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Elizabeth (Betsy) Lantz

Elizabeth (Betsy) Lantz, Associate Professor of Practice

Elizabeth Lantz smiles and holds a silver flute
Elizabeth (Betsy) Lantz, Associate Professor of Practice
Curriculum Vitae

School of Performing Arts
311 Henderson Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-5335
elantz@vt.edu

Flutist Elizabeth Lantz is Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). A versatile performer and educator, she has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States and internationally, with engagements in Trinidad, South America, Canada, Europe, the Baltics, and South Korea. She regularly presents masterclasses and lecture-recitals, and her recent performances include featured appearances at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Seoul and the National Flute Association (NFA) Annual Convention in San Antonio.

Ms. Lantz’s creative practice centers on contemporary music, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of technology. In Fall 2024, she premiered The Fluted Bird for amplified flute and computer by Charles Nichols at ARTX in Montreal, a project supported by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) and McGill University’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT). She has also performed at the New Music and Technology Festival at Virginia Tech and the New Music Festival at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Committed to the expansion of the flute repertoire, Lantz actively commissions and premieres new works. In 2015, she co-commissioned Wish Sonatine by GRAMMY-nominated composer Valerie Coleman, in collaboration with pianist Dr. Richard Masters. The work, inspired by a poem by Fred D’Aguiar and funded by Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Diversity Committee, premiered at the NFA Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. Wish Sonatine has since entered the standard repertoire and is widely performed in competitions and recordings.

An active pedagogue and adjudicator, Ms. Lantz has taught in international residencies in Colombia and Trinidad and served on juries for the Flute New Music Consortium, the NFA Collegiate Flute Choir Competition, and numerous regional and national competitions. At Virginia Tech, she plays an active leadership role as Visiting Artist Coordinator for the School of Performing Arts and previously served as Program Chair for the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention.

Ms. Lantz also engages in community outreach and arts advocacy. She is a board member of the NRV Friends of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, where she coordinates the SMILES educational concert series and organizes the annual TubaChristmas in partnership with the Town of Blacksburg. In recognition of her service, she received the 2024 Certificate for Excellence in Outreach and Engagement from Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts, and Design.

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Ms. Lantz holds a Master of Music from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Arizona. Her principal teachers include Ann Diener-Zentner, Jim Walker, Tadeu Coelho, and Jean-Louis Kashy. She is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

  • Flute Performance
  • Flute Pedagogy
  • Artist Management

  • Master of Music in Flute Performance, University of Southern California
  • Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, University of Arizona

School of Performing Arts, Music, Virginia Tech

  • Visiting Artist Coordinator, School of Performing Arts, Virginia Tech
  • Programming and Scheduling Administrator, Committee Chair
  • Hearts and Flowers Committee

Community

  • Board Member, NRV Friends of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, SMILES Coordinator (Children’s Educational Outreach Concert Series).

International Performances (selected)

  • College Music Society International Conference, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia, 07/2023
  • McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 11/2022
  • International Conference for Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance, virtual, 02/2022
  • United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 1/2022 - cancelled due to COVID-19
  • New Interfaces in Musical Expression International Conference, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 6/2018
  • Taller Internacional Suroccidente Colombiano Festival, Paraninfo, Universidad de Cauca, Popayán, Colombia. 10/2017
  • Festival y Concurso Internacional de flauta traversa de Sopó, Sopó, Colombia, 6/2017
  • The University of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, 03/2016
  • The University of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2013
  • Embassy of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bi-National Center, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2013
  • Conservatorio Salvador Bustamente Celi, Centro Cultural Alfredo Mora Reyes, Loja, Ecaudor, 2013
  • Conservatorio Niccolo Paganini, Municipal Museum, Guayaquil, Ecuador, 2013
  • Embassy of the United States Bi-National Center, Guayaquil, Ecuador, 2013
  • Conservatorio Nacional de Musica de Quito, Quito, Ecuador, 2012
  • Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England, 2011
  • John Wesley’s Chapel, Bristol, England, 2011
  • St. Mary-le-Tower, Ipswich, England, 2011

 

National and Regional Performances (selected)

  • Torpedo Factory Chamber Music Performances, Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA, 9/2023
  • Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) National Conference. New York University, New York, NY, 3/2023
  • Flute New Music Festival. The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 2022 - cancelled due to COVID-19
  • National Flute Association Annual Convention, Dallas, TX, Virtual, 2021
  • Metropolitan State University, Denver, CO, 3/2020 
  • North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 3/2020
  • Flute New Music Consortium New Music Festival SUNY Stony Brook, New York, NY, 2020
  • National Flute Association Annual Convention, Hyatt Regency, Orlando, FL, 2018
  • Spectrum, New York City, NY, 2016
  • National Flute Association Annual Convention Keynote Recital, Washington, D.C., 2015
  • Grace Lutheran Church Recital Series, Syracuse, IN, 2015
  • University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2015
  • National Flute Association Convention, Chicago, IL, 2014
  • The National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 10/2013

