10 best flute players you need to know

No instrument’s heritage stretches back further than that of the flute. If the age of a Neanderthal bone flute found in a Slovenian cave is anything to go by, then it’s at least 60,000 years old. That’s about 59,500 years older than the violin.    

Countless flautists have contributed to such a long and international history, so reaching the top is no small accomplishment. It’s a far more versatile, virtuosic and vital instrument than many give it credit for, and arguably none of those numerous fine players prove that point better than the ten individuals listed below. 

From the royal courts of 18th-century Europe to the concert venues of the present day, this list offers a broad snapshot of the pinnacle of flute-playing. These are players who composed masterpieces, conquered the repertoire, expanded possibilities, reinvented techniques and imparted passion for and knowledge of this very special instrument.
 

The ten best flautists of all time 
 

1. Johann Joachim Quantz
2. Bobbi Humphrey
3. James Galway
4. Ian Anderson
5. Marcel Moyse
6. Matt Molloy
7. Jeanne Baxtresser
8. Herbie Mann
9. Jasmine Choi
10. Robert Dick

1. Johann Joachim Quantz
 

There are plenty of composer-pianists out there, and a fair few composer-violinists, but composer-flautists are a rarer breed. And that’s precisely why Johann Joachim Quantz really stands out in music history. 

A key figure in the Baroque period, Quantz did more than anyone to put the flute on the map of classical music. And not just as an ensemble instrument, but also as a powerful, virtuosic solo voice. Few composers have contributed so notably to the flute repertoire - he wrote hundreds of concertos and sonatas, as well as a performance treatise.

Alongside composition - as well as manufacturing - Quantz was a highly skilful player. For many years, he plied his trade in the court of the renowned Prussian king Frederick the Great, who first met Quantz while the flautist was on a grand tour of Europe. His music was greatly admired by persons no less heavyweight than Bach and Mozart.

2. Bobbi Humphrey
 

Between 1971 and ’75, the iconic jazz recording label Blue Note released a series of explosive studio albums that transformed the concept of the jazz flute. The artist behind them was Bobbi Humphrey, the first female instrumentalist signed by Blue Note Records, and one of the greatest players the genre has ever seen.

Humphrey was discovered by the pioneering Bebop trumpeter, Dizzy Gillespie, who was wowed by the young flautist at a talent competition in Dallas, Texas. He encouraged her to pursue a career in New York, the world’s jazz capital, and in a matter of weeks after she arrived there in 1971, she’d been signed. Her performing debut wasn’t long after.

Despite being grounded in traditional jazz, Humphrey went toe-to-toe with many of the greatest innovators of the era by experimenting with various genre fusions. On her later albums with Blue Note, her combination of jazz with funk and soul intensified, bringing about some of the most radical flute music you’re likely to hear.

3. James Galway
 

‘The Man with the Golden Flute’, Sir James Galway grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a community populated by flute ensembles. His life in performance began when he joined the local fife and drum corps, and it showed serious promise when he won three contests at the Belfast Flute Championships - in one day.

After studying flute in England at the Royal College of Music, Galway made his name as a member of top European ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony. He pursued a solo career in the mid-70s, and subsequently became renowned for his showmanship, crispness of tone, and interpretations of new music. 

He’s considered by many to be the supreme classical flautist. But Galway’s musicianship encompasses a range of styles, not least folk, and his list of recordings makes for a highly diverse read. Lifting the status and standards of the flute through his remarkable output, he is, for many, the benchmark by which contemporary players are judged.

4. Ian Anderson
 

There’s little doubt that Ian Anderson is one of the most distinctive players of all time. He earned this reputation as the lead performer and writer of the rock band Jethro Tull, with whom he’s been playing flute - as well as guitar - for the better part of half a century.  

Tull emerged on the scene in the late 1960s, playing rock music grounded in the blues with a strong flavour of jazz. Incorporating folk and classical music into their sound, the band soon developed a characteristic sound that established them as one of the most popular acts of the progressive-rock movement. 

At the heart of that sound and those changes has always been Anderson’s flute, guiding the group on their unique journey through weird and wonderful musical landscapes. The weirdness largely stems from the onstage vagabond-minstrel persona that Anderson cultivated, to which the shape and sound of the flute itself became totally essential. 

5. Marcel Moyse
 

Born in a rural French town, Marcel Moyse made his way to Paris in the very early 20th century. There his education in music and life was steered by his uncle, who swiftly bought a flute for young Marcel. Showing real aptitude for the instrument, the boy practised hard, attended concerts, and fought his way to the Paris Conservatoire.

The shape of Moyse’s career shadows that of Galway’s a couple of generations after him. Beyond the conservatoire, Moyse started out as an orchestral player, before embarking on a glittering solo career. Typical of the French school of flute-playing, Moyse’s style was characterised by a powerful tone, fast vibrato and a dynamic flexibility. 

Again like Galway, Moyse moved into education, contributing massively to flute history by teaching many players that came after him - including Galway himself. Working where he had studied years before, Moyse did his bit to make the conservatoire a bastion of flute education. You can find some of his influential pedagogical works on nkoda.

