Sherry Finzer

Sherry Finzer is an American flutist and composer. She is a national award-winning musician, and for her contributions to the genre of flute music, she was a semi-finalist for a Grammy award nomination in 2010, 2012 and 2013.^[1] Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Sherry performs as a soloist, with her guitarist Darin Mahoney,^[2] and other local, national and international musicians. She is known for her variety of musical styles, including New Age, Latin, flamenco, classical, pop and jazz, and she travels nationally and internationally to perform as a Pearl Flute Performing Artist and Recording Artist for Heart Dance Records.^[3]

Life

Sherry was born in Syracuse, New York, on Aug 23, 1963 to Robert and Penny Powers. She moved to Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester, New York in July 1976. Sherry attended Charles H. Roth High School and majored in music. She won many awards while at Roth, and participated in numerous All-County and Area All-State Festivals. After marrying Charles J. Finzer, Sherry resided in the Greece area of Rochester. They have two children, Nick and Tyler. Sherry and her family moved to the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix in July, 2005.^[4]

Teaching

In addition to performing, Sherry also teaches privately at her studio, located in Phoenix, AZ.

Music career

Classically, Sherry performed with the Brockport Symphony Orchestra^[5] from 1986-1988, and with the Greece Symphony Orchestra^[6] from 2003-2004. From 2000-2005, she performed with the Silver Tones Flute Choir, NRG! Flute Duo, Caprice Flute Trio, Trillium Flute Trio, Canatabile Flute Quartet, Central AZ Flute Ensemble, AZ Flute Society Alle Breve Flute Choir, and the National Flute Society Professional Flute Choir. In other genres of music, she has performed with harpist VeeRonna Ragone, guitarists - Ric Flauding,^[7] John Calvert,^[8] Pete Gitlin,^[9] Pedro Perez, and Drew Diego Bennett. In 2014 Sherry became a member of Fiona Joy's Blue Dream Ensemble^[10] which tours internationally.

Sherry has studied with long-time teacher and mentor Glennda-Dove Pellito^[11] in Rochester and has also taken lessons and masterclasses with Goran Marcusson,^[12] Dr. Bradley Garner,^[13] Nestor Torres,^[14] Michel DeBost,^[15] Mimi Stillman,^[16] Brian Luce, Jill Felber,^[17] Claudia Anderson^[18] and Leone Buyse.^[19]

Sound

Sherry’s sound is influenced by the types of music she plays, by the artists she collaborates with, and by the instrument she uses. She uses various types of flutes to create her pieces, where the sounds of wind instruments are mixed with Gregorian chants, ethereal sounds, natural and other ethnic instruments to create a relaxing sound. In other performances, she mixes electronic sounds with ethnic sounds without breaking the peace and calm that characterize its parts. She has also used Eastern scales and melodies to evoke an air of mystery and intrigue. Reviewers have described her playing as “deeply haunting…calms and yet piques the senses,” and have compared her sound to “the rush of water in a desert gorge.” At other times, her playing evokes celestial images of "comets and asteroids zooming through space...with the music becoming a springboard for...playful fantasies.”

Discography

2005 – Masquerade
2006 – Desert Journey
2007 – Radiant Sky
2009 – Sanctuary
2009 – Pasion Y Rosas with Diego Andres
2009 – Guitarra del Sol with Diego Andres
2009 – Christmas Picante – dulce VAS
2010 — Unexpected—dulce VAS FX
2011 - Sanctuary II: Earth
2012 - Someone Like Me
2013 - Transformation - Sherry Finzer & Darin Mahoney^[20] Winner of Best Album 2013 One World Music^[21]

Performances/Appearances

Solo

Old Town Center of the Arts-Cottonwood,AZ
King of Glory Church-Tempe, AZ,
Scottsdale Artwalk-Scottsdale, AZ
Esperanza Lutheran Church - Phoenix, AZ,
Tempe Marketplace-Tempe,AZ
National Flute Association Conventions in Albuquerque, NM, Pittsburgh, PA, San Diego, CA, Anaheim, CA