First Annual Arkansas Flute Festival

Few flutists in history have made such indelible marks in so many musical circles. From jazz to pop to classical (orchestra, chamber, and solo) to television and film to the concert hall and his teaching studio, Jim Walker has enjoyed tremendous success.

In 1969 he was named associate principal flute in the Pittsburgh Symphony after a stint playing in the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point. In 1977 he won the principal flute position in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. After seven successful seasons of performing, recording, and touring with the Los Angeles Philharmonic — during which time the New York Philharmonic briefly borrowed him as principal flute for its 1982 South American tour — he left the orchestra to focus on jazz, studio recording, and teaching.

In 1980 he organized his jazz quartet Free Flight, playing jazz-classical fusion (including four appearances on The Tonight Show and 16 recordings). In the 1990s he was a first-call studio flutist prized for his bold, expressive playing; he can be heard on hundreds of soundtracks. Along the way he collaborated with everyone from John Williams and Paul McCartney to Leonard Bernstein, James Galway, and the LA Guitar Quartet.

Mr. Walker is the professor of flute, chamber music, and music technology at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, and the retired professor of practice/coordinator of flute studies at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he was awarded the Mellon Mentoring Award.  Mr. Walker is a Burkart Artist.

Cristina Ballatori is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Arkansas where she also serves as flutist with the Lyrique Quintet. She has performed across the United States, Europe, England, and Latin America as a recitalist, soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Recent performance highlights include guest appearances at the Festivales Internacionales de Flautistas in Lima, Peru and World Flutes Festival in Mendoza, Argentina, concerts in venues such as the Atelier Concert Series in Paris, France, and artist residencies in Spain, Costa Rica, and Mexico.  As a chamber musician, Ballatori is a member of the Semplice Duo with pianist Kevin Chance; their debut album, Night Surrendering to Dawn, featuring works by 21st Century composers, will be released on the Centaur label in 2025. Ballatori regularly appears as a guest artist and has been a featured performer, clinician, and adjudicator at many festivals, universities, and conferences including those of the National Flute Association, Music Teachers National Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Mid-South Flute Society, and Texas Flute Festival among others. Ballatori is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including the University of Texas System’s Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. A sought-after and dedicated teacher, Dr. Ballatori previously served as Associate Professor of Flute at both the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her students have been named winners and finalists in local, state, regional, and national competitions, including those sponsored by the National Flute Association and Texas Association of Music Schools, and have been accepted into top summer festivals and graduate programs. Her major teachers include Alexa Still, Peter Lloyd, Katherine Kemler, Judith Lapple, and Diane Smith. Ballatori is a Burkart Artist.  Visit www.cristinaballatori.com and @uarkflutes.

Ronda Mains, retired Professor of Flute at the University of Arkansas, served the Department of Music from 1987-2024 in teaching, service, and leadership roles including associate chair and chair. Dr. Mains is a nationally and internally recognized flutist, having served as a visiting fellow at Cambridge University, and is principal flutist for the North Arkansas Symphony. She is the recipient of the Arkansas Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching, the Fulbright College Master Teacher Award, and was a member of the University Teaching Academy. Dr. Mains has appeared as a soloist with the North Arkansas Symphony, University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony, Oregon Winds, Boise Summer Symphony, the Treasure Valley Wind Ensemble, and the Boise State University Symphony and Wind Ensemble. She has performed solo and chamber music nationally and abroad; in 1998, she performed at the National Flute Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. An advocate of contemporary music, Dr. Mains has been actively involved in commissioning and recording new works with her chamber groups. She can be heard with Novaria on an album featuring new music for flute and guitar and with the Lyrique Quintette on an album entitled Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.

A native of Colombia, Catalina Ortega is a Flute instructor at the University of Arkansas, the Suzuki Music School of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Community Music School. She plays with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Ozark Family Opera Company and Fayetteville Opera. In addition to teaching, Ms. Ortega has performed in some of the major auditoriums in Colombia as a soloist and touring with chamber music ensembles. She has served as Flute/ Piccolo player for the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Flute player of the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia) for several years. She has appeared as a soloist with the University of Arkansas Campus Band. The University of Arkansas Provost’s office and the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards recognized Ms. Ortega during the 2017 Annual State and National Awards as an Outstanding Mentor. She holds a Master Degree in Music Performance and a Certificate in Advanced Instrumental Performance in Flute from the University of Arkansas, as well as, a B.A in Flute Music Performance from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. She is also a member of the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda by the Epsilon Sigma Chapter.