The Oregon Arts Commission has announced its 2019 Individual Artist Fellowships, and Abigail Sperling, instructor of flute at Linfield College, has been named as a Fellow.
Sperling will use the $3,000 award to commission a new piece for flute and piano from composer Andrea Reinkemeyer, assistant professor of music composition and theory at Linfield.
The Arts Commission’s Fellowship program is available to more than 20,000 artists who call Oregon home. Fellows are recommended by a panel of Oregon arts professionals who consider artists of outstanding talent, demonstrated ability and commitment to the creation of new work(s). The Arts Commission reviews and acts on the panel’s recommendations.
Sperling teaches flute at both Linfield and Chemeketa Community College and is currently the guest lecturer in flute at Oregon State University. She received her doctorate from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and is well known as a performer of contemporary music – particularly that by New Zealand composers – in addition to the classical repertoire canon. Sperling was a featured presenter at the 2018 National Flute Association Convention and the Greater Portland Flute Society Flute Fair. She is secretary of the Greater Portland Flute Society and a reviewer for the National Flute Association journal, “The Flutist Quarterly.”
The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
