Department of Music Faculty and Staff

Heidi Álvarez is Professor of Music at Western Kentucky University, where she teaches flute, flute chamber music, and music theory.  Additionally, she plays second flute in the Orchestra Kentucky Bowling Green and is a mother of three.  She has performed as a flute soloist and has taught masterclasses across the United States as well as in Europe, Central America, and Canada.  Dr. Álvarez released compact disc recordings that feature commissioned flute chamber music: Flute Chamber Music by Michael Kallstrom; Volume One (CRC 2911) released in 2007 and Volume Two released in 2012, both on the Centaur Records Label; The Light Wraps You on the MSR Classics Label (MS 1217).   

She served as Treasurer and a board member for the Flute Society of Kentucky from 2005 to 2018, and served as the Site Host and Program Chair for five of these festivals.   As an avid supporter of up-and-coming flutists, Dr. Álvarez is a member of the Flute Society of Kentucky, the MidSouth Flute Society, and the National Flute Association.  Dr. Álvarez holds degrees in flute performance from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M.) and from The Florida State University (M.M. and D.M.).  Her former flute teachers include Michel Debost, Kathleen Chastain, and Charles DeLaney.  Prior to her appointment in Bowling Green, Dr. Álvarez was the Principal Flutist in the North State Symphony and taught flute and numerous courses in music theory and musicology at California State University, Chico. heidi.alvarez@wku.edu