"The concerto could not have had a more auspicious debut. Porter, a charismatic performer, was focused, flexible and intensely in the moment. She tossed off fiendishly difficult passages as if they were child's play and performed lyrical passages with heart-rending emotion. Music director Thomas Wilkins and the Omaha Symphony provided supple and sensitive support. For their efforts, Daugherty, Porter, Wilkins and the orchestra received an extended ovation."

John Pitcher, Omaha World-Herald, March 27, 2010

"Then she performs the etudes. Oh my teachers were right - it is music! One of the major benefits of this DVD is that I find it very motivating. Coming home late after a rehearsal I am far more likely to pop this DVD in, at least listen to my current etude a few times and play it once or twice before I go to bed. Each time I watch and listen, I seem to notice something stylistically concerning dynamics, breathing or phrasing. Best of all, I can honestly say I've noticed a difference in my playing as a result."

Kathleen Herb Baker, San Diego Flute Club Newsletter, Dec. 2006

"The 30 Caprices came to my attention back in the late 1960’s published as a part of The Modern Flutist. As a young musician, these studies were a bit of a mystery. Had I had access to this wonderful study guide at that time, I would have gotten a lot more out of them. Amy Porter does an excellent job of explaining and performing these caprices.

Each caprice is presented in two parts. The first section is a discussion of the music and the second is a performance of it. Porter is very clear and organized in her explanations, both about the technical and musical aspects of each caprice. The music appears on the screen and the section under discussion is highlighted. Details within the highlighted area are further marked to make it very easy to follow. Suggestions are made for breathing, and any terms that might cause confusion are explained.

The performances of the caprices are beautiful. The technique is very fluid and the tone is smooth throughout the entire range of the flute. This is especially evident in the many compound intervals that are extremely prevalent in these studies. An added bonus is being able to see Porter’s beautiful hand and finger position that many players would do well to emulate.

This DVD is a wonderful tool for anyone who studies or teaches these caprices. It would also a great addition to any serious flutists library."

Keith Pettway, Flutist Quarterly Magazine, Winter 2007

This is outstanding. Amy Porter is the flute professor at the University of Michigan and is widely respected as both a performer and teacher. If you have not heard her playing, you should. She is a charismatic and highly skilled performer. When I saw her teach a masterclass a couple years ago, I found myself nodding enthusiastically with every point she was making. Her approach is equal parts pragmatic and artistic and she reminded every student to “stop being a flutist; be a musician”, a truly courageous thing to say as it acknowledges the fact that many flutists are poor musicians.
It is truly remarkable playing, especially when you consider that she finished the entire recording in just two days. Professor Porter is an expert in all things Karg-Elert, and she plays his music with perfect balance of finesse and power. I think all collegiate students should study the 30 Caprices, and having this performance as a reference should be mandatory. Her Hindemith is clean, colorful, and precise. I have never heard the Rosza Sonata, but after hearing this, I am looking forward to learning it. I usually start looking at my watch or out the window in the first minute of performances of the Dohnanyi, but this one grabbed me and did not let go. Recording engineer David Schall also deserves high praise for capturing solo flute without the usual reverb or fussiness. A must buy.

By Christopher Chaffee, American Record Guide, July/August 2008, Vol. 71, No. 4

"It is just great. Your interpretations of all the music is deep and thoughtful. I am very happy to say I have this recording. Great flute playing."
- Sir James Galway

Passacaglia Amy Porter – Solo Flute
The repertoire chosen for this CD, Passacaglia, on the Equilibrium label, represents some of the great unaccompanied repertoire for solo flute written during the twentieth century. Amy Porter’s choices include works by Hindemith, Karg-Elert, Dohnanyi and Rosza. Porter is a flute player of great renown, and has a number of successful CDs to her name. This release is one that will no doubt appeal to many ‘serious’ flute players.

The repertoire is not in the category of ‘easy-listening, however Porter has approached each of the pieces with her convincing sense of style and musicianship and makes a great success of these difficult works – each of the works represents a series of challenges both diverse and extreme in approach and requires a great technical control in all areas of technique. Porter manages to make these difficult moments sound easy and relaxed.

