Described by Flute Focus as “…having shattered any notions that the piccolo might be lacking in deep, expressive powers," Christine Erlander Beard enjoys an active career as an international soloist, chamber artist and teacher throughout North and South America and Europe. Noted for “…not only having a beautiful tone and phrasing, but the capacity to reveal the deep soul of a composition” (Martin Rokeach, composer), she has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Russia, and the USA, and in 2019 was named the Second-Place winner in the American Prize competition’s Professional Soloist Division. Passionate about working with composers, Beard strives to showcase expressive music for flute/piccolo, as well as promoting music by living composers, underrepresented composers, and music with social justice themes. Christine is a performing artist for both Sankyo Flutes and Hernandez Flutes and is Professor of Flute at the Univ of Nebraska at Omaha.