Flutist Chenoa Anderson is a settler artist currently living and practicing in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan/Edmonton. She has commissioned and premiered dozens of solo and ensemble pieces, and is an active improviser who has worked with musicians, dancers, and spoken word artists.
She received her early musical training in her home city of Edmonton, later pursuing performance studies at the University of Toronto (Bachelor of Music in Performance) and the University of British Columbia (Master of Music in Performance).
Chenoa has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and Europe. As a freelance musician, she has performed with many of Canada’s finest musicians and ensembles: current collaborations include UltraViolet, a mixed chamber group specializing in new repertoire; Garden – multidisciplinary works set in and inspired by her permaculture garden; Mixtur with composer Ian Crutchley, performing experimental repertoire for flutes, electronics, video and found instruments; and damn magpies, a free improvisation sextet.
Chenoa Anderson’s debut solo recording, Big Flutes: Canadian Music for Alto and Bass Flutes was nominated for a 2006 Western Canadian Music Award. Krishna’s Flute (earsay music, 2013) features music for flute and interactive electronics. Current releases include The Bellow Project, a collaboration between spoken word artist Dwennimmen (Shima Aisha Robinson) and damn magpies (2021, Bandcamp), and field studies – chamber music of Emilie Cecilia LeBel (2023, Redshift Records), featuring UltraViolet. field studies was nominated in 2024 for a Juno award, and two WCMA awards (including Best Classical Artist/Ensemble).
In addition to an active performing and teaching career, Chenoa has been the General Manager for New Music Edmonton since 2012, and in 2014 was nominated for Syncrude Award for Excellence in Arts Management at the Mayor’s Awards for the Arts. She is currently one of the representatives for the Prairies and the Northern Territories on the board of the Canadian New Music Network; and is a Butterflyway Ranger volunteer for the David Suzuki Foundation.
Headshot photo by Levi Manchak
Festival photo by Nicolás Arnáez