Rhonda Cassano

Rhonda Cassano has been a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra since 1979, is currently the flute instructor at the University of North Florida, and has served as flute instructor at Jacksonville University. She is an active recitalist and chamber musician, founder of Sound Effects: Music at MOCA, Synergy Chamber Ensemble, the St. Johns Chamber Players, and the St. Mark’s Bach Ensemble. She has appeared as a soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony on numerous occasions. She holds a Master of Music degree from Florida State University where she studied with Charlie DeLaney. In subsequent years she studied with Geoffrey Gilbert, former principal flutist with the Royal Philharmonic under Sir Thomas Beecham, and in master classes with the acclaimed British flutist and former solo flutist with St. Martin in the Fields, William Bennett. In 1987 and 2000, she was a winner of the National Flute Association’s newly published music performer’s competition, and has appeared several times as soloist at the NFA conventions. She was awarded an artist-fellow to the 1989 Bach Aria Festival and has participated in the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and the Colorado Music Festival.

She is a Licensed Body Mapping Educator and teacher of Body Mapping, a system developed to help musicians perform with efficient, graceful, coordinated and effective movement.