In her 22 years since graduating from GFS, Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington ’04 has charted a remarkable career as a professional flutist and educator. She is currently Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance and a member of the Oregon Wind Quintet.
In the summer of 2026, she released Path of Light, a flute-centered album that amplifies the voices of female composers who weave storytelling throughout their work.
As both a teacher and an educator, Cordova-Arrington is passionate about the ways in which music can connect, engage, and uplift communities. In 2021, she co-founded the Umoja Flute Institute, a community that creates support and visibility for Black flutists; she is now its Board Co-Chair and Treasurer. She also serves on the board of directors of the National Flute Association.
Cordova-Arrington has performed with major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, and has held residencies and facilitated masterclasses at institutions such as University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Puget Sound, University of Maryland, and Ohio State University.
We were able to catch up with Cordova-Arrington to learn more about her new record, career trajectory, and the experiences and teachers at GFS that helped to shape who she is today.
Congrats on Path of Light! What can you tell us about the album?
Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington: This album was years in the making. It all started during the pandemic. Kara Rutledge Durant ’05 had just released her book, Jaro and Frog, and I was totally inspired by it. I was looking for composers in the Pacific Northwest to connect with, and began talking to cellist and composer Gretchen Yanover about writing a work based on the story. Out of that conversation, she created “Tasting the Night,” a 16-minute work for flute, cello, and narrator—the narrator is actually another GFS alumna, Kristin Renee Young ’04, who is an opera singer!
In 2022, we performed the composition at the Resnick Education Wing at Carnegie Hall. Two weeks later, we recorded the piece, along with four other storytelling-focused compositions by female composers. Sadly, the recording’s producer Adam Abeshouse was diagnosed with a rare cancer and passed away, and the project went unfinished as his company and the whole musical world grieved the loss of an iconic artist.
It was later picked up and finished by producer Doron Schachter, and when the label Imani Winds Media signed me and agreed to put the record out this year, it felt like a gift. I've had a connection with them for a long time, and we share a lot of the same artistic values and hopes. All the tiny blessings I've received along the way is evidence to me that God is watching what I'm doing and guiding my work.
Have you always been a musician? When did you decide to make the flute your main focus?
I was interested in all kinds of music as a kid. I started playing piano at Settlement Music School when I was young, and played flute and sang in GFS A Cappella and Choir in high school. I also performed with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Philadelphia Sinfonia. Those experiences showed me that a career in music could connect you to the world.
I started to narrow my focus toward flute in college. As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, my professors said, ‘If you want to be employed as a musician, you’re going to have to put pedal to the metal in one area—if flute is your thing, it’s time to get into gear!’ After that, I upped my flute practice to six hours a day, which helped me better understand what the expectations are for orchestral musicians.
Cordova-Arrington (far left) with the Eugene Orchestra.
What are some memorable experiences from your time at GFS that helped guide your path?
I chose GFS for high school because I knew that no matter what I chose to explore, it would be a rich and meaningful experience. I knew that I would have opportunities to explore all the things I loved, and more. Once at GFS, I connected immediately with Gary White, who was Director of the Music Department at the time. He became a longtime mentor. During my senior year, Gary gave me the opportunity to play with a contracted orchestra in the Meetinghouse. It was a truly special experience to perform and collaborate with Gary in putting the performance together. The whole GFS community was there to support me. I felt truly seen and loved, and I'll never forget that experience.
Cordova-Arrington's senior yearbook page from the 2004 ANNO.
Another lasting memory is that my first experience recording a CD was with GFS A Cappella, which was so fun! Having the opportunity to see firsthand how a studio operates, from start to finished product, was really fascinating. It was incredible to have such a professional experience at such a young age.
Did your GFS teachers at all influence how you teach now?
Yes! One of the special things about being a student at GFS is the mutual respect that develops between teachers and students. Interestingly enough, this happens in a space where some might think it wouldn’t be possible, because teachers and students call each other by their first names. I think the connection and heartfelt respect amongst teachers, students, and administrators is profoundly unique to GFS—when you go to other spaces and that’s not there, you realize it’s your job to create those special connections. As a teacher, I've really tried to emulate the relationship-building that’s so special about GFS.
What’s a project or experience from your earlier career that you’re really proud of?
After I got my Master’s degree, I received a William D. Ford Fulbright Grant in 2010, and was able to study with Andreas Blau, principal flutist at the time of the Berliner Philharmoniker. That was life-changing, because, in addition to orchestral training, I also had the opportunity to see how musicians in Berlin connect the arts with broader communities through their community education program Zukunft@BPhil. I learned so much being there—it was a launching pad for my teaching artistry work.
Watch Cordova-Arrington perform composer André Jolivet's "L'Etoile" as part of a chamber group.
Were there any setbacks along the way? If so, how did you overcome them?
After my time in Berlin, I secured an audition with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. And although I was a finalist, I was not invited to be in that orchestra and thought that my music career was possibly over. I did a lot of soul-searching. At that time, I honestly don't think I knew where my path would lead, but I prayerfully followed the doors that opened, which ultimately led me to pursue my doctorate at the Eastman School of Music.
Soon after that, I began a two-year fellowship with Ensemble Connect, Carnegie Hall's chamber music collective. They performed a concert series at Carnegie Hall, but the real interest for me was that they do a lot of teaching artistry work in non-traditional spaces. That seed was planted in Berlin, and I knew I had to do something with music as it related to the community.
Through Ensemble Connect, I met lifelong colleagues and was part of interactive performances in so many different spaces. For instance, we played a concert at Rikers Island, and I had never done anything like that before. That totally changed the way I saw my future.
I realized at that moment that my value as an artist is not built on a job title, but rather on the understanding that I have value simply as a child of God. I have been called to serve and to create spaces where people can connect viscerally with beautiful music, with one another, and with themselves—and find healing through those artistic experiences.