Derek Charke received a master's degree in flute performance from SUNY Buffalo where he studied with the late Cheryl Gobbetti Hoffman. As a professional flutist he actively performs as a soloist, new music improviser, chamber and studio musician. Equally at home performing cutting-edge contemporary music or participating in free improvisation as he is performing Bach or Vivaldi, he currently performs with guitarist Eugene Cormier in the Charke~Cormier Duo and cellist Norman Adams in the Adams Charke Exchange. Another frequent collaborator has been percussionist Mark Adam. He can be heard as a soloist on a number of albums including The Equation of Time, Bathymetric Terrains and Ex Tempore with the Charke~Cormier Duo, In Sonorous Falling Tones with the WIRED Ensemble and Mark Hopkins, and Kitchen Party. He continues to pursue flute performance at every opportunity, especially composing, improvising, and performing his own works.