TAMUK hosts flute showcase, world renowned flute player
The School of Music recently presented a Flute Studio Showcase and for some students it was their first individual performance in front of an audience.
“Very nerve-wracking,” Ana Moreno said. Airamy Martinez added, “We’ve played by ourselves for our four-professor jury, but it’s definitely different having an audience.”
It was both their first recital.
“It got a little better for me as I got into the music, and I’m going to say ‘pretend’ like I am a world-class performer, and get into the zone,” Martinez said.
The music department and truly the entire region will not have to wait much longer to be in observance of such a talent.
On Saturday, May 3, the Flute Studio will host TAMUK Flute Day, filled with master classes, performances, clinics and more. Among the highlights will be guest performer Jasmine Choi.
Choi is a world-renowned flutist, born in South Korea and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School. She made history as the first Korean born woodwind player of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift were the names music students gave when asked to compare Jasmine Choi to a pop singer.
In a combination of first performance jitters and anticipation building for the superstar’s upcoming performance, the energy in the music building the night of the studio showcase was palpable.
“If you thought today’s energy was high it’s going to be out of the roof on [May 3rd]” said Dr. Elizabeth Janzen, who is the professor of Flute and the Associate Director of the TAMUK school of Music.
Dr. Janzen spoke about bringing an internationally acclaimed, generational classical musician to Kingsville.
“We planned ahead. We’ve been talking about wanting to do this for at least two years. I knew the centennial was this year, so I said ‘Let’s celebrate in our own way.’ Let’s bring someone really big that will showcase the TAMUK flute studio as this amazing place to be, this amazing opportunity to not only showcase our own players but to bring in the community and celebrate with them,” she said.
Students helped raise between 70 and 80 percent of Choi’s fee, which indicates the level of excitement for her appearance. The next step was simple.
“And then we just asked her,” Janzen said of booking Choi. “I explained who we are. And what the students were doing with the hopes that she would join us, and we are celebrating our centennial and we’re a rural campus that’s far away from really big urban centers that might showcase her. So, this is not only for my students but for many of the flute players in the South Texas region, possibly their only opportunity to come see an artist of this repute.”
“I think it’s going to be a really great opportunity to see TAMUK at its best,” Dr. Janzen concluded.
Adjunct Professor Annabel MacDonald highlighted the scope of experience students will have.
“A lot of students are hoping to take master classes from [Choi],” MacDonald said, adding that “Our students facilitate most of the events going on that day. They organize, run events, masterclasses and clinics themselves.”
Over the course of her near two-year tenure, MacDonald said, “The flute studio has grown so much in terms of the musicianship the artists are cultivating in themselves. The studio is so strong and connected.”
TAMUK Flute Day is open to all ages, skill and interest levels.
The event is free for TAMUK students.
To attend please email Dr. Elizabeth Janzen for registration as they are expecting a full house.
