June 17-21, 2024
Buford, Georgia
Buford High School
2455 Buford Hwy NE, Buford, GA 30518

Are you a young flutist or parent of a flutist in the Atlanta area looking for a truly one-of-a-kind, WORLD CLASS musical experience this summer?

Look no further!

FLING! is a week-long, in person, summer flute day camp for middle and high school students. Students participate in small group classes, flute choir, and work with guest artists from around the area.

We can only accept 100 flutists, so register now!

SIGN ME UP!

What makes FLING different?

1. Fun

Yes, you're going to play flute A LOT during the week, but you're also going to play games and HAVE FUN! Each day is filled with musical activities that involve playing the flute as well as teamwork activities, games (like participating in a conga line while our guest artist perform).

2. Enrichment

You already know about the concert flute that we play and about band and maybe some solo music, but have you ever heard music from around the world?

For the 2024 camp, you'll hear a salsa band AND a flute soloist who plays a variety of genres from Hip Hop to Bach and even get to play WITH THEM. How cool is that!?

You'll further develop your knowledge about music from around the world. Maybe you'll uncover a new favorite style of music.

3. World-class FLutists

You're going to learn from the best of the best! We have an incredibly rich flute community, and for 2024, we have flutists from various Atlanta orchestras, the flute professor from the University of Georgia, and some of the best teachers and players from the area! swoon

Also, this year, you have a chance to apply to play in a masterclass for a guest teacher!

(A masterclass is where one student stands up on the stage and plays for "the whole class." The teacher gives them advice and helps them in front of everyone so everyone can learn!

4. Chamber Ensembles

Ever played in a flute choir? How about playing an alto or bass flute? Participants will play in small ensembles every day as well as a flute orchestra!

You'll have the opportunity to try alto and bass flutes throughout the week.

5. Small Group Classes

Each day, you'll have 3 small group classes led by local professional flutists. Here are some of the topics that will be covered:

Performance anxiety (aka stage fright)
Composition
Music history
Playing with Boomwhackers
Music theory
Flute Jeopardy
Beatboxing
Arts fusion projects (think storytelling, puppetry, drawing, etc)
Rhythm games
...and more!

6. Chocolate Fountain

Ok, ok. We know it has nothing to do with playing the flute, but on the last day, we have a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN party!!!

The strawberries are everyone's favorite!

You had me at chocolate fountain. I'm ready!

The Details...

Sample Daily Schedule

9:00am: Arrive

9:15am -10:15am: Small Group Class 1 or Flute Orchestra Rehearsal

10:30am -11:30am: Small Group Class 2

11:15am -11:30am: Snack break

11:30am - 12:45pm: Guest Artist Performance

12:45pm - 1:35pm: LUNCH (bring your own)

1:35pm -2:35pm: Small Group Class 3

2:45pm - 3:45pm: Small flute choir rehearsals

3:45pm: Wrap up

4:00pm: Dismissal and pick up

4:00pm - 6:00pm: After care/private lessons (you must register for lessons when you register for camp)

For advanced high school flutists...

FLING X is a new, advanced track of FLING for very serious high school flutists.

The small group classes will be conservatory-style where students will cover advanced topics that are usually taught at the college and university level.

The small group classes will be led by that day's guest artist or other special guests and will provide students with an intensive performance-based experience.

You must submit a more comprehensive audition and be accepted into FLING X. Rising 10th through rising 12th graders and graduated seniors can apply for FLING X. Only very advanced rising 9th graders will be considered.

Anchor 2

Audition Requirements

Auditions must be VIDEO recorded, and the shareable links need to be copy and pasted into the FLING X application.

1. All 12 major scales and arpeggios at least 2 octaves. All scales must be filmed in one take.

2. 2-3 minutes each of two contrasting solos or etudes demonstrating the applicant's technical and lyrical playing abilities. Piano accompaniment is not required. Single movements of longer pieces are acceptable.Each solo/etude can be recorded and uploaded separately.

We recommend uploading videos to YouTube and submitting "unlisted" links. If you need help understanding how to do this, here are instructions.

Please submit a maximum of 3 video links on the registration form:

1 video for 12 scales

1 video for solo/etude #1 (2-3 minutes) of your choice

1 video for solo/etude #2 (2-3 minutes) of your choice.

If you're not accepted into FLING X, you can still participate in FLING!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is lunch provided?

A: No. Students are required to bring their own lunch and water bottle, BUT we will provide snacks.

Q: Which age/level of student should participate?

