Carol Wincenc is among the most accomplished U.S. flutists, premiering many new works by American composers and mentoring many younger players as an educator. Wincenc joined the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota in the 1970s. When she took first prize at the 1978 Naumburg Competition, she launched a solo career. She performed widely and made many recordings for the Musical Heritage Society LP subscription service. Wincenc has been on the faculty at the Juilliard School since 1988. In 1991, Wincenc released an album of Mozart's flute quartets with the Emerson String Quartet. In 1994, she gave the world premiere of Christopher Rouse's Flute Concerto. The following year, she issued the album Joan Tower: Black Topaz, and since then, much of her recording and performing career has been devoted to contemporary music. In 2022, Wincenc released the album Air in Motion: Pierre Jalbert.