I will be presenting a lecture at the National Flute Association’s annual conference. It is centered on transcending the borders of pedagogy, genre, and geography by illustrating the impact of the Italian bel canto singing tradition on flute playing.  For centuries, instrumentalists have viewed the voice as the ultimate means of musical expression, and we have sought to imitate the voice in our playing. Likewise, French flutists of the late nineteenth century, through their professional exposure to the great bel canto singers and composers at the Paris Opera, sought to imitate the beautiful singing they experienced firsthand in their own flute playing. In this presentation, I discuss the impact of that influence on the French flute school, examining the concepts of breathing, chiaroscuro, impostazione del tono, and articulation that emerged from the bel canto singing tradition, concepts that can be applied no matter your pedagogical lineage.