Guest Teaching & Masterclasses

  • Concord University, Honor Band Flute Masterclass, Athens, WV, 01/26
  • District VI Instructional Video Masterclass for Audition Etude, 11-2023
  • Virginia All State Orchestra Flute Sectionals, Virtual, 04/2021-23
  • University South Carolina, Columbia, SC, Virtual, 11/2020
  • University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, Virtual, 11/2020
  • University of Virginia Flute Forum, Charlottesville, VA, 04/2019
  • Suzuki Association of the Americas Flute Institute, Alexandria, VA, 07/2017
  • Teaching Residency, Taller International Suroccidente Colombiano Festival, Paraninfo,
    Universidad de Cauca, Popayán, Colombia, 10/2017
  • Teaching Residency, Festival y Concurs International de flat traverse de Sopó, Columbia,
    Sopó, Colombia, 7/2017
  • University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 03/2017
  • University of Trinidad and Tobago, Rep of Trinidad and Tobago, 03/2017
  • UVA Flute Forum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 04/2017
  • University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 02/2015 
  • Flute Fest, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 11/2014
  • University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 02/2014

  • Virginia Triple Crown, Charles Nichols, 2023-24
  • MushroomGossip for 4 flutes and marimba, William Rhodes, 2023-24
  • Syzygy for Alto, Bass, and C Flutes, Jacob Alan Smith, 2023-24
  • Flute New Music Commissioning Project, Kevin Day, 2023-24
  • Flute Sextet, Eric Lyon, 2023
  • Sea of Sand, Shore of Stone, Brianna Magill, 2023
  • New work for two flutes, Samuel Zyman 2022
  • Sonder for flute, saxophone & electronics, Charles Nichols. 2021
  • Beneath a Canopy of Wings for flute and clarinet, Ellen Ruth Harrison, 2021
  • Fantasy for Flute Alone, Lauren McCall, 2021
  • Fitting in for solo flute, Zaq Latino, 2021
  • Elegy for flute, saxophone and piano. Kent Holliday, 2020
  • Flutes and Ladders for 2 flutes, piano and electronics. Eric Lyon, 2020
  • Ribbons and Drones for flute, soprano saxophone, piano and electronics, Eric Lyon,  2020
  • Amazonia, Valerie Coleman, 2020
  • Flute Matrix with Limited Fixation, Eric Lyon, 2018
  • Wide Duo, Eric Lyon, 2015
  • Wish, Sonatine for Flute and Piano, Valerie Coleman, 2015
  • the message is the medium, Elizabeth Hoffman, 2015
  • Midsummer Spirits, James Sochinski, 2014

What gives you the most satisfaction as a teacher?
As a teacher, I really enjoy the close relationships and mentorships I develop with my flute students.  I feel energized when my students and I develop a symbiotic relationship in which a partnership of learning develops.  I love having the opportunity and privilege of guiding them to a successful future, whether that is working in the classroom with young children, becoming a high school band director, or attending a prestigious graduate school to continue their flute studies.
 
What was the first performing event that you remember seeing and what do you remember about it?
The earliest memory I have of attending a classical music concert was in my first year of high school when I attended a symphony concert with the mother of one of my high school band friends.  One day she called and asked me if I would be interested in attending a symphony concert with her, as her husband and daughter were unable to attend.  My own parents did not attend concerts of any kind, so this was a new experience for me.  I remember the magic of arriving in the grand hall and being awed by all of the concertgoers dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos.  
When the concert began, we were seated in the balcony with binoculars.  I was overcome with awe at the big symphonic sounds, tone colors, and beauty of the music played by the orchestra.  I watched the first flutist intensely and took note of her every body movement and solos. With that single act of kindness, inviting me to a concert because a friend’s mother had an extra ticket, my future as a flutist was locked in.
 
What is your favorite place on campus? Why?
My favorite place on campus is where the campus intersects with downtown Blacksburg, right outside of Henderson Hall. A hop, skip and a jump away from my office, the area has been beautifully remodeled, boasts grassy hills, beautiful walkways, and is across the street from my favorite places to dine and play:  Center for the Arts, Theatre 101, The Lyric Theatre, Green’s, Gillie’s and Bollos.

  • MUS 1104: Music Appreciation (online)
  • MUS 1005: Music Theory Fundamentals (online)
  • MUS 2244: Class Applied Flute
  • MUS 2574: Individual Applied Flute
  • MUS 3314: Chamber Music (Flute Choir)
  • MUS 4574: Advanced Individual Applied Flute
  • MUS 6574: Graduate Individual Applied Flute