William Larsen has been the principal flute of the Southwest Florida Symphony for more than thirty one years. Bill has acted as soloist with the symphony on such works as Vivaldi’s Concerto for Piccolo in C Major and Concerto in D Major for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 10, No. 3 “The Goldfinch”, Bach’s Suite in b Minor for Flute and Strings, Griffes’ Poem for Flute and Orchestra, Rutter’s Suite Antique, and a latin jazz arrangement by Jeff Tyzik of Bach’s Sicilliano from his Sonata in Eb. Mr. Larsen in conjunction with his wife Beth Larsen, also a flutist, has performed Bach’s Brandenburg No. 4. On April 16, 2011, Mr. Larsen premiered Pandora’s Waltz: a flute concerto written by James Stephenson III in honor of his 25th season with the SWFSO.
Bill earned his Bachelors of Music in Performance from Arizona State University and his Master of Music in Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music, associated with the University of Cincinnati. His teachers include Jose Corral (Phoenix Symphony), Eric Hoover (ASU), Walfrid Kujala (Chicago Symphony), Kyril Magg (Cincinnati Symphony), William Bennett (International soloist) and Peter Lloyd (former principal of the London Symphony). Mr. Larsen is currently on the faculty of Edison State College.
The flutes that Mr. Larsen plays are handmade to his specifications by Chris Abell of Abell Flutes in Asheville, North Carolina. The instruments are entirely modern in terms of scale, bore and key design, they just happen to be made of grenadilla wood, like that used for clarinets and oboes.
Bill earned his Bachelors of Music in Performance from Arizona State University and his Master of Music in Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music, associated with the University of Cincinnati. His teachers include Jose Corral (Phoenix Symphony), Eric Hoover (ASU), Walfrid Kujala (Chicago Symphony), Kyril Magg (Cincinnati Symphony), William Bennett (International soloist) and Peter Lloyd (former principal of the London Symphony). Mr. Larsen is currently on the faculty of Edison State College.
The flutes that Mr. Larsen plays are handmade to his specifications by Chris Abell of Abell Flutes in Asheville, North Carolina. The instruments are entirely modern in terms of scale, bore and key design, they just happen to be made of grenadilla wood, like that used for clarinets and oboes.
Click on flute to go to the Abell Flute Company Website
