Thank you! (A letter from the president)
Dear San Diego,
This weekend passed at hurricane speed for me - I know it did for many of you as well. I want to personally say thank you so much to all who came to the festival this weekend at our Spring Flute Festival. It was so nice to meet so many new people, and have fleeting moments here and there with old friends as well. Marianne Gedigian and Collette Valentine were incredible, right?!
As much as I try to recognize each individual for their efforts at making this a fantastic event, there are simply too many names and I fear that I will leave someone out. I will try to remember each group here, but please know how much everyone's individual contribution means to me, and also the entire San Diego Flute Guild Board.
My deepest thanks to the board - Alan, Alina, Cheryl, Cindy, Erica, Lily, Pam, Ruth, Tracy, and Tina. You did an amazing job this weekend organizing, doing the heavy lifting, and giving freely of your time for the ever expanding flute community!
The Exhibitors came loaded with incredible products, I know several students of mine who got to come home with new instruments - what a difference a really high quality instrument makes! I appreciate you making the time for our flute community. Thank you to those who had to travel long distances, we know how much work it is to set these things up!
The Adjudicators gave very well thought out comments, both helpful and encouraging, and gave up their chance to attend many festival events to listen to the huge number of competitors!
The Volunteers - Did you all know that there were over 80 jobs to be done at this festival? All was covered from top to bottom - Everyone on the Registration team, the Hospitality Table, the Door Monitors, Competition Proctors, Collating Room helpers, Ushers, Competition Runners, Page turners, drivers, photographers, and especially the staff at PLNU made the day smooth as silk. Special thanks go to Christine Fontes and Renee Tresko for their long hours!!
The Sponsors, Steve Finley from Wm. S. Haynes and Flute FX made it possible to have Marianne and Collette perform, Adam Workman from Flutistry Boston was a sponsor for the Young Artist Competition, Paul Rabinov sponsored the Youth Artist Junior Division, and Jeff Bertrand from Bertrand's Music sponsored the Youth Artist Senior Division, and the lovely Cynthia Kelley at Flutacious sponsored the FUNdraisers and the Festival Divisions. The financial support you provided to the San Diego Flute Guild really helps make this event truly special for our community, and we can only hope you can know how appreciative we are for your generosity!
The pianists were on their toes all day long - many of them with more than 10 students each! I don't know how you all learn that much music, incredible! Thank you for being willing to run from room to room for hours on end. Without your beautiful contribution, us flutists would be so lonely!
To the teachers, thank you for your tireless effort at preparing these lovely students with the ability to compete at such an incredibly high level. The talent in this area is a deep pool, and each of you brings such a unique flavor which is reflected in your lovely students!
The competitors! Oh my goodness.... You are all so amazing to me! I loved watching you prepare as you waited outside the room. I watched you come out of the competition - some relieved, some overjoyed, and of course some disappointed. But through all of it, I watched hard work and devotion in progress all day long. Thank you for participating, for practicing, and most importantly for sharing your talent! We are all so proud of each one of you!
Of course, to our Artists - Cynthia Ellis and Laguna flutes - Marianne Gedigian and Collette Valentine - I am so inspired, and I know everyone who got the chance to hear you is as well. Thank you from the bottom of each heart on the board for your artistry and generosity!
Check out our facebook page for festival photos!
I am brimming over with appreciation,
Kate Prestia-Schaub, SDFG President, and Festival Chair
2017 Competition Award List
Congratulations to all who competed in the festival! Below, you will see all of the Gold Medal winners for each festival division, as well as the winners of the divisions with 1st through 3rd place prizes. If you do not see your division listed, there were no gold medalists. Certificates, medals, and evaluation forms can either be picked up from me, or they will be mailed to teachers by next week. Teachers: Please email Kate with the address to which your packet should be mailed, or to schedule a pick up time.
