About

Flutist Alisa Smith is a dynamic performer and dedicated educator based in New England. A prize-winning musician, she was awarded First Prize in the 43rd annual James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, as well as the Fenwick Smith Memorial Prize for Best Performance of the Contemporary Work. In 2023, she performed a solo recital at Jordan Hall as part of the Fenwick Smith Tribute Concert. Alisa is honored to represent Wm. S. Haynes Co. as a Haynes Young Artist, performing on a Haynes Custom 5% Gold flute. 

An active orchestral musician, Alisa has performed principal roles with several ensembles, including the New York International Symphony Orchestra, Apollo Ensemble of Boston, and Emmanuel Music. She has held principal roles under the batons of esteemed conductors including JoAnn Falletta, Carlos Kalmar, Cristian Măcelaru, Larry Rachleff, Carlos Izcaray, Jung-Ho Pak, and Andrés Cárdenes. Alisa spent her off-seasons as a flute fellow with Atlantic Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and Interlochen Arts Camp, where she received the Interlochen Fine Arts Award. 

She recently earned her Master of Music degree from Boston University, studying with Elizabeth Klein of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She previously completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University under the guidance of Alberto Almarza. Alisa is deeply grateful to her early mentors in Rhode Island, Susan Thomas and Deborah James, for their foundational influence on her musical journey.

Beyond performance, Alisa is passionate about music education. She maintains a private flute studio in Rhode Island and serves on the flute faculty at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. She is also an active chamber musician with Aurora Collaborative, bringing engaging performances to local communities.