New York City-based flutist Steph Dressler is passionate about the music of our time. Her debut EP, Pieces of Me, features original poetry and blends contemporary flute sounds with ambient electronics to create an intimate reflection of her lived experiences. Steph has had the pleasure of performing new music at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, as well as community-centric venues like coffee shops and burger joints in small-town America.
Steph is a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music’s Contemporary Performance program where she was a flutist in the critically-praised contemporary ensemble Tactus. In the summer of 2022, she had the privilege to attend the Atlantic Music Festival as a flutist of the Contemporary Music Ensemble where she performed new works alongside esteemed musicians such as Yvonne Lam of Eighth Blackbird and the members of Trio Fibonacci. In November of 2021, Steph traveled to Weimar, Germany where she premiered six delightfully-challenging works written by composers from the Franz Liszt Weimar Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music.
In the fall of 2023, Steph joined the Flute Faculty at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, New York. Additionally, she serves as Flute Faculty at Music in Chappaqua in upstate New York. Steph maintains a private flute studio of 10-15 students in New York City and virtually via zoom. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in kindness, deep awareness, and self-compassion. Through their hard work and effort, Steph’s students have placed in various competitions and festivals including the New York State School Music Association All-State Festival, the Wisconsin School Music Association All-State Festival, the NCBA All-Northern Honor Band, the Kentucky Music Educators Association All-County Festival, and the Texas Music Educators Association All-County Festival.
In addition to her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, Steph holds a Master of Music degree from SUNY Purchase College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She has had the privilege of attending numerous summer music programs, including the Impulse New Music Festival, the Consummate Flutist at Carnegie Mellon University, and Amy Porter’s Anatomy of Sound Workshop, to name a few. Her most memorable masterclass performances were those with Lorna McGhee, Alexa Still, Alberto Almarza, and Amy Porter.
Her primary flute teachers include Tara Helen O’Connor, Roberta Michel, and Tracey Schmidt.
Steph is proudly from a small town in central Pennsylvania and currently resides in the Bronx, New York.