Taylor Irelan is proving to be an exciting emerging artist, regarded as "the whole package" (Helen Spielman) with a "clear sparkling sound [and] a vibrancy in all registers" (Philippa Davies), and a sound that is "clear, solid, and bright. . . much in the style of James Galway" (Sarasota Observer). Taylor has collaborated with award winning composers to commission, premiere, and record new works for the flute, as well as write his own works and transcriptions for flute and various ensembles. He has been coached by living composers on their music, such as his performance of Thea Musgrave’s Chamber Concerto No. 2 in the Barbican Centre as part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Total Immersion Project, which was recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 in London.
Taylor serves as piccolo/3rd flute with The Venice Symphony, and as a substitute flutist with several professional orchestras around the US. Previously serving as the principal piccolo for the London Graduate Orchestra, he has performed with the Jacksonville, Tulsa, Pueblo, and London Gay Symphony Orchestras, and both the Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra as part of their prestigious orchestral training programs.
As a soloist, Taylor has performed concerti with ensembles across the USA and internationally. Taylor has been a featured solo artist at music series and colleges internationally, and frequently performs in duo with Croatian pianist, Andrea Feitl. He has presented masterclasses at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, University of South Florida, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and Rollins College among others. He has performed at the National Flute Association Convention, Florida Flute Association Convention, and Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention.
Among his many accolades, Taylor has won the top prizes in the National Flute Association Professional Flute Choir Competition, Florida Flute Association Advanced Masterclass Competition, University of North Florida Concerto Competition, Florida Community College Activities Association's Student Artist Competition, and the Flute Fusion Young Artist Competition. He was selected as a finalist in both the Ars Flores Young Artists Concerto Competition and the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition.
Taylor received a Master of Music in Performance with Merit from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as part of the Guildhall Artist Masters in Orchestral Artistry program in association with the London Symphony Orchestra, supported by The Guildhall School Trust. He received a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of North Florida where he graduated summa cum laude. His primary flute teachers were Ian Clarke, Philippa Davies, Sarah Newbold, Les Roettges, Rhonda Cassano, and Katie Tomicek.
Taylor is a LefreQue Artist, and performs on Muramatsu flutes.
