Notice Board

Music at Noon Series: Sara Hahn, flute (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra); Sarah Gieck, flute
12:15 pm, March 7, 2017
University Recital Hall
FREE admission, everyone welcome

Green Banana Flute Studios in Recital, featuring Sara Hahn and Sarah Gieck on flute.

Hailed by the Calgary Herald as having "beauty of tone and a wonderfully flexible phrasing”, Sara Hahn is currently the Principal Flutist for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.  Prior to accepting this post in 2006, Sara performed as Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and completed an extensive three week tour of Japan and Hong Kong with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 2002. 

As a soloist, Sara has also performed throughout Canada, the United States and Brazil as a guest of the Campos do Jordao International Winter Festival.  In 2015, she performed the Chaminade Concertino with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra to critical acclaim, and in April 2016, she performed the world premiere of Arthur Bachmann’s "The Daughter of Elysium” with the CPO.  Awards for Sara’s solo flute performances include the University of Toronto concerto competition, and $10,000 as the winner of the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg Doris McLellan Competition for Solo Performance with Orchestra. 

Sara teaches both privately and as a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary with several of her private students having been accepted into both undergraduate and graduate programs across the country. Sara is proud to be a co-founder of Green Banana Flute Studios, see www.gbflutes.com for details.

She graduated with honours from the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor in Music Performance under internationally renown flutist, Susan Hoeppner.

Music has the power to speak profoundly to all of us and for Sarah Gieck the decision to pursue a career with the flute was a calling she could not ignore.  With the encouragement of teachers and family Sarah began studying music at a very young age, a passion that continued to grow into adulthood.  Sarah’s educational background includes a BMus, (University of Calgary) MMus, (Royal Northern College of Music) and an AD (University of Cincinnati) where she had the opportunity to study with many of the world’s finest teachers including, gaining a well rounded perspective of classical flute across three countries.

Sarah has performed as a regular guest musician with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for eight seasons. She is especially grateful for the opportunity to participate in a job share for the 2016/17 season, which allows her to share the role of Principal/Assistant Principal Flute and Piccolo for twenty-five weeks of the orchestras full-time schedule. In addition to her orchestral playing, Sarah has significant chamber and solo experience, recently performing a transcription of The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams for flute and band as part of the 2016 Cantando Festival held in the stunningly beautiful Winspear Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. Sarah was also grateful to be featured as part of the Wild West Ensemble season in a Calgary New Music Festival concert with Sarah Slean, the program including Crumb's Vox Balaenae and Schonberg's Pierrot Lunaire, May 2016. 

Sarah’s passion for the flute extends to her students to whom she is very committed. For nine years Sarah has braved a long commute from Calgary to provide weekly lessons to the students of the University of Lethbridge enrolled in the BMus program, a teaching post near and dear to her heart. Additionally she has maintained a private flute studio in her home for more than fifteen years, including both private lessons and group classes. Beginning in 2008 Sarah has served on faculty at MusiCamp Alberta, a summer music program hosted by Red Deer College that consistently becomes a yearly highlight in both teaching and performing opportunities.