MARINA PICCININI
Internationally-renowned flutist MARINA PICCININI’s rich artistic tapestry is woven from the multi-national, multi-lingual household in which she grew up, bringing that vibrant spirit and global perspective to all of her cultural and personal endeavors. As a 36th-generation Shaolin Fighting Monk, she relishes an ideology that inspires self-discovery, discipline, finding joy, and having no limits.
Known for expanding the repertoire of her instrument, her program offerings are among the most extensive of today's illustrious artists. She has premiered concerti and solo works by Aaron Jay Kernis, John Harbison, Lukas Foss, Paquito D’Rivera, Marc-Andre Dalbavie, Kalevi Aho, and Yuko Uebayashi, and most recently, Christopher Theofanidis and Tebogo Monnakgotla. Upcoming is a new concerto by Clarice Assad. Her appearances as soloist include the Boston, Vienna, Montreal, Tokyo, Toronto and National Symphonies and London, Rotterdam, and Hong Kong Philharmonics, and she has worked with some of the leading conductors of our time, including Ozawa, Masur, Boulez, and Salonen. She appears regularly on major stages around the world artists and ensembles including the Pacifica, Brentano, and Takács Quartets; pianists Mitsuko Uchida and Andreas Haefliger; and Tre Voci, her flute, harp, and viola trio; and can be heard on the Avie, Claves, and ECM labels.
In 2023, she co-founded the Zauberklang Festival with Andreas Haefliger in Uri, Switzerland, where she was also named Cultural Ambassador. She is creator and founder of the Marina Piccinini International Masterclasses (MPIMC), and the first flutist to win the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. She is on the faculty of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Katy Wherry
Etude of the Week, Daily Warm-Ups
A flutist whose passion for varying genres of music has provided her with opportunities to give performances and teach masterclasses around the world. She has performed with renowned artists such as Sir James Galway, LeVar Burton, Marina Piccinini, Christina Jennings, Brook Ferguson and others. Katy is a regular performer with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and plays in many chamber groups in different styles including jazz, rock, pop and open improvisation. As a recording artist she has been featured on albums as a soloist, podcasts, video game soundtracks and more.
As founder of Etude of the Week - the popular online flute community with now over 7,500 members, Katy has found her purpose in empowering people with a passion for music to discover and pursue their individual musical paths. Her coaching program For the Love of Flute supports flutists in their pursuit of their love of the flute so that more people feel encouraged to share their passion with the world.
Hannah Tassler
Staff
Hannah Tassler has performed with ensembles such as the Hawaii Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, and New World Symphony, and has worked with conductors and directors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Peter Sellars, Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Stéphane Denève.
Hannah earned a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with Leone Buyse and Marianne Gedigian, and completed her Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, studying with Marina Piccinini. Other teachers also include Brook Ferguson, Aaron Goldman, Erica Peel, and Laurie Sokoloff. Her achievements include the Azalia H. Thomas Prize, the Britton Johnson Award in Flute, and induction into the Pi Kappa Lambda Society. This summer Hannah will participate in the prestigious Marlboro Festival in Vermont.
Hui-Chuan Chen
Staff Pianist
A native of Taiwan, pianist Hui-Chuan Chen began piano lessons at age four and made her debut performance at six. She won numerous prizes at competitions including the Wonderlic piano competition in Baltimore, Concerto Competition of International Music Festival in Siena, Italy, Kaohsiung City Competition, Kawai Piano Competition, the University Piano Concerto Competition of NTNU, Taiwan.
Hui-Chuan holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where she is also a faculty member in the preparatory division. She also serves on the faculty of the University of Maryland Baltimore City, Washington Conservatory of Music and the Heifetz International Music Festival in Virginia. Dr. Chen is the Studio Pianist for the Piccinini Flute studio.
Sharon Sparrow
Guest Lecturer: The Process of Audition Success
Sharon Sparrow is a well-known performer and author in the flute world. In addition to serving as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s tenured Assistant Principal Flutist, she travels extensively giving seminars on her book, 6 Weeks to Finals, The Complete Guide to Audition Success, winner of the 2016 NFA Best New Publications Award. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Mannes College of Music, Ms. Sparrow had the privilege to study with Julius Baker, Thomas Nyfenger, and Geoffrey Gilbert. Sharon can be seen and heard all over the world in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Live from Orchestra Hall webcasts. Her audition seminars have been presented at the Peabody Conservatory, the Boston Conservatory, Interlochen Academy, Michigan State University, UT Austin, and many other universities across the country. She is also a frequent guest artist at many flute festivals.
Giorgio Consolati
Orchestral master class
Praised for his “lustrous tone” (Musical America), Italian flutist Giorgio Consolati has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, and the Marlboro Music Festival. He appeared as a concerto soloist with Alan Gilbert and the Juilliard Orchestra as well as with the National Repertory Orchestra. Giorgio is currently the principal flute of the York Symphony. As a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship, Giorgio studied at The Juilliard School with Carol Wincenc and at the Peabody Institute with Marina Piccinini. Highlights of Giorgio’s upcoming projects include a six-US city tour with Musicians from Marlboro, a solo concerto appearance with the York Symphony, and a residency at The Chamber Music Conference at Colgate University during the summer.