Cynthia Folio (b. 1968)

Cynthia Folio is a composer, music theorist, and flutist. As a young flute player and army brat, her main inspiration came from her studies at the Panama Conservatory in the 1960’s; there she studied with Eduardo Charpentier (first flutist in the Panama Symphony) and had rigorous studies in solfege. She received her Ph.D. in music theory and Performers Certificate in flute from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied composition with Joseph Schwantner and flute with Bonita Boyd; Robert D. Morris advised her dissertation on the music of Schwantner. From 1980 to 1990, she taught music theory and flute at Texas Christian University and played in the Fort Worth Symphony. She recently served as Professor and Chair of Music Studies in the Boyer College at Temple University, where she was honored with the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1994, the Creative Achievement Award in 2012, and the Faculty Senate Outstanding Service Award in 2021. With her recent retirement, she is now Emeritus Professor at Temple.