The seldom performed Sonata per Flauto Solo by Miklos Rosza is exciting and rhythmic in its delivery, with the Hungarian Folk and French impressionist influence of his music being well delivered by Porter. Perhaps better known for his film score writing, Rosza’s works include the score for Ben-Hur (1959) and Spellbound (1945). Dedicated to British flautist Christopher Palmer, and written in 1983, this piece certainly deserves its place in the flute players’ repertoire.

Of particular note on this solo flute CD is the entire collection of Caprices by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, which sit alongside the Sonata Appassionata in f-sharp minor for Flute Solo, Op.140. These Caprices are all short works presented almost as a series of Etudes. They vary in the degree of difficulty and the challenges they provide, but like Karg- Elert’s solo Sonata, are all worthy exercises for any keen flute player.

Erno Dohnanyi’s Passacaglia for Flute Solo, Op.48, No.2 was written in 1959 for flautist Eleanor Baker who performed the premier performance of this at Carnegie hall in 1969. Both this challenging work for Solo Flute and Paul Hindemith’s delightful and melodic Acht Stucke fur Flote allein are played with conviction and a clear sense of musical line and direction by Porter.

This CD represents a huge undertaking on behalf of Amy Porter, as any CD of unaccompanied works is always challenging simply because of the clarity of sound and crystal clear exposure of the artist to the listener. Amy Porter has approached this CD with full knowledge of this, and her interpretations and technical mastery are beautifully controlled at all times.

Mary O'Brien, Editor, Flute Focus Magazine, New Zealand: July 1, 2009

There is a certain fascination in composing (and performing) works for unaccompanied flute. A particular skill is needed in order to sustain interest through a single line. Some fine and interesting works have been produced by numerous twentieth- century composers, especially, of whom four are represented here.

Hindemith's Acht Stücke of 1927 are very varied and concentrated miniatures. Dohnanyi's Passacgalia (1959) is based on a short, simple chromatic theme, busy variations, culminating in a truly virtuosic final page. The Sonata per Flauto Solo (1983) by Rósza consists of three well-contrasted movements, with a great clarity of line, far from the romantic themes (and lush textures) of the familiar film scores. Karg-Elert's Sonata Appassionata Op. 140 (1917) is a single-movement work with many changes of mood, living up to its title. His 30 Caprices Op. 107 (1913-1915) provide the player with a thorough workout, covering a diversity of keys, rhythms, irregular time signatures and moods, with considerable technical demands. However, throughout all these difficult works there is an emphasis on technique at the service of music. This emphasis is mirrored in the performances on this disc. Amy Porter's skill enables her to express passion, whimsy, simplicity and many other moods with apparent ease, giving a sense of total involvement. Particularly delectable is her staccato playing in various pieces, showing that staccato need not equate to marcato.


Anybody studying any of these works would do well to listen to this recording. Anybody not studying them will enjoy hearing someone else do all the hard work; and this disc demonstrates impressively how enjoyable our single-instrument can be.


Christopher Steward
September 2007
Pan; The Flute Magazine of the British Flute Society

" Porter performs with fluidity impressive technique, a warm tone, and musicality that includes a wide range of colors and a thorough understanding of the emotional musical content. That the Karg-Elert Caprices are included here is unique. While they are on her DVD, she states that she wanted them available to listeners at an affordable price. Teachers will fins it beneficial to own a copy of this recording to play for students studying these pieces."

Flute Talk Magazine, November 2007

"This crowd-pleaser will be sure to find friends among flutists and their audiences."

American Record Guide May, 2004



" Bassett Bolcom Daugherty includes the premiere recording of William Bolcom's Lyric Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1993). Lyric Concerto was premiered in 1993 by the St. Louis Symphony and James Galway, who had requested a Celtic concerto. Porter, who performed this piece with piano accompaniment at the 2003 NFA Convention is an exceptional flutist, plays with great virtuosity, and is ably accompanied here by an orchestra of college students, who sound professional in every way."

Flute Talk Magazine January 2004

"Amy Porter has arranged the art songs in Six Songs for Flute and Piano in their original keys , and has also added variations 'in keeping with the tradition of F. Borne and T. Boehm.' The arrangements are a welcome addition to the lyrical, program music for flute and piano, and of medium difficulty, technically. Musically, they require a mature musician. Porter has done an excellent job with the new edition by Little Piper."

