Ground-breaking flutist Zara Lawler, “an engaging, fluent, mellifluous soloist,” (Houston Chronicle) made her concerto debut with the Houston Symphony and her recital debut at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall. Highlights include the US premiere of Il Cerchio Tagliato dei Suoni, Salvatore Sciarrino’s work for 104 flutists, directed by Lawler at the Guggenheim Museum, a Flute Jamboree directed by Lawler at the Kennedy Center, and tours of Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio with her flute and marimba duo Lawler + Fadoul.

Lawler + Fadoul returned to the Kennedy Center in 2016 and 2019 for performances of their family show Break it Down! Their theatrical concert Clickable, featuring music of persuasion, was incubated and premiered at nancy manocherian’s the cell theater in NYC in November 2016, and was released as an album on Parma Recordings in 2020. Their debut album, Prelude Cocktail, featured world premieres by Katherine Hoover and Roshanne Etezady.

Zara Lawler’s solo show, The Flute on its Feet, was featured at the Orlando Fringe Festival in May 2019. For many years, Lawler has integrated dance and theater into her performances, with the innovative ensemble Tales & Scales, in collaboration with choreographer C. Neil Parsons, and in large-scale choreographies for flutes including E Pluribus Flutum, Lawler’s work for sixty dancing flutists.

Lawler has given solo recitals in New York, Santa Barbara, Hong Kong, and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta, Utah, Indianapolis, and Oregon Symphonies, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and in venues including the Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, and Lincoln Center. She has won many competitions including the Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition and Artists’ International, and studied at the Juilliard School with Carol Wincenc and Sam Baron. Her summer festival credits include Marlboro, Tanglewood, Banff (Canada), Bach Aria Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein (Germany). She teaches at Manhattan School of Music Precollege and Silver Music, and has a blog on practice techniques at www.thepracticenotebook.com.

Photos this page by Julie Lemberger, Nino Cocciarella, Dave Ackerman and Joe Melhado.