Marsha Wilcox Photography
2024 Summer Metropolitan Flute Festival Orchestra
20th Anniversary of the Metropolitan Flutes Festival!
July 11-14, 2024
Groton Hill Music Center; 122 Old Ayer Rd; Groton, MA
Facility – Groton Hill Music Center
For more festival details, please use the contact prompt at the top of this page. Festival will be held in the beautiful 1,000 seat Concert Hall.
Paige Dashner Long
Flutist, Flute Orchestra Director, Flute Clinician, Flute Adjudicator
Paige Dashner Long is an internationally recognized flute choir director, contrabass flutist and award winning composer. Currently Ms Long, an Altus Performing Artist, directs the Metropolitan Flute Orchestra in summer residence at New England Conservatory, the Daytona State College Flute Choir and the Florida Flute Orchestra. As an active guest flute clinician and ensemble director, she has led workshops and directed flute ensembles for music schools in France, Germany and Mexico, as well as for universities and flute associations throughout America. She performs with the International Flute Orchestra, is the vice president of the International Low Flutes Society and is a recent chairperson of the Low Flutes Committee of the National Flute Association (NFA), a recent coordinator for the NFA’s Flute Choir Composition Competition, served on the executive board of the Florida Flute Association and is past president of the Greater Boston Flute Association. Her original composition for flute orchestra, Eventide Soliloquy, was a winner of the 2012 NFA Newly Published Music Competition.
As an active performer, Paige currently plays flute and harpsichord with the Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra and is the director of the Chamber Players of Palm Coast. As an active teacher, she is part of the music faculty at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, FL and maintains a private flute studio. As an international ensemble performer, Paige has presented concerts in Japan, Iceland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Portugal, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Malta, Chile and Mexico.
As an accomplished composer, she is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and her compositions and arrangements can be found at Falls House Press, a subsidiary of Theodore Presser Company and ALRY Publications.
As a low flute specialist, she has been featured on CNN’s Great Big Story, FOX News Orlando and has written several articles for Flute Talk Magazine as well as for flute association newsletters throughout the country. In addition to her flute activities, she is the director of music at Palm Coast United Methodist Church in Palm Coast, FL.
Paige’s flute ensembles utilize her extensive flute collection including piccolo, Eb soprano flute, concert flute, Bb flute d’amour, alto flute in G, bass flute, contrabass flute, the Kingma sub contrabass flute in G—one of three in the world, and the Kotato double contrabass flute—one of four in the world. This unique and exceptional instrumentation enables all of Paige’s ensembles to be beautifully balanced, as well as provides unlimited repertoire possibilities. To achieve this wonderful, lyrical, balanced sound, 50% of each ensemble is comprised of lower flutes (alto, bass, contrabass, sub contrabass and double contrabass).
Paige and her contraflutes were featured on CNN's The Great Big Story
Paige Long is a world-renowned flutist. She's also one of a small number of people who can play the three largest flutes in the flute family: the double subcontrabass, the subcontrabass and the contrabass. With tubing that stretches up to 22 feet in length, these instruments require a strong set of lungs to be able to carry a tune.
The 2nd International Low Flutes Festival 2020 in Urayasu, Japan, held Fri. March 20- Sun. March 22, 2020 at Urayasu Concert Hall.
Paige’s NFA 2023 Convention Escapades
The National Flute Association selected Paige to conduct the Beyond Borders Opening Flute Orchestra for the 2023 convention in Phoenix, AZ. With over 200 flutists, including 11 contra flutes, the Beyond Borders Flute Orchestra had just 4 hours of rehearsal time to present the opening 30 minute concert. Everyone brought their “A” game and the ensemble performed with musical excellence! What a thrill!
Paige conducting the Beyond Borders Flute Orchestra for 2023 National Flute Association Convention in Phoenix. 200 flutists, including 11 contraflutes.
Paige leading low flutes to a performance with the Youth Flute Day Ensemble during the 2023 NFA Convention in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Tim Trumble.
Beyond Borders Flute Orchestra rehearsal, Paige Dashner Long director
Beyond Borders Flute Orchestra rehearsal, Paige Dashner Long director, at the 2023 NFA Convention in Phoenix. Photo credit National Flute Association.
Enjoy listening to the audio of this concert’s closing piece, Paige’s original composition Dancing Dessert Suite in three delicious movements – Chocolate Truffle Tango – Sacher Torte Waltz – Lemon Merengue Pie.
In addition to leading an intonation workshop and several chamber performances, Paige also conducted the PRO LOW Flute Orchestra, comprised of professional flutists who specialize in low flutes. The final piece for this concert was the premiere of Paige’s newest composition, Below and Beyond! for low flutes ensemble. (Below and Beyond! also is scored for traditional flute choir instrumentation, with both the low flutes and traditional flute choir music included in the printed music by ALRY Publications.) Many of Paige’s original compositions and arrangements were performed during the convention.
One of the best things about the Phoenix convention was being able to see dear flute friends, as well as to meet new flute friends. Big thanks to Ali Ryerson, program chair, and Debbie MacMurray, assistant program chair, for their hard work and dedication to this convention!