Vanessa Lopez is a Mexican-American flutist and piccoloist with a strong passion for music education equity. In 2024, she was appointed as the Flute Fellow for Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and she has recently performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Vanessa’s accomplishments include winning the Beverly Hills National Auditions, and being a Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition semi-finalist.
Vanessa currently teaches with Ravinia’s “Sistema” orchestral program and maintains a private studio in Chicago. 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 also loves to perform and interact with diverse audiences in spaces such as public libraries, schools, and retirement communities, which she previously did with UCLA’s Gluck Woodwind Quintet and Pittsburgh’s Musicians With a Mission.
As a first-generation college graduate from California’s central valley, Vanessa understands the importance of providing access to music 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 received her MM in Flute Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, and her BA in Music Performance and minor in Mathematics from UCLA. Her primary teachers include Alberto Almarza, Diana Morgan, Denis and Erin Bouriakov, Sheridon Stokes, and Dr. Jeannine Dennis.