Festival Elementary Division
| Eshan Patibandla |
| Mina Hurt |
| Michelle Sun |
| Yufei Wu |
| Lakshanya Sankaran |
| Soyeon Park |
| Mina Kim |
Festival 7th Grade Division
| Olivia Chen |
| Seah Yoon |
| Joanne Lee |
| Emma Cao |
| Karen Zheng |
| Nithin Chilakapati |
Festival 8th Grade Division
| Chloe Lee |
| Kevin L. Li |
| Samantha Prestrelski |
| Skyler Williams |
| Katherine Lee |
Festival 9th Grade Division
| Michelle Zhu |
| Jessica Mar |
| Jaelyn Daluraya |
| Hanna Kim |
| Peter Tolo |
| Carina Luo |
Festival 10th Grade Division
| Saqtiel Orozco-Pedroza |
| Mia Wilson |
Festival 11th Grade Division
| Michelle Grace Liu |
| Erin Yoon |
Festival 12th Grade Division
| Rucha Deshpande |
| Anabel Torres |
| Esther Kim |
Festival Collegiate Undergraduate Grade Division
| Emily Patricia Harrington |
| Sierra Johnson |
| Anahita Pestonjamasp |
| Natalia Valencia-Moss |
Piccolo Competition
| 1st Place |
Isabelle Jamois |
| 2nd Place |
Ruth Dunlop |
| 3rd Place |
Bridgette Shroll |
| Honorable Mention |
Kathleen Herb |
Orchestral Audition Competition
| 1st Place |
Lionel Avila |
| 2nd Place |
Christine Choi |
| 3rd Place |
Danielle Guilmette |
| Honorable Mention |
Michelle Grace Liu |
| Honorable Mention |
Anahita Pestonjamasp |
Youth Artist Elementary Division
| 1st Place |
Erica Wang |
| 2nd Place |
Min Wang |
| 3rd Place |
Megan Payne |
| Honorable Mention |
Grace L. Li |
| Honorable Mention |
Jiyoung Park |
Youth Artist Junior High School Division
| 1st Place |
Gabriela Beltran |
| 2nd Place |
Elisha Tan |
| 3rd Place |
Helen Zhu |
| Honorable Mention |
Emma Li |
| Honorable Mention |
Nathan Haghgoo |
Youth Artist Senior High School Division
| 1st Place |
Lorenzo Van Munoz |
| 2nd Place |
Amy Liu |
| 3rd Place |
Ann Kuo |
| Honorable Mention |
Jenny Choi |
| Honorable Mention |
Jennifer Joy Levy |
Young Artist Competition
| 1st Place |
Jeiran Hasan |
| 2nd Place |
Elyse Davis |
| 3rd Place |
Tracy Goodwin |
| Honorable Mention |
Kah Yun Song |
Palomar Mountain Flute Retreat
June 20-24, 2017 @ The Lodge at Palomar Mountain
Registration Deadline: May 15th
Guest Artist: Sarah Jackson
Camp Staff: Cindy Anne Broz, Ruth Washington-Mayhew, Erica Peel
It is going to be a truly amazing event and heaps of fun for all!
Sarah Jackson will be our Guest Artist on Friday June 23 (for week-long campers only) and also on Saturday June 24th. Saturday is a Guest Artist Day (see below).
The registration fee for the camp (ages 10-18) is $375. This includes all 5 nights/6 days: accommodations, all music (ensembles will be designed based on ability and will rehearsed by our professional camp staff; they will perform on the final day in concert for parents and families), meals, and two days of inspiration with Sarah Jackson (not to mention the daily attention with the winning personalities of our own professional staff )! Erica Peel, Ruth Washington-Mayhew, and Cindy Anne Broz will be the professional staff for camp. SDFG President, Kate Prestia-Schaub, will be there several evenings and on Saturday and Sunday.
The week-long camp is for ages 10-18. On Saturday, there is a Guest Artist Day which is open to adults (and others who are not able to attend the full camp). The fee for this day is $50 (this fee includes lunch and dinner, masterclasses/workshops and a concert performance by Sarah Jackson).
We encourage you to register as soon as possible if they want to secure a spot. At this point, out of 28 available spots, there are only 10 left. We will have a waiting list once we hit our max limit of 28 campers (should someone who has a secured spot be unable to attend, this spot will be offered to the first on the waiting list and so forth).
If you have any questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Camp Registration
Guest Artist Day Registration