Tag: Flute

Flute, Performing, Thoughts, Utah Valley Symphony

Patriotic Concert Thoughts

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Outdoor summer concerts in the park are always fun. Of course you invariably have mother nature to compete with, especially the wind. Honestly though, this year the wind wasn’t too bad. The biggest challenge is moving your clothespins fast enough to turn your page, getting your music clipped again before it blows away and playing your next entrance on time. It feels like a musical race, so to speak.

This concert was a musical celebration of the 250th anniversary of America. It was nice to enjoy some traditional classics such as America the Beautiful, Battle Hymn of the Republic, songs from West Side Story, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and of course, the Stars and Stripes Forever. Regrettably, I didn’t get a photo of our flute section playing our three piccolos for the famous piccolo solo. But that’s okay, it was still enjoyable. An audience member commented how it was fun to hear the three piccolos playing. I thought, “If you couldn’t hear the three piccolos, then maybe you should visit a hearing specialist, haha.”

We also played the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. If you look closely enough on either side of the orchestra, you can see some mini canons. They might look mini, but they were programmed to make some real canon sounds at the appropriate time in the music. It was awesome to actually have canons going off. Admittedly, the first one took me by surprise. Even though I knew it was coming, it was much louder than I was expecting. But it was an amazing feeling playing the incredible music while they were sounding off. What a genius composer!

Another fun thing about an outdoor venue such as this is to see all the families with young children come who might not otherwise be able to sit through a formal concert in a formal setting. I love the feeling of community and friendship that these events naturally bring. As we were playing, I thought to myself, “This is one of the reasons I love playing the flute. I love sitting in the center of the orchestra and making music with my colleagues and having family and friends come enjoy the music.”

May God Bless America!!

Flute, Utah Valley Symphony

A Symphony of Freedom

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The Utah Valley Symphony will perform a special FREE summer concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of America!

Saturday, August 15th, 7:00 PM at The Orchard at University Place, 575 East University Parkway, in Orem.

This program brings together some of the most exciting and recognizable music connected to the American experience, including Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Copland’s Hoe-Down, selections from Bernstein’s West Side Story, as well as patriotic favorites. We’ll also feature vocal artists Amy Shreeve Keeler, Britani Bateman, and David Smith.

Bring lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy an evening of patriotic favorites to continue celebrating Americas’ 250th Anniversary. 

Look for me in the flute section!

Flute, Performing, Utah Valley Symphony

Utah Valley Symphony Young Artists

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The 2026 Young Artists Concert celebrates the exceptional talent of the winners of the 2026 Concerto Competition as they take the stage with the Utah Valley Symphony. This inspiring program showcases rising musicians performing alongside a full orchestra in a vibrant evening of collaboration and artistry. Highlights include Saint-Saëns’ beloved Carnival of the Animals, along with selected movements from works by Poulenc, Mozart, Vivaldi, Bruch, and other celebrated composers. Join us for a concert that honors the next generation of artists and the joy of live symphonic music.

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7:30 pm at The Ashton Auditorium, Orem Library, 58 N. State Street in Orem. Click here for tickets.

Bring family and friends for an unforgettable evening of incredible young talent, and wonderful music.

Festivals, Flute, Thoughts

End of Semester Thoughts

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As this flute semester is drawing to a close, I’m pausing to reflect on my students’ development. I’m really pleased with how they have grown with tone, vibrato, dynamics, and rhythms, to name a few. Beyond their flute abilities, and perhaps even more important, is how they have grown in their confidence, their patience, and their dedication.

We finished our flute festivals a couple of weeks ago and all of my students received Superior ratings (again)!! Woohoo!! Way to go everyone!! However, for me, the recognition of their hard work by receiving Superior ratings is not the end goal. I believe that what is more important is what they’ve learned and how they’ve grown this past semester. Festival is a way to help push flute students to polish songs and really focus on improving certain aspects of their playing. In fact, I had one student who ended up being sick and wasn’t able to participate in festival, but I rejoice in the progress she made in preparation for the event, even though she wasn’t able to participate.

And so in music, as well as in life, we should periodically pause to reflect on the progress we’ve made since the new year and pause to reflect on what steps we can now take to continue our improvement and progression. Choose one thing you can do to strengthen your skills as a flute player. And choose one thing you can do improve yourself as a person.