Delandria Mills

Delandria Mills
Prairie View A&M Univ. Alumni Clinician
Background information
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genres	Jazz/Classical/Gospel
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Flute
Labels	Ephphatha Queen

Delandria Mills (born Houston, Texas), is an American jazz, gospel, and classical flutist, composer, educator, and author.

A classically trained musician, Mills commenced her formal music instruction in piano at age four. She recounts: "I tried cello, guitar, and clarinet, before finally settling on the flute as my instrument of choice. At first glance, I did not want to play it (the flute) at all. I remember looking at the picture as my teacher placed it in front of me, and frowning and saying, ‘I do not want to play this!’ But once I carried it home and opened the case, I even liked the smell which was that of the band room at school. Allat once, the flute grew on me. I thought it was beautiful and still do. I feel very fortunate to have become skillful at playing this beautiful instrument.” She attended the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, a nationally recognized incubator for musical talent. Prominent alumni include jazz artists Helen Sung, Robert Glasper, Kendrick Scott, Jason Moran, and pop music sensation, Beyoncé Knowles.

Mills was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Prairie View A&M University, and both a Master of Music in Flute Performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. As a classical flutist, she has served as Principal of the Baytown Symphony Orchestra (in residence at Lee College), and as an Assistant and later Associate Principal at Peabody. Her teachers include the legendary flutist Hubert Laws and Marina Piccinini of Peabody Conservatory.

The music of Charlie Parker and of John Coltrane lured her to jazz, and Mills cites Hubert Laws, Freddie Hubbard, and Kim Burrell, as additional musical influences.

In 2003, Mills was awarded the top prize in National Flute Association's Jazz Flute Competition which led to her being selected as one of six international young women to win the International Association of Jazz Educators' Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Competition in 2005.^[1] A European tour followed. She is the founder and leader of the Delandria Mills Jazz Ensemble, a member of “Soundcheck”, the critically acclaimed band behind gospel acts Greater Anointing and Tye Tribbett with whom she toured from 2003 to 2008. She has also collaborated with gospel singer Judith Christie McAllister. She is also the principal of Kingdom Flute Works, a music school in the Baltimore, Maryland area.

Mills released her official debut CD 'Manifestation' in 2009,^[2] and she has been featured on recordings by other artists including Fertile Ground (“Black Is”, 2004),^[3] The Kevin Robinson Ensemble (“The GOD Factor”, 2004), Adidam (“Adidam, ” 2004), Tye Tribbett (“Ideas and Concepts, 2004, “Life- DVD”, 2004, “Victory”, 2005, and “Standout”, 2007), and Judith Christie McAllister (“Sound the Trumpet”, 2008). In addition, in 2011 she toured with her legendary instructor Hubert Laws and in 2012 with tenor saxophonist Billy Harper.

Discography

As leader

Year	Title	Label	notes
2015	Resonance	Ephphatha Queen
2014	Ephphatha	Ephphatha Queen
2012	Just Breathe	Ephphatha Queen
2011	Home for the Holidays	Ephphatha Queen
2010	Be Happy	Ephphatha Queen
2010	Be Opened EP	Ephphatha Queen
2010	Kingdom Goes Classical	Ephphatha Queen
2009	Manifestation	Ephphatha Queen
2004	Stories	Ephphatha Queen

References

External links

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