Scottish-born Lorna McGhee was appointed Principal Flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

Known for her “exceptionally rich and vibrant tone” (Washington Post), Lorna has performed as Guest Principal with the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and has worked with conductors such as Haitink, Gergiev, Rattle, Solti, Harnoncourt, Muti, and Honeck. Before immigrating to North America in 1998, Lorna was Co-Principal Flute of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, England.

As a soloist, she has given concerto performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in the UK; Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Philharmonia, and Victoria Symphony in Canada; Kyushu Symphony in Japan; Evergreen Symphony in Taiwan; and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony in the USA. Career highlights include performances of Penderecki’s Concerto for Flute under the baton of the composer, Bach’s B Minor Suite with both Yannick Nézet-Seguin and Nicholas McGegan, Saariaho’s concerto Aile du Songe with Osmo Vanska, and Mozart’s G Major concerto with Manfred Honeck.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Lorna has performed in Europe, North America, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Australia, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Edinburgh International Festival, the Louvre (Paris), and the Schubertsaal of Vienna’s Konzerthaus. She has participated in numerous festivals including the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Ottawa Chamberfest, Cleveland Chamberfest, Sitka Festival, and Seattle Chamber Music Society. Lorna has two recital discs: The Hour of Dreaming, with pianist Piers Lane, and Songs without Words, with pianist Naoko Ishibashi. As a member of Trio Verlaine, with husband, violist David Harding, and harpist Heidi Krutzen, she has recorded Fin de Siecle, the Music of Debussy and Ravel, plus Six Departures, featuring newly commissioned works by Jeffery Cotton and R. Murray Schafer. Her recording for Naxos of Bax’ Chamber Music with the group ‘mobius’ was selected as Editor’s Choice in the magazine Gramophone.

Lorna studied with David Nicholson in Scotland, and with Michie and William Bennett at the Royal Academy of Music, London. She is a regular guest teacher at summer schools, including the Galway International Flute Festival, Orford Academy, and National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Lorna joined the flute faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in 2015, and serves as an honorary fellow at the Royal Academy of Music.

“Her range of colors was astonishing, not only golden and silvery, but ranging from cool to edgy to filled with human warmth” (Pittsburgh Tribune Review).