Who we are
Flute Frenzy was founded in May 2000 by Margaret Carlson, as an outgrowth of her private flute studio. The group thrived from its inception and gave several notable local and national performances in its early years, including at the National Flute Association convention, Mid-Atlantic Flute convention, VA Music Educators Association conference, and the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement, where they performed the newly-commissioned James Towne Trilogy by Catherine McMichael.
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2003, Flute Frenzy has been committed to sharing the joys of the flute family with the local community and beyond. They’ve performed at
Williamsburg’s ‘First Night’ celebrations, ‘An Occasion for the Arts’ festivals, The Williamsburg Farmers Market, and countless other events and venues around town. In 2012, the group expanded to include an additional ensemble in order to offer the same kinds of enriching performance opportunities to adult flutists. They then successfully fundraised for a brand new Pearl contrabass flute, extending the range of the ensemble by a full octave!
Following Margaret Carlson’s retirement in 2022, Sean Arawjo took over as Artistic Director of the organization and conductor of the adult ensemble, Fantasia. Under his baton, the group has premiered new works for flute choir, performed at the Virginia Supreme Court’s inaugural Behavioral Health Summit, amassed over 1.5 million views on social media, and, thanks to a grant from the York County Arts Commission, offered a free weekly flute class for beginners. They also adopted the tagline “Fun with Flutes”, a new logo, and a revised mission statement: “Flute Frenzy's mission is to provide gratifying and educational ensemble experiences to flutists of all ages along with opportunities to publicly perform diverse repertoire on the instruments of the flute family.”
This is not a new path; it is simply a recommitment to what Flute Frenzy has always striven for, to enrich the lives of its members and audiences alike with beautiful and captivating flute music!
Margaret Carlson
Artistic Director Emeritus
Conductors
Sean Arawjo
Fantasia Conductor
Katherine Draney
Prelude & Capriccio Conductor
Sean Arawjo
Overture Conductor
Thom Recktenwald
Substitute Conductor
Margaret Carlson
Founder & Artistic Director, Emeritus
Board
Sandra Hood
President
Lisa Van Divender
Treasurer
Teresa Denner
Director
Thom Recktenwald
Director
Jennifer Ju
Secretary
Sean Arawjo
Artistic Director
Susan Maraist
Director
Lisa Jacobsen Stone
Director