Ruth Ann Mclain, NFA Flutist Quarterly, WInter 2007

"You'll enjoy the Madeline Dring (1923-77) Trio which is lyrical and theatrical. Jean-Michel Damase's (b. 1928) Trio has a rich jazz influence in the harmonic structure. The Bozza pieces are idiomatic and Porter and Ambrose King find a nice balance between the playful and serious aspects. They work quite well as a duo. Their warm sounds blend well and they are consistant in their musical ideas and expressions."

American Record Guide, September/October 2003

“What a happy opening to a CD! The Trio by Dring has so much power! Finally, a good overview of pieces for flute and oboe with a lot of variety. This CD is very good for amateurs and a clear choice for students. If there is interest in this repertoire this CD is an absolute must. The American musicians play excellently. Very in tune, very carefully phrased and therefore the music becomes even more transparent. Excellent changes in character and nice to listen to.”

The Dutch Flute Society Magazine, Holland, June 2003

“ This 56 minute recording of chamber music for flute, oboe and piano is interesting because it includes a delightful and various selection of music. The recording is valuable as an example of excellent repertoire for this combination and the flute playing is exceptional throughout, as is the oboe performance.”

Flute Talk Magazine May/June 2003

"Hearing these pieces performed all on one CD is a true pleasure. Listeners will find a wide assortment of styles, nationalistic influences and ensemble combinations. Both Porter and King do a superb job of blending, tuning and ensemble playing. Alberto Ginastera's Duo for Flute and Oboe is extremely difficult to perform successfully. Both Porter's and King's playing seems natural and spontaneous with incredibly accurate articulations in fast technical passages. Overall the ensemble performance by Porter and King is a highlight of the CD."

The Double Reed Magazine (Winter 2003, Vol. 26, No. 4)

"Amy Porter raised her golden flute and breathed living inspiration into this musical treasure during Saturday's performance. A graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and former student at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Porter's natural affinity for graceful Mozart phrasing, plus her lively stage presence and artistic bond with the TSO, won exclamations of delight from the audience when the last notes were sounded.

Steven Byess, principal guest conductor, took the podium after intermission to conduct Porter (who happens to be his wife) and the TSO in the Lukas Foss "Renaissance" Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Written in 1985-86, this tremendously inventive work consists of four movements based loosely on musical ideas from the musical periods of the Renaissance and Baroque. "It's like a dream," commented Byess, to explain the fantastic, otherworldly quality so skillfully recreated by soloist and orchestra."

Robert Bruce Smith, Tupelo Daily Journal 9/2003

Girl with golden flute takes no prisoners

"Simply put, it was one kick-ass performance. Sure, there are a lot of other ways to describe Amy Porter's flute playing. If nothing else, it's multi-dimensional. At last Friday night's New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra concert, she was by turns extroverted and introspective. Completely committed to the music, she was passionate when the part allowed and neatly precise when the score required it.And it all added up to a stunner. In a performance of the strange and unusual "Renaissance Concerto," a work written in 1982 by Boston-based composer Lukas Foss, she did nothing less than take us all on a hair-raising tour of all her instrument could do. Together, we plumbed the spooky depths of the low notes, rode rollicking cascades of scales and arpeggios, and heard close up why the shrill highest notes of a flute can overpower the sound of an entire orchestra.

Even if you couldn't warm to the sometimes-difficult sounding music (though on first hearing, I liked it), you had to admire the performance of the soloist that was taking place on the Palace Theatre stage. From start to finish, Porter put everything she had into making the 20 minute work come to life, mixing brilliance and daring to bring off a demanding score that required her to slide pitches, tap her flute like a drum, and walk off stage before it finished.

The "Renaissance Concerto" was the centerpiece of an unusual NHSO program featuring modern works based on elements of the past. In his score, Foss took baroque dance tunes, early opera music and other souvenirs from musical history and put them in a blender. The result was a modern-sounding work with a theatrical flair and a good dramatic line. While it might not have been everyone's cup of tea, it's certainly worth hearing again."