A: Rising 7th graders through rising 12th graders are encouraged to apply. If you're younger than rising 7th grade and take private lessons, you can email program director, Dr. E to request admission. (katherine@gaflute.com).

We'll have students who are first chair All-Staters who are planning on majoring in music as well as students entering their second year of playing. Students will be divided into groups based on age and playing level determined by an easy recorded audition when you apply.

Q: Is this an overnight camp?

A: No. Just a day camp. Prompt drop off at 9am and pick up at 4pm is required.

Q: We're working parents, and it's really hard for us to drop off and pick up our flutist from FLING. Are there any carpool or aftercare options?

A: FLING is offering an after care option for families who need to pick their flutist a little later. Students can be picked up by 6pm each day instead of 4pm. Just indicate your preference on the registration form! After care requires a $10 per day fee.

Since FLING is being attended by many students in the Atlanta area, we cannot arrange carpools for you, but we recommend that your flutist find a friend from their school who is also attending FLING to set up carpooling.

Q: Is it possible to attend only a few days of camp?

A: We understand that the summer can get busy. You are definitely welcome to attend only a few days of the camp, but you will still be required to pay the full fee.

Q: I want to apply for the masterclass. Am I guaranteed to play if I submit a recording?

A: First of all, yay! Secondly, it depends on the number of students interested in playing in the class. We'll only have time for a select number of students. On the application, there is a place for you to submit an audition recording of what you want to play in the class. We'll have a panel of judges listen and choose masterclass participants based off of the audition recordings.

Q: What's a masterclass?

A: A masterclass is like an open lesson. A student performs a solo or orchestral excerpts on the stage in front of everyone, and then a master teacher helps them get better at aspects of their playing in front of everyone. Everyone learns!

Q: Is there an opportunity to take private lessons?

A: Yes! You'll have an option to sign up for ONE private lesson with one of the FLING teachers. Private lessons will take place at the end of each day between 4pm and 6pm. You can sign up on the registration form. Private lessons will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Private lessons are an additional $60.

Please note...

We can only accept 100 flutists,
so don't delay in registering!

Cost

$450

If you register before May 1st.

$475

If you register after May 1st.

Includes...

All instruction (except private lessons)
All materials
Snacks
T-shirt
Use of alto and bass flutes

Non-refundable $100 registration fee is due by May 31, 2024.

All fees due by June 7, 2024.

Cancellation/refunds allowed only until June 4, 2024.

"The 2022 inaugural FLING program was an outstanding event for young flutists of all levels. The students were eager to learn, with the perfect blend of high level education and fun. I was so impressed with the variety of offerings, in addition to the well organized curriculum. I highly recommend FLING for all flutists-you will come home with many inspiring ideas and great memories!"

Christina Smith, principal flute Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Something Special...

FLING is being sponsored by Flutistry!

Part of the Flutistry team will be in residence during the week of FLING!

If you're interested in upgrading your flute or purchasing a piccolo, Flutistry will be there to help you free of charge.

They'll bring their inventory of flutes and piccolos for you to try. You'll be able to set up an appointment with them during the week of FLING!

Your teachers...

FLING teachers make up some of the best private flute teachers, performers, professors, composers, and excellent musicians in the area.

Most teachers have at least 2 higher education degrees in flute and have years of experience performing and teaching.

When we say you're learning from the best of the best, we mean it! Plus, they're really nice and funny too. ;-)

We hire teachers based on the number of students who register so that we have 1 teacher for every 12 students.

Hi! I'm Katherine Emeneth, and I'm the owner of the Georgia Flute Academy and KE Creative and creator of FLING. My students call me Dr. E, Ms. Katherine, and sometimes just "Flute Mom."

I've done it all as a professional musician and teacher. I have all of the degrees: Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate all in education and flute. I've taught everything from elementary music to college courses for music majors. I've played in many professional orchestras, competed in flute performance at the international level, and have extensive experience in flute pedagogy. If you're interested in my full story and fancy bio, you can read it here.

A few years after graduating with my doctorate in flute performance, I noticed something in college flute studios. The students are given numerous opportunities to perform, learn, and experience their craft. They grow SO MUCH because of the experiences they're offered. I know I did.

I had worked with pre-teens and teens long enough to know that if they love music and are given the opportunity to excel, THEY WILL. Why shouldn't teenagers have the experience of performing solo recitals 4 times a year? Why shouldn't they be exposed to the best flutists in the world? Why can't they learn college level music theory and history?

