Bolivian American flutist Cristian Dohler Rodas has been described as an exciting, polished performer with a clean, even technique and "such a delightfully rich sound!"-Valerie Coleman. After teaching themselves to play the flute when they were 15 years old, they studied flute performance at Frostburg State University with Keith Hanlon from 2014-16. While at FSU, Cristian formed the Augmented Second duo with Susan Zoller. The duo gave their debut joint recital as sophomores in March of 2016, and presented a recital of flute duets and quartets in collaboration with the io Ensemble (Keith Hanlon and Amara Guitry) at the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention in Reston, Virginia.
During the 2016-17 school year, Cristian studied with Dr. Carolyn Oh of Montgomery College where they also performed with the MC Orchestra as principal flutist and soloist. Outside of school, they are an active freelancer and have performed in venues such as the Music Center at Strathmore and DuPont Underground. As an orchestral player, Cristian has played regularly with the Prince George's Philharmonic and other community orchestras in the D.C. area as a substitute and guest principal. They are currently on sub lists for and play regularly with the Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Saginaw Bay symphonies in Michigan. Cristian has performed in master classes for Nikolai Popov, Chris Norman, Valerie Coleman, Loren Lind, Aaron Goldman, Leah Arsenault, Erica Peel, Lindsey Goodman, Sharon Sparrow, Jeff Zook, and Tim Munro; was featured in performances as part of the FSU Department of Music Honors Recital (2016) and Montgomery College Honors Recital (2017); won first prize in the Flute Society of Washington's Collegiate Soloist Competition (2017); and most recently placed Second in the Flute Society of Washington's Young Artist Competition (2021). In the summer of 2018, they attended the Music House International festival where they worked closely with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra including Erica Peel, Loren Lind and assistant conductor Kensho Watanabe. A dedicated proponent of new music, Cristian has performed several world and consortium premieres of works by composers such as Hong-Da Chin, Nico Muhly, John Mackey and Valerie Coleman, and is passionate about collaborations that will bring new and interesting works to audiences. Also passionate about uplifting voices that have previously been ignored by the classical music world; specifically those of women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and members of the LGBTQ+ community; Cristian is dedicated to finding existing works and commissioning new ones that authentically reflect these communities with the goal of diversifying the classical music canon. Permanently.
Cristian is currently pursuing a Master of Music in flute performance at Bowling Green State University with Jeff Zook. They earned a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park, where they studied with Dr. Sarah Frisof and Aaron Goldman. Other past teachers include Conor Nelson, Carolyn Oh and Keith Hanlon.