Christina Smith, principal flute of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
 

Christina Smith is one of the most sought-after flutists in the country as an orchestral player, soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She has held the Principal Flute chair in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1991, endowed in perpetuity by Jill Hertz. Ms. Smith’s flute solos can be heard on over 40 ASO recordings. She has also appeared with the orchestra numerous times as concerto soloist, including works of Mozart, Vivaldi, Ibert, Rodrigo, Nielsen, Jolivet, Leonard Bernstein, and Christopher Rouse. Ms. Smith performed the southeastern U.S. premiere of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s “L’aile du songe,” with Robert Spano conducting.

Ms. Smith began studying flute at age seven. She spent her formative years in Northern California, before attending Interlochen Arts Academy, where she received the Young Artist Medal (the Academy’s highest honor) in 1989. Immediately after graduation, Ms. Smith began her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music as a pupil of Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner.  After just two years at Curtis, she won the principal flute chair in the ASO at age 20. Ms. Smith has also studied with Tim Day, and has collaborated extensively with master teacher and clinician Keith Underwood.

Throughout her career, Ms. Smith has continued to perform and teach at the nation’s most prestigious summer festivals, including Marlboro, Grand Teton, Strings, Mainly Mozart, and the Aspen Music Festival. She has performed with the Bellingham (WA) Festival of Music chamber orchestra since 1994, and has performed there as concerto soloist several times. In addition, Ms. Smith has been invited to teach some of the world’s most promising young orchestral musicians at the Aspen Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute in College Park, MD.

Ms. Smith has appeared as guest principal flutist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. In 2018, she performed with the World Orchestra for Peace in Künzelsau, Germany, and at the BBC Proms for the UNESCO anniversary concerts of the WWI Armistice. She has been featured as a gala concerto soloist at the National Flute Association convention in Salt Lake City.

A prolific and accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Smith helped launch a pre-concert chamber music series featuring ASO musicians—a program that began its first official season in 2011-12, and is now thriving both financially and artistically. Ms. Smith’s longtime collaboration with ASO principal harpist Elisabeth Remy Johnson resulted in the 2008 release of a duet album entitled “Encantamiento.” She is a member of the Merian Ensemble, a group of ASO women who perform and commission works by historic and contemporary female composers. The group has recently recorded its first album, "The Book of Spells", to noteworthy reviews.

Equally passionate about teaching, Ms. Smith serves on the faculty at Emory University and maintains a busy private studio. She remains highly in demand to teach masterclasses across the country, and has been featured as the guest artist at a number of flute clubs, including New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.

Ms. Smith performs on vintage flutes, handmade by Verne Q. Powell. She is proud to be a Powell artist.

Dr. Shana Stone and The Craicin’ Stones Irish Ensemble

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The Craicin’ Stones are a dynamic Irish band based in Georgia, dedicated to delivering an enjoyable listening experience and a fresh interpretation of Irish Traditional music through their lively performances. Formed in 2024 by a group of college friends, the ensemble set out to start sharing Irish Traditional music in spaces typically reserved for Classical music, beginning with the performing arts stages of the University of Georgia. Since embarking on this exciting journey, they have recorded an album titled Tradical (set to be released soon!), which showcases a captivating blend of both Classical and Traditional pieces by renowned Irish composers. The group features Sarah Ling on fiddle, Hoberdan Peno on guitar, Shana Stone on Irish flute, and Meme Walton on bodhrán.

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Shana Stone is a thoughtful, engaging musical artist who is devoted to interpreting and sharing music with her audiences. She graduated in May 2025 with her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia, where she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the UGA Flute Studio and performed with the Southern Wind Quintet. Her dissertation research addressed the topics of Irish music, the scarcity of music by Irish composers within the Classical standard repertoire, and the nuanced relationship between Classical and Traditional music. During her doctoral studies, she formed an Irish band called The Craicin' Stones and recorded an album of Classical and Traditional Irish music.

An active teacher, Shana has taught, presented and adjudicated at notable events such as UGA Flute Day, JanFest, and the UGA Summer Music Camp, in addition to maintaining a private studio. Her performance experiences include appearances with the Chattanooga Symphony, the Athens Master Chorale, and the Georgia Children's Chorus, in addition to her work with The Craicin’ Stones. Shana is particularly invested in new music; she has premiered contemporary compositions, created her own original pieces for solo flute, flute duet, and flute with piano, and made flute quartet arrangements of some of her favorite hymns and folk tunes, as well as an arrangement for flute and guitar of an Irish composition that was originally written for solo guitar.

Other favorite performances as a member of the UGA Flute Quartet and the UGA Flute Studio include performances at the 2025 National Flute Association convention, the 2018 National Flute Association convention, and the 2019 Florida Flute Association (FFA) Convention (where she also competed as a finalist in the 2019 FFA Collegiate Young Artist Competition). She also won 1st prize in the Charleston International Music Competition (2023), 1st prize in the South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition (2023), 3rd prize in the 2021 Raleigh Area Flute Association Artist Competition (2021), and 2nd prize in the Flutissimo! Solo Artist Competition (2019).

She holds a Master's degree in Flute Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she studied with Dr. Erika Boysen and Dr. Tim Hagen, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Flute Performance from the University of Georgia, where she studied with Professor Angela Jones-Reus. Other teachers include Daniel Self, Kristen Holritz, Elizabeth Klein Teplitsky, and Emily Zirlin.

In her spare time, you can find Shana reading, watching Disney movies, cross stitching, hiking, or playing with her goats and cat!

