Hi, I’m Jesse Tatum. I’m a flutist working and living in New Mexico, USA.
Jesse Tatum is a relentless musician, performing chamber music, orchestral music, operas, solo works, and improvised performances. They are Principal Flute of The Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Opera Southwest Orchestra, and a Core Member at Chatter, where she has performed over 15 years of adventurous chamber music with the innovative Albuquerque-based chamber ensemble. Additionally, Jesse has performed many seasons with The Santa Fe Opera and the New Mexico Philharmonic.
Dubbed a “local legend” in The Strad, Tatum is also described as “reliably excellent” (Santa Fe New Mexican), “The principal flutist Jesse is just a rock star” (Ryan McAdams, conductor), “She is the music of the universe and cannot be contained” (Meow Wolf). Pasatiempo called her an “overachiever” in their profile of the flutist.
In Spring 2026, Tatum and Tara Khozein, soprano, toured in Vienna, Budapest, and Prague as the Pierrot Twins, performing modern classics of the flute and soprano repertoire. They also performed shows as improvised performances with dancers and conceptual sound. Highlights of the 2025 season included premiere appearances with Taos Chamber Music Group, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
Recognized for their authentic, fearless performances, Jesse was featured on KHFM’s 10 at 10 in 2024 with a program of solo works for flute. In 2022, Jesse performed as a concerto soloist with The Santa Fe Symphony, the New Mexico Philharmonic, Chatter, and Santa Fe Pro Musica. An enthusiast of the intersection of visual and musical performance art, they were a regularly featured performer from 2017-2020 at the trailblazing Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Jesse was a prizewinner at the Myrna Brown Artist Competition. She has performed at the Currents International New Media Festival and appeared as a soloist with the Albuquerque Philharmonic.
Jesse has collaborated with many, many composers and participated in numerous world, US, and New Mexico premieres of solo, chamber, orchestra and opera works. They have been a Featured Performer of Powell Flutes, profiled in Albuquerque The Magazine, appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, and served multiple times as a Newly Published Music judge for the National Flute Association.
As a student, Jesse was a member of the Catania International Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra. Jesse studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of New Mexico. They are also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice.
I believe deeply in live performance. All of us, being together for an amount of time– it is transformative for individuals, groups, and communities. Live performance is incredible, requiring vulnerability and openness from both performer/s and audience; it strengthens the ability to hold, reflect, and challenge each other to understand ourselves better. We leave different than we came in. Let’s be together with music for a bit.