Alice Lenaghan and Mihoko Watanabe became fast friends as fellow music students at the University of Michigan. After several successful performances together they realized they share similar artistic visions.
With matching golden flutes and a shared musical spirit, Alice and Mihoko of Duo Viva, create a rich soundscape. Both accomplished flutists in their own right, in concert they delight audiences with their polish and flair.
Alice Lenaghan, flute
An active orchestral musician, Alice Lenaghan has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the United States including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and has frequently appeared as an orchestral soloist. As a concert artist, she presents solo recitals and is in demand as a chamber musician.
As a pedagogue, Dr. Lenaghan has served on the faculties of California State University, Albion College, and Concordia and Oakland Universities. For six summers, she conducted a workshop at the Interlochen Center for the Arts where her self-published practice manual has been adopted. Several of her articles have been published in the American Piper. In addition, Dr. Lenaghan has presented master classes internationally.
A recipient of multiple fellowships, Dr. Lenaghan holds a doctorate in flute performance from the University of Michigan in addition to performance degrees from Western Michigan University and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Leone Buyse, Christine Smith, Michel Debost, Thomas Nyfenger, Ervin Monroe and Michael Lynn on traverso.
Mihoko Watanabe, flute
Mihoko Watanabe teaches flute at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Prior to joining UW-Oshkosh, she taught at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Windsor (Canada).
A celebrated international performer, Dr. Watanabe has completed successful tours of Japan, Israel and Canada as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. As an orchestral player, she has held principal flute positions in orchestras in North America. She also enthusiastically premiers new works for flute.
As a pedagogue, Dr. Watanabe has taught numerous master classes throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan, and has adjudicated international music festivals and competitions. As a researcher, Dr. Watanabe is also devoted to the study of ethnomusicology, with a focus on Japanese traditional music.
Dr. Watanabe received a doctorate in flute performance from the University of Michigan, and other performance degrees from the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo and the Eastman School of Music, where she was honored with the Performer's Certificate. Her teachers include Leone Buyse, Ervin Monroe, Takao Saeki, Fenwick Smith, and Bonita Boyd.
