Amal Gochenour was appointed Piccoloist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2018, under the direction of Marin Alsop. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, National Symphony and Washington National Opera orchestras, as well as served as guest Principal Flute with the Korean Broadcast Symphony. Ms. Gochenour has played under the batons of such esteemed conductors as Lorin Maazel, Stéphane Denève, John Williams, Leonard Slatkin, Yoel Levi, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko, John Adams, JoAnne Falletta and Juanjo Mena. She was previously a member of the Richmond Symphony and Sarasota Opera.
In addition to performing, Ms. Gochenour is an sought after teacher and frequently leads masterclasses and lectures at Peabody Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Maryland, among others. She has been on faculty at The Consummate Flutist, Oaxaca International Flute Festival, Flute Forum and Judith Lapple Summer Woodwind Camp masterclasses and has presented at the National Flute Association and Mid-Atlantic Flute conventions.
She collaborated as a research associate with Jeanne Baxtresser, former Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic, on the best-selling "Orchestral Excerpts for Flute, Volume II".
Born in Kuwait and raised outside of Washington D.C., Ms. Gochenour began early musical studies on piano before switching to flute at the age of 10. She earned her undergraduate degree at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music at Carnegie Mellon University. Her prominent teachers include Alberto Almarza, Jeanne Baxtresser, Alice Weinreb, Bradley Garner and Judith Lapple.
When not performing, she enjoys an active lifestyle that includes tennis, scuba diving and flying trapeze. Ms. Gochenour is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