6. Matt Molloy
 

The flute’s affinity with folk has been hinted at, but by turning to Matt Molloy and his mastery of the folk music of Ireland, we see this relationship blossom. Few argue with the claim that he’s the finest Irish-folk flautist going. In fact, he’s probably one of the great ambassadors of traditional Irish music in general.

Molloy’s played the flute since he was eight - specifically the traverso flute, the predecessor of the modern keyed Boehm flute, and especially common among Irish players. Ten years later, he won the All-Ireland Flute Championship, and went on to play as part of some of the great folk groups - the Bothy Band, Planxty and the Chieftains. 

Hailing from Roscommon, a region known for its flute-playing, Molloy was steeped in the heritage he’s spent his life enriching. As a player he’s known for adapting traditional piping techniques to the flute, innovating technique and broadening its vocabulary. Hearing him work through rapid, complex lines with dexterity and precision is an unreal experience.

7. Jeanne Baxtresser
 

Not for the first time, we encounter a player who combined a performing career of the highest order with decades of experience educating the world’s finest young flautists. Jeanne Baxtresser embodies, perhaps better than anyone, that cyclical process of acquiring and giving - the passing of the torch.

These twin aspects have been ever-present. After leaving New York’s Juilliard School, she was both principal flautist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and professor of flute at the city’s McGill University through the 1970s. This double-life echoed in the 1980s, when she played for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra while teaching at her alma mater.

All that said, her playing achievements shouldn’t be overlooked. As the first woman principal flautist of the New York Phil, she was at the helm of one of the great orchestras of the world, working with legends like Leonard Bernstein. She performed as a soloist over 50 times, and earned a reputation as one of the finest flautists of her generation.

8. Herbie Mann
 

Stepping very firmly outside the classical tradition once more, we find another one of the greats in the shape of the versatile Herbie Mann. He occupies a unique place in the story of flute music, positioned at the crossroads between pop, jazz, and the widest range of non-Western musical styles imaginable.

From gagaku to reggae, he’s turned his hand - and his flute - to it all. The Brooklyn-born Mann gigged primarily as a jazz flautist in the 1950s, before branching out at the turn of the ’60s, beginning to experiment with Afro-Cuban textures and bossa nova grooves. He hit the big time a decade later with the release Memphis Underground (1969). 

After his breakthrough, he collaborated with a series of renowned and diverse figures in popular music, who served to expand his palette further. Few musicians have taken the flute on such a journey, or spotlighted it in such a range of settings. He was an original artist too, exploring jazz fusions and so-called ‘world music’ before either was cool.

9. Jasmine Choi
 

We’ve looked at a range of players who were once at the vanguard of flute-playing, but where’s that frontline now? There’s a case to be made that Jasmine Choi is the brightest shining light in the world of flute music today. She’s on the cutting edge, interpreting and reinterpreting the great flute music out there, pushing standards ever higher.

Choi first picked up the flute aged nine. Aged ten, she was performing Haydn’s Flute Concerto in D major with a local orchestra in her native Korea. Years later, she landed principal flute with the Vienna Philharmonic. Now, she’s a concert soloist who teaches in between tours - see the educational YouTube videos she released during the pandemic.

Celebrated for her meticulously refined technique, Choi has flawlessly worked her way through the bulk of the classical repertoire, while dipping into jazz, pop and experimental music along the way. It’s difficult to articulate this better than Japan's Nikkei Daily Newspaper: listen to Jasmine Choi and you’ll ‘encounter a totally new level of flute-playing’.

10. Robert Dick
 

It’s really hard to put Robert Dick in a box and say ‘this is the kind of player he is’. His musicality is colourful, complex and completely unique. He is a composer, performer, genre-crosser, inventor and teacher. First and foremost, Dick is a musician, and his flute is the primary tool of his artistry. 

At times he interprets core repertoire as a traditional player; at others he breathes life into the most transcendent avant-garde performances. He composes and improvises as an individual and as part of collectives. He collaborates endlessly with other players and ensembles, and is comfortable with jazz, electronica, global folk, and music that can’t be so easily labelled.

All this is evidenced most by his infinite and unbelievably diverse recordings. Alongside all this music-making - and the time he somehow finds to put into teaching - Dick also developed a bespoke flute modification known as the ‘glissando headjoint’, allowing him to produce sounds that no other player can. In short, he’s an incredible guy.

Your next steps for flute music
 

Honourable mentions go to Emmanuel Pahud, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Katherine Bryan, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ray Thomas, George Barrère, and others too numerous to name. There are so many great players out there, and they’re all worthy of your admiration. Spend some time with each of them, and see whose style resonates with you the most.

What a journey, though. If you feel like continuing, then you might want to turn to some of the works that made many of these players the legends they are: try out the essential flute, flute highlights, and advanced flute music playlists - all curated by nkoda. 

Or, if you want to blow the scope wide open, just take a look at all the flute sheet music in the app’s library. If you’re a flautist, find a corner of this vast world where you feel at home, and start writing your unique entry in the story of the flute. A new age is here, and it’s your turn to shine. 

Keen for similar content to this? There are plenty more flute articles to leaf through. Try out easy flute songs, hard flute songs and best flute songs, and read about some of the standout pieces in the repertoire. Go where your passion leads you, and keep the fire burning.