Adelaide-born Margaret Crawford played piano and composed from the age of nine. At fifteen she began flute lessons with David Cubbin at the Elder Conservatorium and then moved to Melbourne in 1960 to undertake a tertiary degree at the Melbourne University Conservatorium, studying flute under Leslie Barklamb and piano under Ronald Farren-Price. In 1963 she gained her BMus and two years later a Master of Music majoring in flute performance.

In 1966 she won the ABC Concerto Competition (now Young Performer of the Year), which led to solo performances with all of the State Symphony Orchestras and numerous broadcasts. A major focus for her at this time was the performance of contemporary music. In 1967 she travelled to Vienna where she specialized in baroque music, studying recorder under Professor Hans-Maria Kneihs and flute under Hans Reznicek at the Vienna Academy of Music, graduating with honours in 1969. She also studied flute in Paris under Jean-Pierre Rampal and Alain Marion and attended masterclasses given by Rampal, Gazzeloni, Gerard Schaub and Marcel Moyse.

Since returning to Australia in 1970 Margaret Crawford has taught flute at the Canberra School of Music, the Sydney Conservatorium, the Queensland Conservatorium, the Melbourne University Conservatorium, the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian National Academy of Music. From 1990 to mid-1997 she held the position of Head of Woodwind, Brass and Percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Returning to Australia, she held the position of Senior Lecturer in Flute at the Sydney Conservatorium from 1998 to 2003. She moved back to Melbourne at the end of 2003.

Margaret Crawford has presented masterclasses and lectures on a wide range of musical and flute-related subjects. As a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician she has toured Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, and South East Asia. She has broadcast extensively in Australia and recorded a number of works by Australian composers. Margaret Crawford is a beloved figure in our flute community and we are proud to have her as our patron.