Solo piccolo and flutist Mindy Kaufman joined the New York Philharmonic in 1979 at the age of 22, after performing for three years with the Rochester Philharmonic. In addition to her duties as solo piccolo with the orchestra, she has performed as the Orchestra's Associate Principal Flute, including most recently during the 2007 Europe tour and the residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
Ms. Kaufman received a bachelor of music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and at the age of 19 won her first audition for a position, which led to her being Second Flute at the Rochester Philharmonic. For one season she served as Acting Principal Flute of the Milwaukee Symphony, during which time she recorded works by Dvorák and Kodály conducted by Zdenek Macal.
Mindy Kaufman has appeared as a piccolo soloist with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of then music directors Zubin Mehta and Kurt Masur. Her playing on both flute and piccolo has been acclaimed throughout the world, as she has been praised for "the extraordinary control of the piccolo's long sustained pianissimos" (The Times of London), and The New York Times wrote, "Mindy Kaufman... played the flute solos in the Takemitsu beautifully." The S & H International Concert Review wrote of her, "Who would have thought that during the evening the piccolo would have such a sensational day in the sun, but that is exactly what happened after intermission in the Shostakovich Tenth, with the Philharmonic's Mindy Kaufman at her most mesmerizing. Both the first and third movements end with conspicuous... roles for this instrument, and she just did a fabulous job."
Ms. Kaufman plays chamber music regularly with her colleagues in the New York Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Concert Hall, and she has performed at summer festivals including the Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music and the Grand Teton Music Festival. She can be heard on dozens of film soundtracks, including The Cotton Club, The Untouchables, Cape Fear, Aladdin, The Alamo, Hitch, and The Last Holiday, and she played with The Four Tops on CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman.