I started this crazy new flute studio idea in Sugar Hill, Georgia, and I can tell you, IT WORKS. My students sound amazing, they love music, and have had more musical experiences before the age of 18 than most people do (including me).

For years, I hosted a summer flute camp just for my own students. I'm thrilled to be able to open it up to the community.

Welcome to FLING!

Kathy Mason
FLING Co-director

Kathy Mason is in her 27th year of teaching middle school band and her fourth year as director at Buford Middle School. Previously, she directed bands at Creekland Middle School in Lawrenceville, Louise Radloff Middle School in Duluth, West Jackson Middle School in Jefferson, and Winder-Barrow Middle School in Winder, Georgia. Mrs. Mason has served as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the state of Georgia for numerous camps, solo and ensemble festivals, and Large Group Performance Evaluations. She has also been a guest clinician for the University of Georgia Middle School Band Festivals and District Honor Events throughout Georgia.

Bands under Mrs. Mason’s direction have consistently earned superior ratings at LGPE. Her students are well represented at District Honor Band, All-State Band, and Solo and Ensemble Festival. Bands under her direction have received four invitations to perform as a guest band at the University of Georgia Middle School Band Festival, and the Creekland Eagle Wind Ensemble was a guest band at the GMEA In-Service Conference in 2019. She has received four Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association and presented at three GMEA In-Service Conferences. She currently serves as the District 13 GMEA Middle School Band Chair. Kathy is a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association and the National Band Association.

Mrs. Mason is a graduate of Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from the University of Georgia. While a student at UGA, she studied saxophone with Dr. Kenneth Fischer, conducting with Dr. Dwight Satterwhite, clarinet with Dr. Theodore Jahn, and served as a rehearsal assistant for the Redcoat Band. She performed in the UGA Saxophone Quartet, Jazz Band I, Wind Ensemble, and was principal alto saxophone in the premier performing ensemble.

Kathy enjoys spending time with her family at the lake where they are actively involved in water sports. She is married to Erik Mason, band director at Buford High School. They live in Hoschton, Georgia with their three children - Aria, Alie and Clay. Aria is a music education major at Furman University playing horn, and Alie and Clay are active members of the Buford Band of Wolves playing percussion and trombone respectively.

Cain-Oscar Bergeron

Cain-Oscar Bergeron is a multifaceted performer and educator in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a staff singer at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of Atlanta and a flutist and piccoloist for regional Georgia orchestras and ensembles.

In 2014, Mr. Bergeron completed the prestigious William R. Kenan, Jr. Performing Arts Fellowship at Lincoln Center in New York City. There he worked alongside the most talented Teaching Artists in New York and taught workshops and classes in many NYC-area schools and colleges.

Cain earned a Master of Music degree from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Dr. Tadeu Coelho. Following his Master’s degree program, Cain completed a Professional Artist Certificate concentrating in Orchestral Flute Performance while maintaining an active and talented private flute studio.

Before leaving his home state of Louisiana, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches where he studied flute with Dr. Dennette McDermott. He was a founding member and president of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Flute Guild.

Cain is originally from the small Cajun French town of Cottonport in Louisiana. Often found in the kitchen, Mr. Bergeron is always cooking up Cajun specialties like chicken and andouille gumbo, shrimp Creole, and crawfish étoufée with his sous-chef, Sebastian, a large Maine Coon cat.

www.CainOscarBergeron.com.

Lesson Specialties:

My lesson specialties include tailoring a specific finger technique regimen based on students’ needs, assisting students to make the most of their practice time, and tone development through specialized vocal techniques that results in a singing quality in one’s playing. I specialize in Baroque flute and piccolo which lends a flexibility to adapt to any playing style and I love imparting that skill to my students.

Dr. Kelly Catlin

Praised for her “beautifully rich tone” (The Flute View), Dr. Kelly Catlin is an innovative flutist, composer, and teacher based in Atlanta, Georgia. In April 2021, she released her critically-acclaimed debut album of original electroacoustic flute works, titled Backstory.

As an electroacoustic composer and educator, she is dedicated to demystifying music technology and composition for young performers. A proponent of interdisciplinary arts collaboration, Dr. Catlin co-produced and composed the music for the original Off-Off Broadway production, Magic the Play, in New York City. She worked with designers, playwrights, cast, and crew to bring this production to sold-out audiences at Theatre Row in February 2018. Dr. Catlin enjoys teaching the next generation of out-of-the-box thinkers and strives to build self-confidence in her students through music and creative self-expression.

