About Lori
An award-winning musician and scholar, Lori Kesner enjoys a distinguished and active career as both a performing flutist and world music lecturer.
In 2002 Dr. Kesner was awarded a Fulbright grant to study Karnatak flute in South India. After earning both doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), as well as a Bachelor of Music, Summa Cum Laude from Ithaca College, Dr. Kesner accepted a faculty position at CCM as Director of the Andean World Music Lab and Preparatory Instructor of Flute Performance. She was also appointed as a Visiting Instructor at Miami University, Ohio, where she directed Andean and African world music ensembles and taught flute and world music courses. Dr. Kesner currently serves on the performing arts faculties of both the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Community College of Baltimore County. In 2009, Dr. Kesner will begin a series of world music workshops and lectures at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.
As an experienced and actively-sought orchestral flutist, Dr. Kesner performs regularly with the Annapolis Symphony and Annapolis Opera in Maryland. She has appeared with orchestras around the world, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra (TN), Richmond Symphony (VA), Binghamton Philharmonic (NY), Key West Symphony (FL), Utah Festival Opera, National Repertory Orchestra, AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria and the Opera Theatre of Lucca, Italy.
A two-time winner (2000 and 2001) of the National Flute Association’s Masterclass Performers Competition, Dr. Kesner has won numerous awards for her talents as a performer, including the second prize at the 2002 NFA Orchestral Audition competition, a finalist award in the 2001 Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition, and a semi-finalist award in the 2001 Frank Bowen Young Artist Competition.
Dr. Kesner studied flute at CCM with Bradley Garner and Randolph Bowman, piccolo with Jack Wellbaum, and ethnomusicology with Robert Templeman. At Ithaca College she earned a double degree in Music Education and Performance while studying flute with Wendy Mehne. Dr. Kesner has performed in masterclasses for such distinguished flutists as Göran Marcusson, Julius Baker, Michel Debost, Paula Robison and Marina Piccinini.
