Rita B.

Rita has been an instrumentalist and vocalist for the majority of her life. She started performing with chorus, symphony orchestra, concert band, and chamber ensembles at the age of 12. After childhood, she furthered her music education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute performance.

After completing her degree, Rita managed the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (AYPO) in northern Virginia. While residing in West Virginia, she raised two musical daughters, provided private music lessons, and developed and led a pastoral music program for children. She was also the principal flutist with West Virginia Public Theater there for ten years, and she performed in musical theater productions, including Beauty and the Beast, during that time. Since moving to Denver, Rita has continued teaching private lessons and has also maintained her career as a performer. She has performed with the Denver Recorder Society, the Rocky Mountain Flute Choir, the Castle Rock Orchestra, and she has also participated in local Jazz Jams.

At this point, Rita has been teaching music for over 30 years. She meets students where they are and individualizes instruction to facilitate an enjoyable, supportive, challenging and lasting musical learning adventure. Her students have earned placement in All State and county ensembles as well as the Governor's School for the Arts. Rita believes that performance is a critical step in the creative process, and as a distinguished peformer herself, she has found that her experiences on prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center, were significant in her growth and development as a musician and performer. Thus “Miss Rita” provides at least two recital opportunities per year for her students.