Ebonee Thomas,

Assistant Professor of Flute University of Texas at Austin and 2nd flute/piccolo of the Dallas Opera

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Hailed for her “verve and pizazz” and the “gleaming purity” of her artistry by the Miami Herald, Ebonee Thomas is Second Flute and Piccolo of The Dallas Opera. She has previously served  as Principal Flute of the Knoxville Symphony and the Florida Grand Opera, and spent one year as Second Flute of the Houston Symphony. In addition she has performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Seattle Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and the Fort Worth Symphony. Ebonee has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony. During her summers Ebonee has been a member of Central City Opera, Breckenridge Music Festival, Lakes Area Music and Music in the Mountains.

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Ebonee completed a four-year fellowship with the prestigious New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas. In addition to performing at Carnegie Hall, she was a featured soloist under Tilson-Thomas, performing Joan Tower’s Flute Concerto and the North American premiere of Christian Lindberg’s flute concerto, The World of Montuagretta.

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Along with performing orchestral repertoire, Ebonee is an avid chamber musician, applauded as a “standout” by Theater Jones in a performance for the Fine Arts Chamber Players. She performs regularly with the Austin Chamber Music Society and Voices of Change, a new music ensemble in Dallas, TX. She was a finalist for the Austin Arts Awards for her performance of Valerie Coleman’s Danza de la Mariposa, for solo flute. She recently made her debut performance with the ensembleNEWSRQ, a contemporary ensemble highlighting living and underrepresented composers. Ebonee has been a member of the Firebird Ensemble with Seraphic Fire and can be heard on several of their released recordings including The Brandenburg Project. Ebonee had the rare opportunity to perform John Adams’ Chamber Symphony in Carnegie Hall under the composer’s baton.

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Ebonee feels very fortunate to have participated in some very unique projects. She served as Principal Flute of the Star Wars in Concert! Orchestra during their U.S., Canada, and Mexico tour and was Principal Flute of the American Repertory Theater’s revival of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. She performed for the Kennedy Center Honors as part of the New World Symphony alumni orchestra in honor of Michael Tilson Thomas. She was also part of the Re-Collective Orchestra, the first all-Black orchestra to perform to a sold out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl. Ebonee has also served as principal flute with the Chineke! Orchestra at BBC Proms and during their European Tour. She has performed all over the world. Some of her favorite venues include KKL Luzern (Switzerland), The Elbphilarmonie (Germany), Wigmore Hall (England), Snape Maltings (England), and Musiikkitalo (Finland).

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As a passionate pedagogue, Ebonee is the Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Texas at Austin, Butler school of music. She previously held a position as Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory. Along with all of her musical endeavors, Ebonee serves as a member of the board of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestras and, the National Advisory Board of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program, the Black Orchestral Network’s Steering Committee and is a member of the New World Symphony’s Alumni Association Committee. She is currently the Piccolo Committee Chair for the National Flute Association.

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Ebonee received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance degree from Southern Methodist University and received her Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers Jean Larson Garver, Claire Johnson, Helen Blackburn, and Fenwick Smith. Ebonee is a Burkart piccolo artist and plays on a Burkart 998 with a platinum Mancke headjoint and a Burkart Elite Piccolo.

Choo Choo Hu, piano

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Pianist Choo Choo Hu has been recognized as a musician of inordinate versatility. Praised by The Bethlehem Morning Call as “one of the finest musicians I’ve ever heard…her technique was as solid and smooth as could be wished…in addition, she managed to bring out the richness of Schubert’s music with impeccable phrasing and tempi.”

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Choo Choo has performed across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. Always striving for versatility and new challenges, she has shared the stage with everyone from the Imani Winds to John Legend. Recent solo engagements include appearances with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Spokane Symphony. As an orchestral musician, she has played with the Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Johns Creek Symphony, Prince George’s Philharmonic, and York Symphony. Her solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today, WYPR in Baltimore, and WABE in Atlanta. As a repetiteur, she has worked with the Atlanta Opera, as well as with the Prague Summer Nights Opera Festival in such venues as the Mozarteum in Salzburg and various palaces throughout the Czech Republic. 

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An avid proponent of contemporary music, Choo Choo is a founding member of the Atlanta-based new music collective ensemble vim, now in its seventh season. She has played with Rocket City New Music, was a core member of the SONAR New Music Ensemble, and has performed alongside members of Alarm Will Sound and the International Contemporary Ensemble. Her guest artist residencies include the Levine School of Music, McDaniel College, Washington University, and East Central College, as well as the Prague Summer Nights Festival, the Bethlehem Music Festival, the Heifetz International Music Institute, and the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival.

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Born in China and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Choo Choo began taking lessons at the age of five with pianist John Sun. She made her concerto debut at age twelve with the Washington University Symphony Orchestra. By the time she was sixteen she had already accumulated top prizes at competitions throughout the United States such as the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, the Biennial Lee Competition, the Washington University Young Artists Concerto Competition, and the St. Louis Symphony Youth Concerto Competition. At age seventeen she enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, studying with renowned musicians Leon Fleisher and Brian Ganz. While at Peabody, Choo Choo was the recipient of the Albert and Rosa Silverman Memorial Scholarship, the Yale Gordon Chamber Music Fellowship, and the Grace Clagett Ranney Prize in Chamber Music. 

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Choo Choo currently resides in Atlanta with her husband, where they live their best DINKWAD lives (Dual Income No Kids With A Dog.) She loves nothing more than to host wine and music reading parties, and dreams of one day opening a chamber music festival/farming co-op somewhere in the mountains.