Celtic Music Collection for Flute & Piano

Arranger-Ervin Monroe

Ervin Monroe is a highly versatile musician, skilled as a flautist, composer, arranger, conductor, and entrepreneur. While in high school, he became Principal flautist in the Pensacola Florida Symphony. After attending Oberlin Conservatory, he studied in Austria at age 19, performing with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg. While offered a permanent position, he chose to complete his musical studies in the US and pursue a spot in a major American symphony.

During his master’s at the Manhattan School of Music, Monroe was hired as principal flautist for tours of prestigious ballet companies, including the Bolshoi and Royal Danish Ballets. At 23, he played in the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia, recording chamber music for RCA Red Label Classics. Later, he became Principal flautist of the Detroit Symphony, holding the position for 40 years until retiring in 2008.

Monroe actively contributed to the National Flute Association, serving on the board and as president. His book, “Special Fingerings for Advanced Flautists,” was lauded by the NFA as the top Newly Published Pedagogical Book in 2012. He was a faculty member at Wayne State and Oakland universities, a visiting professor at institutions like the University of Michigan, and has given masterclasses and lectures for over 50 years.

In the 1970s, Monroe started Little Piper, a publishing company specialising in flute music, now sold worldwide. In 1995, he was appointed by the president of Muramatsu Inc. in Japan to head Muramatsu America, a North American company representing and distributing Muramatsu flutes. Monroe’s musical ventures extend to jazz combos, rock-and-roll groups recording for London Records and contributing to Motown’s greatest hits. His teachers include Robert Willoughby, Harold Bennett, and William Kincaid.

https://www.nfaonline.org/about/achievement-awards/ervin-monroe