Dr. Catlin earned her doctorate in Flute Performance with a minor in Composition from the University of Georgia. She also holds a master’s degree in Flute Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a bachelor’s degree in Flute Performance from California State University, Long Beach.

http://kellycatlin.com/

Lesson Specialties:

I enjoy helping students through challenges to do with fundamentals (register, intonation, vibrato, dynamics, tone production, etc.). I love working with students of all ages.

Jovana-Liz - Grad Photos - Final Edits-14.jpg

Dr. Jovana Damnjanović

A virtuoso flute player, Dr. Jovana Damnjanović, leads a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. As a soloist, Dr. Damnjanović was a winner of the Midsouth Young Artist Competition, the Raleigh Area Flute Association Young Artist competition, Flutissimo Young Artist Competition, the Brumby Concerto Competition, and a prize winner of the San Diego Flute Guild. Dr. Damnjanović has performed as a soloist and with various chamber ensembles all over Serbia, the USA, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.

A native of Serbia, Dr. Damnjanović graduated in Flute Performance and holds a master’s degrees from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and Georgia State University. In 2014, Dr. Damnjanović was offered a scholarship to attend the Universität für Musik and darstellende Kunst International Summer Academy in Vienna which allowed her to study with Kersten McKall and Felix Renggli. Dr. Damnjanović earned her DMA degree at the University of Georgia under tutelage of Professor Angela Jones-Reus.

Dr. Damnjanović has recently written a book of ten concert etudes for solo flute titled MAYKA based on the sounds of Serbian folk music and is looking forward to her appointment as a flute professor at the University of North Georgia starting in Fall 2022.

LESSON SPECIALITIES:

Orchestral excerpts
Mozart Concerti
Competition/audition preparation
Phrasing
Baroque Music
Tonguing (I have some great exercises for really advanced students)
Articulation (in terms of style)
Tone
Vibrato

Teresa Feliciano

A native of Puerto Rico, Teresa Feliciano attended the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance with a minor in education. While completing her studies, she was part of the flute section of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and played with other renowned local ensembles. She received her Master of Music—also in flute performance—from Georgia State University where she studied with Sarah Kruser Ambrose.

Teresa has played professionally with numerous organizations in Puerto Rico and Georgia, New York, and Washington DC. In addition to her performance career, she has been a private music instructor since 2004. Teresa conducts flute and piano lessons, coachings and sectionals throughout the metro Atlanta area. She is currently on the faculty of ZTunes Music and works as a freelance Spanish translator and interpreter.

LESSON SPECIALTIES:

I absolutely looooove teaching beginners and the basics of tone production in regards to breathing and supporting to play without tension—I like to work with students that have a small sound due to a tight embouchure or students who are struggling to play with braces.

Allison Carroll Slater

Allison Carroll Slater is a metro-Atlanta area flute teacher and native of Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education after studying flute under professor Angela Jones Reus, serving as the principal flutist in the Wind Symphony, and marching both piccolo and sousaphone in the Redcoat Marching Band.

After graduating from UGA, Allison taught 6th-12th grade band, marching band, and everyone’s favorite elective - the History of Rock & Roll - at Social Circle Middle High School.

Later, Allison attended Louisiana State University where she performed with the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland (sousaphone), served as the principal flutist in the Symphonic Winds, taught at local high schools, and studied music education with Dr. Jim Byo and wind band conducting with Dr. Damon Talley.

After graduating with her Master’s degree in Music Education, Allison returned to teaching high school band at Walnut Grove High School, where she taught band, percussion classes, guitar classes, and marching band.

For over a decade, Allison has taught group and private lessons to flutists as well as other instrumentalists. Today she maintains an active studio in metro-Atlanta for flutists of all ages! Allison is also a member of the esteemed all-adult symphonic band, Tara Winds, and will be traveling to France this summer with the band to perform in the Festival des Anches d'Azur in June.

On most days, Allison can be found practicing flute or planning trips around the world with her trusty sidekick, Severus (her adorable black cat) or building Lego or playing racquetball with her wonderful husband, Phil!

LESSON SPECIALTIES:

I adore rhythm work and love helping students master the art of sight reading (aka not being so nervous during the ‘unknown’ parts of auditions, but feeling confident and prepared with a sight reading system in place!) both for auditions and ‘regular’ daily music!

I love providing students with new and proven ways to practice, prepare, and master challenging sections of their music!

