nielsen concerto for which Smith was lauded in the press for being "alert to every twist of phrase and temperament. ... His sound was penetrating ... warmly poetic ... played with fluency and brio. "Most recently, he collaborated with the orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy for Toru Takemitsu¹s ³I Hear the Water Dreaming,² and will appear as soloist in 2005, playing Mozart.

In addition to his responsibilities with the Orchestra, Joshua Smith is also a thoughtful, engaging, and challenging teacher. He serves as head of the flute department of The Cleveland Institute of Music and as woodwind chair faculty member of Kent/Blossom Music's professional training program.