Sonora Slocum was appointed principal flute of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2012 at the age of 22. A regular soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony, Slocum is recognized for her “pure, sparkling sound” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). She has performed with orchestras around the country including guest principal flute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra on flute and piccolo. Her collaborations as guest principal include touring and audio recordings with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as well as visual recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York at Lincoln Center. Slocum has worked under such renowned conductors as Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Sir Simon Rattle, Edo de Waart, Otto-Werner Mueller, John Williams and David Zinman, among many others.
Sonora spends her summers performing at a variety of prestigious music festivals, which have included the Lincoln Center Festival, Strings Music Festival, Twickenham Fest, and the Lakes Area Music Festival. She performs regularly with the chamber music series It’s Frankly Music, led by MSO Concertmaster Frank Almond and has collaborated with the contemporary group Eighth Blackbird. In 2019, Sonora will be a featured performer at the National Flute Association Gala in Salt Lake City, UT.
An avid teacher, Slocum has conducted master classes at the Curtis Institute of Music, NYO2 Carnegie Hall Youth Orchestra, DePaul University, New Jersey City University, East Tennessee State University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Slocum is on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Summer Program.
A fourth generation musician, Slocum grew up in New York City where she attended The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Divisions. Slocum holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and Master’s Degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She attended the Music Academy of the West, as well as the Aspen and Pacific Music Festivals. Slocum studied with principal flutists Jeffrey Khaner, Robert Langevin, and Bart Feller, among others.