Thomas Daniel Nyfenger (October 6, 1936 – June 12, 1990) was an American flutist and teacher known for his "intense and caring emotion for the flute" and described as “a thorough professional who programs interesting music and is not above having a good time while playing it.” He taught at the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a joi ...

, played piccolo for the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

, and held many part-time playing and teaching positions throughout his career.

Life and career

Thomas Nyfenger was born in 1936 in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He began his flute studies during his senior year of high school under the instruction of Maurice Sharp, and went on to earn his bachelor's degree, Master's degree, and Artist Diploma from the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first dire ...

. For two years, between 1961 and 1963, Thomas Nyfenger performed as solo piccoloist with the

Indianapolis Symphony The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtow ...

. He then moved to New York City and maintained a steady career as a freelance musician for four years until 1967. Among these engagements were performances with the

Aeolian Chamber Players The Aeolian Chamber Players is an American musical ensemble that is dedicated to the performance of chamber music. Founded in 1961 by violinist Lewis Kaplan, the group has been the resident ensemble at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine since 196 ...

, the New York Chamber Symphony of the 92nd Street Y, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the New York Wind Quintet, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the

Mostly Mozart The Mostly Mozart Festival was an American classical music festival based in New York City. Venues The festival presented concerts with its resident ensemble, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, principally at David Geffen Hall of the Lincoln ...

and Casals Festival Orchestras. In 1967, Nyfenger joined the flute faculty of the

and also served as the chairman of the wind department. He held part-time teaching positions at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

Mannes College The Mannes School of Music (), originally called the David Mannes Music School and later the Mannes Music School, Mannes College of Music, the Chatham Square Music School, and Mannes College: The New School for Music, is a music conservatory in T ...

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by G ...

, and

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

. Nyfenger presented master classes and guest recitals at several locations across the United States, including those in Boston, Massachusetts, Kansas City, Kansas, Mill Valley, California, New Haven, Connecticut, and many more. Thomas Nyfenger died at the age of 53 on June 12, 1990. He committed suicide in his Guilford, Connecticut home after a long battle with chronic depression. The Thomas Daniel Nyfenger Prize is awarded annually by the Yale School of Music "to a student who has demonstrated the highest standard of excellence in woodwind playing".

Pupils

Among his pupils are: Jonathan Baumgarten, former principal of the Mexico City Philharmonic; nationally acclaimed flutist and teacher Tadeu Coelho; Robert Dick, virtuoso improvisor, composer, teacher and performer; Aralee Dorough, principal flutist of the Houston Symphony Orchestra; Adrianne Greenbaum, nationally acclaimed klezmer flutist; Anne Janson, second flutist of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra; Karen Jones, principal flutist of the London Sinfonia and London Chamber Orchestra; Trudy Kane, former principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera, Associate Professor of flute at the University of Miami Frost School of Music; Ontario Philharmonic flutist Leslie Newman; San Francisco Symphony flutist Catherine Payne; Robin Peller, flutist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; Karen Vaughn Smith, principal piccoloist of the Gainesville Symphony; Kathie Stewart, founding member and principal flutist for the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra;

Alexa Still Alexa Still (born 1962) is a New Zealand-born flutist based in Oberlin, Ohio, where she is Professor of Flute at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Still studied in the US with Samuel Baron at SUNY Stony Brook (MM, DMA) and with Thomas Nyfenger ...

, former principal flutist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra; Linda Toote, principal flutist of the Boston Lyric Opera and faculty at the Boston Conservatory of Music; Richard Volet, principal flutist of the Victoria Symphony (Canada); Anne Lindblom Harrow, professor of piccolo and chamber music at the Eastman School of Music: Mary Posses, Associate Professor of music, University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance; Claudia Anderson, lecturer of flute, Grinnell College, and performer with Zawa!; the late Philip Dikeman, former assistant principal flutist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and former Associate Professor of Flute at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University; Terri Sundberg, Professor of Flute at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, TX.

Publications

In 1986, Thomas Nyfenger completed and self-published his book ''Music and the Flute''. In 2009, ''Beyond the Notes: Musical Thoughts and Analyses'', was posthumously published through Nyfenger Holdings. It is a collection of Nyfenger's written thoughts which were found, compiled, and edited by Edward Joffe.*Edward Joffe. "Foreword." Foreword. Beyond the Notes: Musical Thoughts and Analyses. By Thomas Nyfenger. Closter, NJ: Nyfenger Holdings, 2009. Print.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyfenger, Thomas 1936 births 1990 suicides 1990 deaths American flautists 20th-century American musicians Musicians from Cleveland Cleveland Institute of Music alumni Yale School of Music faculty Suicides in Connecticut 20th-century American flautists