Helping students create beautiful, warm tones in the upper register is my jam! No more worrying about being ‘too high, loud, or screechy’ - I love helping students become confident and comfortable with their upper ranges, and have some great mindset work and techniques I use to help with this!

Your Guest Artists...

Dr. Tia Roper

Flute Soloist and Teacher

As a distinguished soloist and concert artist, Dr. Tia Roper has given magnetic flute performances in Japan, Russia, Switzerland, England, the Barbados, Venezuela, and throughout the United States. She has held the principal flute positions of the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra, and Asia’s Pacific Music Festival Orchestra. Dr. Roper has performed as a soloist with the Queens Symphony Orchestra and as a guest section member of the Seattle Symphony, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic, and Westchester Philharmonic.

The winner of numerous competitions throughout America, her grand prize in the Artists International Debut Recital Award Competition procured her Carnegie Hall recital debut which received critical acclaim. The New York Amsterdam News applauded “her remarkable technical command of her instrument as well as highly refined musicianship."

Ms. Roper has been a featured guest on What’s Eating Harlem, Boston's It's all about the Arts, and Houston's KUHF 88.7 radio station where her collaboration as a member of Aperio Music of the Americas has been broadcast. Other media features include Bold Journey Magazine, Voyage Atlanta, and Shout Out Atlanta. Her debut album, The Magic Flute, on the Albany Records label has received glowing reviews. American Record Guide says: “Roper is a terrific flutist whose playing is polished and technique is solid.” They also declare: “She has a marvelous tone...” The acclaimed CD was submitted by the head of Albany Records for Grammy nomination consideration. It successfully advanced to the first-round ballot in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in collaboration with pianist Mitchell Vines. Dr. Roper can also be heard on singer/songwriter Jann Klose's album MOSAIC.

Tia Roper was a student at the Juilliard Pre-College where she graduated with honors. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music while also earning a feature in The National Dean’s List. Dr. Roper has a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Boston University, and Doctorate of Musical Arts from Rutgers University. An avid music educator, Dr. Tia Roper serves as the Flute Instructor at the Lovett Conservatory of Music and is the Band Director at Mill Springs Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia, an educational institution that serves students who have learning differences and neurodivergent diagnoses.

Los Salseros de Georgia

Natalie Smith, flute

Los Salseros de Georgia is a 6-piece Latin band composed of seasoned musicians from all walks of life. We play exciting, danceable music heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres. It's a fun time for all!

Natalie Smith is a freelance flutist living in Athens, GA. She holds a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory from the University of Georgia, where she was a student of Angela Jones-Reus. Natalie is currently principal flutist for the Gwinnett Ballet Theater Orchestra, the Georgia Ballet Orchestra, and Felix Farrar’s Atlanta Symphoria, and she substitutes regularly with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. She also performs in world music groups including Brazilian forró band Bichos Vivos and the Athens Middle East Orchestra. In addition to playing the flute, Natalie teaches private lessons through her business Music with Natalie and is the founder and executive director of HEART Music, a non-profit organization whose goal is to make high quality music education accessible to all. www.heartmusicathens.org

FLÛTURE

Professional flute quartet

Atlanta-based flute quartet, FLÛTURE, is made up of four fiercely talented and passionate flutists from four very different cultures: Macedonian, Cajun, Serbian, and Puerto Rican, to be exact.

The performers—Aleksandra Tevdoska, Cain-Oscar Bergeron, Jovana Damnjanovic, and Teresa Feliciano—offer performances and interactive classes, demonstrations, and various educational opportunities.

Flûture can be found making all kinds of sounds on flutes from around the world, standard concert flutes, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute. A Flûture presentation is not to be missed!

Angela Jones-Reus

University of Georgia

Angela Jones-Reus is currently Professor of Flute at the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music and Principal Flutist of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. She is active as a soloist, chamber artist, orchestral player and teacher with appearances throughout the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and South America.

Among Jones-Reus’ performances are a concert in Carnegie Hall with Jean Pierre Rampal and Julius Baker, a London Debut Recital at St John’s Smith Square, a Japan tour as soloist with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and five performances—stepping in with one day’s notice—of the Jacques Ibert Flute Concerto with the San Remo Symphony Orchestra, Italy.

In 1991 Jones-Reus won the Principal Flute position of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, Germany, where she played until 2000. She performed with this orchestra extensively throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States and South America and can be heard on recordings on over 12 labels including EMI Classics, ECM Records, Koch International and Naxos. Her solo compact disc entitled Mostly French was recorded in Prague with I Virtuosi di Praga for the Koch International label.

