Interview with Chelsea Knox
I first heard about Chelsea Knox from my wife, flutist Jeanne Wilson, over 20 years ago. Jeanne plays in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the principal flute at the time in the HSO was Greig Shearer. Grieg had raved about a young flutist from Connecticut who was studying with him at the Hartt School of Music and who was destined for a high-level professional career. Jeanne finally met her at the New York Flute Club Young Artists competition in 2007 which Chelsea won playing the Nielsen Flute Concerto. Ultimately, Jeanne played with Chelsea at a New Haven Symphony concert series and confirmed Greig’s prediction—Chelsea Knox was destined for greatness. In the years since, those predictions have all come true. I was able to observe her artistry attending Met Opera performances and realized that she was a very accomplished player even at such a young age. Her ability to juggle the stresses that accompany her job position in addition to being a wife and mother of three is quite enviable and is discussed during our talk. But the wonderful thing that is also apparent during this interview is that Chelsea loves what she’s doing, enjoys the comaraderie that she experiences at her job, and is genuinely a happy person. I hope everyone finds this interview inspiring and will investigate her website: www.Chelseaknox.com.
Opening Panel Audio Track: Georges Bizet—Carmen Entr’acte
Closing Panel Audio Track: W.A. Mozart—Quartet in D major, K.285
About the Artist
Chelsea Knox is the co-principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, a position she has held since 2017. A native of Litchfield, CT, she had won positions in several orchestras prior to accepting her position in the Met Orchestra including assistant principal of the Baltimore Symphony, and principal flute in the New Haven and Princeton Symphonies. She has also guested as principal flute with the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Chicago Symphony. Chelsea has performed and taught at the Verbier Festival and Aspen Festival and began teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2025. She studied at the Hartt School of Music with Greig Shearer prior to her undergraduate and graduate studies at the Juilliard School, where she was a student of Jeffrey Khaner. Chelsea Knox is a Yamaha Performing Artist.