Rie Schmidt is a graduate of SUNY Purchase. In 1983, she gave her Carnegie Recital Hall debut as a winner of the Artists International Competition. Ms. Schmidt is a member of the Westchester Philharmonic and the American Symphony and has performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra and many Broadway shows. She was featured flutist and dancer in Leonard Bernstein's Mass that was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She and her husband, guitarist Benjamin Verdery, concertize as a duo throughout the US and Europe, and have recorded two CDs of music for flute and guitar Reverie (Sony) and Enchanted Dawn (GRI). She is a founding member of Flute Force, a flute quartet, which has four CDs Flute Force (CRI), Pastorale (VAI), Eyewitness (innova) and Silver Halo. She teaches at The Bloomingdale School of Music, The Allen-Stevenson School and The 92nd Street Y in New York City. Her publications include Ravel's Daphnis and Chloé (McGinnis and Marx) arranged for flute quintet, and Barber's Adagio (Schirmer Music). Ms. Schmidt was the president of the New York Flute Club from 1995-98.