Erica Nightengale, a master’s student in flute performance at UNO, was named First Runner Up in the Young Artist International Concerto Competition held by the 2017 Toronto Latin American Flute Festival (www.tlaff.ca). Held on the campus of the University of Toronto from April 3-16, Erica competed against flutists from 4 countries, selecting the flute concerto by Carl Nielsen for the international panel of adjudicators. She placed second behind flutist Ana Emilia Castañeda of Mexico City who also performed the same concerto.

In addition to attending all of the clinics and masterclass offerings throughout the festival, Erica was also invited to perform in a recital alongside her teacher, UNO’s flute professor Dr. Christine Beard, the latter of whom was a featured guest artist at both the 2016 and 2017 festivals. Their shared recital program featured solo and duo music for flute and piccolo by Central and South American composers, including new music Erica recently gathered on a recent trip to Argentina for a research project funded by a UNO FUSE grant. A video of their full concert can be viewed at www.facebook.com/10154374914816723?story_fbid=10154374914816723&id=609286722