Jeff Rapsis, Hippopress , Manchester, NH, April 2003

"There was not one nanosecond of settling-time in the opening Mozart Flute Quartet in C Major, K. 285b. From the first notes, it was clear that flutist Amy Porter, violinist Catherine Cho, violist Schotten and cellist Norman Fischer had captured the grace, energy and buoyancy of this delicious Rococo miniature. This is the second time I've heard Porter, new to the U-M faculty, and she's been simply spectacular both times. Here she wowed with exquisite ornamentation and a sound as ravishing for its colors as for its dynamic range."

Susan Issac Nesbit, The Ann Arbor News, May, 2001

"In her role as soloist, Amy Porter brought out a quality in the instrument often overshadowed by its facility for chirpy acrobatics. Hers is a sound of extraordinary richness and warmth, the perfect compliment to the the musing, singlike passages that pervade the concerto. Her encore, a whiazzing note-laden confection by Godard, was ample proof that she is likewise a formidable technician. Oh, and yes - it was impossible not to notice the audible murmur as she first appeared on the stage, resplendent in gold from her dress to her flute, like one of the Michigan Theater's gilded carvings come to life."

Michael Rodman, Ann Arbor News, October 7, 2000

PERFORMING ON THE TITLE TRACK, Conversations

"...an innocent American lyricism, a quality exemplified by a lovely flute melody in the opening Prologue, played with great sweetness by Amy Porter of the Atlanta Chamber Players."

January/February 1997 American Record Guide

"...features Amy Porter on two works for flute. LeBaron's works feature surreal combinations of Peruvian folk songs, waltz rhythms, medieval hymns, and Baroque masses juxtaposed as items in a painting by Dalí. The performances are clean and exciting, and the music is wonderful to listen to with as many different colors as styles."

Flute Talk Magazine, February 2001


"...the other two pieces show great crossover promise, melding aspects of New Age, ambient/experiental and post-jazz improv. LeBaron's harp and Amy Porter's flute create a luminous, ethereal enviroment in Solar Music. Sachamama, in combining the exquisite drones of Harry Betroia's famous metal sculptures with Peruvian folk songs and rainforest flute melodies, envelopes listeners in an uneasy, subtropical calm."

Manny Theiner, Pittsburgh Weekly, January 17, 2001

"Amy Porter’s precise, unhurried playing is the perfect counterweight. Her smooth, solid playing lends an ethereal air to the whole."

Sheila Mullan, The Anniston Star

"She played with a consistently unforced tone that was firm but not overblown in the top notes and sweet and lovely in the rest of the instruments range. She has succeeded in avoiding all the overdone playing styles of the most famous flutists today... She also was an exuberant, easily extroverted performer whose enthusiasm for the music made the composition sparkle."

Charles Ward, Houston Chronicle


"Porter’s playing had a strong melodic profile and rhythmic vitality, propelling the breezy, sometimes sultry themes of the concerto along on a bright, rich band of tone."

Carl Cunningham, Houston Post

"Amy K. Porter gave a gracefully shaped performance of Mozart’s Flute Concerto No.1."

Allan Koznin, New York Times

" ... Miss Porter was a particularly strong performer, technically robust and musically forceful."

Bernard Holland, New York Times

"The flutist matched her fine controlled playing to a commanding, sensual stage presence. Her eyes and gestures clearly betray an emotional commitment to the music she plays."

Tom Butler, News Journal

" ... Porter is a genuine artist who imprints her vision on everything she plays. Her vision is one of lyricism based on a profound understanding of her instrument and the things it can express. She makes the flute sing but with nuance and a range of expression that transports it to higher levels. She plays a gold flute which makes her tone darker, more focused and less breathy than most. Her control is exceptional, her sense of rhythm highly developed and her agility extraordinary. She uses them all to serve her artistic goals and that is what made the audience listen so intently to every note she played."

John Sweeney, Greenwich Times


"...flutist Amy Porter proved how versatile her instrument can be when played by a virtuoso. The purity and brilliance of Porter’s sound combined with her amazing breath control and obvious musicality made listening a pleasure. Possessing imagination and daring, Porter is not afraid to take risks and venture into less familiar territory."

Marion M. White, Greenwich Times