
We are thrilled to feature Jamie Kasper as a soloist on our upcoming Winter Concert on Sunday, February 16th! She will be performing Flute Concertino in D major, Op. 107 (1902) by French composer Cécile Chaminade.
Jamie Kasper grew up in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and decided she wanted to play the flute when she was 9 years old. Her grandmother bought a flute for Christmas that year, and with the help of books and a 1980s tape recorder, Jamie taught herself to play. She majored in music at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and started her career as a music educator, working in schools in Maryland and Virginia before returning home to Pennsylvania in 2002. Jamie currently works as the director of the Arts Education Partnership, a national organization working on arts education policy and research. When she's not monitoring education policy, traveling for work, or playing the flute, she enjoys reading, gardening, and hiking.
When asked why she chose this piece, Jamie said: "I played this at my junior recital in college and then again for a community recital when my husband and I lived in central Pennsylvania. My friend My Lee was the piano accompanist for that recital. My Lee passed away shortly after we played together, so I think of her a lot when I play this piece."
Jamie also added: "A popular anecdote is that the composer wrote this piece after her lover, a flutist, left her for another woman. She wrote the piece to be virtually unplayable by him as revenge. It might not be true, but it's a fun story."