Lydia (Richards) Whetstone is a creative educator and freelance flutist in Central Iowa. She maintains an active in-person and virtual studio through LessonFace. Her students range from middle school-aged to 70+ years! She is a founding member of the Capitol City Winds, a woodwind quintet based in Des Moines, IA and currently plays with the Central Iowa Symphony. 

 

She received a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance in 2019 from the University of Northern Iowa as a student of Dr. Angeleita Floyd. At UNI, she performed with top orchestral and wind ensembles, and many chamber groups. She is fortunate to have international playing and teaching experience, including Northern Iowa Wind Symphony tour in Northern Italy and semester abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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​In addition, Lydia has appeared as soloist with NIFC and the Metropolitan Chorale of Waterloo-Cedar Falls; she has performed in numerous chamber and flute ensembles. As a member of NIFC, she performed at the 2017 National Flute Association Convention in Minneapolis. She has performed in masterclasses for William Bennett, Ian Clarke, Alena (Lugovkina) Walentin, Claudia Anderson, Jill Felber, and  Hannah Leffler. She previously studied with Ms. Mary Peterson.