Ms. Jones-Reus has been performing as a regular guest with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999 including seven Carnegie Hall performances, a three week concert tour of Asia (China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan) and concerts in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the London Royal Albert Hall, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Berlin Philharmonie, Chicago Symphony Hall, Lucerne Konzerthaus and Tokyo Suntory Hall. Jones-Reus performed on the Berlin Philharmonie’s latest recording of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, with conductor Sir Simon Rattle for EMI Classics, recorded in Berlin, Germany.

Professor of Flute at the University of Georgia since 2000, Angela Jones-Reus is sought after as a teacher and clinician, receiving invitations in South America and the United States including Rice University, NC School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory. Ms. Jones-Reus teaches at the UGA Study Abroad Program in Italy and is a member of The Georgia Woodwind Quintet. Internationally active as chamber musician she has collaborated in many international festivals and concert series, including numerous performances with celebrated chamber music pioneer, Charles Wadsworth (founder of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society).

Jones-Reus holds degrees from the Juilliard School (MM) and the NC School of the Arts (BM) and was the sole recipient of the coveted Fulbright Scholarship to Italy in music.

Jessica Petrasek

Georgia State University

Jessica Petrasek is an Atlanta-based flutist who performs and teaches all over the country. A passionate educator, she has taught both in music institutions and at home for 15 years.

Jessica has served as Principal Flute of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Piccolo and 2nd Flute of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Principal Flute of the Breckenridge Music Festival, Principal Flute of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Piccolo of the Kansas City Symphony, and Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. She is the piccoloist for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Georgia and the Central City Opera Orchestra in Colorado. Jessica performs regularly with the Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

In the summer of 2018, Jessica was awarded the "Best Performance of a Newly Commissioned Work" prize at the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition. In 2013, she earned Third Prize in the same competition. She was a NFAA YoungARTS Silver Award Winner and Presidential Scholar, and was featured on NPR’s “From the Top.”

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, where she majored in Classics with a focus on Latin and Ancient Greek language and literature. She concurrently earned a Certificate in Music Performance, studying under flutist Jayn Rosenfeld. Jessica performed multiple concertos with the Princeton University Orchestra, and received the Isidore and Helen Sacks Memorial Prize and the honor of being named a University Scholar. Jessica also holds a Master of Music from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she was awarded both the Jerry and Nanette Finger Foundation Prize and the Isidore and Helen Sacks Memorial Prize. She studied under Leone Buyse at Rice.

Jessica has received additional training at the Tanglewood Music Center, Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival, and the National Repertory Orchestra.

Jessica and her husband, percussionist Joe Petrasek, perform together as the Petrasek Duo. Together they give recitals and masterclasses all over the country. They have a young daughter, Sophia, who shares her parents' love of music, food, and animals.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

Ready to sign up?

A few things first...

1.

Entrance Audition Requirements

As part of your registration, we ask that you submit a brief VIDEO recording of yourself playing a short audition. We will use this audition to place you in the appropriate level flute choir.

Please video record:

1. 2 major scales (one or two octaves)

2. 1 minute of music of your choice. It can be a solo, band music, All State etudes. You can submit anything from the Ibert Concerto to "We Don't Talk About Bruno" or anything in between. It can be with or without accompaniment.

We recommend uploading videos to YouTube and submitting "unlisted" links. If you need help understanding how to do this, here are instructions.

FLING X applicants DO NOT need to submit this audition, only the FLING X audition.

2.

Masterclass Audition Requirements

If you would like to audition to participate in the masterclass with one of our guest artists, please submit an additional VIDEO recording of you performing what you'd like to play in the class.

Solo pieces or orchestral excerpts (2-3 excerpts) are encouraged. Piano accompaniment is not required but can be provided if you're invited to play in the class.

There is a place on the application form for you to copy and paste the link. Please note that we'll invite as many participants as possible to play in the class. We won't be able to have all applicants perform, but we'll try to include as many as possible.

(A masterclass is where you get up on the stage with the guest teacher and have basically an "open lesson" with the rest of the participants in the audience watching.)

3.

Registration Process

There are several steps to the registration process:

1. Complete the registration form including providing video links to the required audition material

2. Pay at least the non-refundable deposit fee

Before you start the registration form, please:

1. Decide if you want to audition for FLING X or regular FLING.

2. Record the required material and have links ready to copy/paste.

3. If you're interested in having a private lesson, read the teacher bios and lesson specialties so you know which teacher you'd like to have a lesson with.