A classical composition echoed within the walls of Ford-Crawford Hall on Sept. 3 during the Flute Academy’s Inaugural Concert. The budding program, affiliated with the Jacobs School of Music, began in June and has worked to provide musical resources for flutists across Bloomington.
The faculty and students performed a contrasting array of music from classical composer Anton Reicha to modern composer Sameer Rao. The program was selected earlier in the year, and preparation for the performance began in April.
“We discussed having something to play with the piano, but we decided that the repertoire was a bit long and I really wanted to have everyone hear the Concerto in D major by Mozart,” Dr. Suyeon Ko said.
Both professor Thomas Robertello and Ko share responsibilities within the new program. Robertello is the head of the Flute Academy and the associate professor of flute at the Jacobs School of Music. Additionally, he teaches master classes for students in and outside the academy. Ko, as the artistic director of the Academy, focuses on recruiting and conducting for the Flute Academy Ensemble as well as teaching private lessons.
Aside from teaching to students at IU, the Flute Academy welcomes Bloomington community members as well, even those without any previous education in the flute.
“This flute academy is really important because it’s going to help the children in town get a really good-quality education,” Ko said. “I think that’s very special because none of the [music] schools that I remember had pre-college programs for the amateurs.”
In addition to lessons, the program plans on debuting its ensemble to the public in its upcoming concert from 3 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Monroe County Public Library. To get involved or sign up for lessons, contact kosu@iu.edu.
