Vanessa Lopez is a Latinx flutist with a strong passion for performing and music education equity, based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Vanessa is also a founding member of Zephyrus Trio, which focuses on commissioning and arranging works for their unique instrumentation of flute, oboe, and clarinet.
Dedicated teacher
Vanessa has a wide range of experience with teaching to fit students' needs. She spent her COVID isolation year as a Teaching Artist with Harmony Project, and she twice received the Music Partnership Program Fellowship at UCLA to teach young flutists from underserved communities. She was also the Education Program Coordinator at Cayton Children's Museum in Santa Monica, CA, where she organized and assisted with arts, theater, and music classes.
Chamber Musician and soloist
Vanessa most recently won the 2020 Beverly Hills National Auditions with her ensemble, Zephyrus Trio, and will be performing for various chamber music series throughout Los Angeles in Fall 2022. They have also been a Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition semi-finalist. Vanessa twice received the UCLA Gluck Woodwind Quintet Fellowship, where she performed classical, contemporary, and pop chamber music for underserved schools, after-school programs, retirement homes, and public libraries in the greater Los Angeles area.
Vanessa won the UCLA All-Star Concerto Competition in 2018 and performed the Ibert Flute Concerto, 3rd movement. While living in Los Angeles, Vanessa performed multiple times on both flute and piccolo with American Youth Symphony and appeared as a guest panelist for Jim Walker’s Beyond the Masterclass summer program.
Education
As a first-generation college graduate from California’s central valley, Vanessa understands the importance of providing access to musical education for all. She is a firm believer that her own education and success is a result of the organizations and individuals who made music available to her, and she feels the imperative to provide that same opportunity to others. She is currently pursuing her M.M. in Flute Performance at Carnegie Mellon University, where she specializes in orchestral, chamber, and solo music. Vanessa graduated cum laude from UCLA with her B.A. in Music Performance and Mathematics. Her primary teachers include Alberto Almarza, Denis and Erin Bouriakov, Diana Morgan, Jake Fridkis, Sheridon Stokes, and Dr. Jeannine Dennis.