March 14-15, 2025
Westminster University
Jewett Center for the Performing Arts & Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory
We are thrilled to announce that our Burkart-Sponsored Guest Artist for this year’s convention is Molly Barth – Grammy-Award-winning flutist, clinician, and professor at Vanderbilt University!
Schedule
March 14, 2025
4-9pm
Sonata Competition
March 15, 2025
9am-6pm
9:00 am – Moving with Music: Enhancing Health Through Mobility Training with Gabriel Gutierrez (Jones Recital Hall)
– Sparking a Sense of Discovery with Laura Lentz (Manship Choir Room)
10:00 am – Masterclass with Molly Barth (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
11:00 am – Musician Money: Finding Flute Financial Freedom with Drew Powell (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
12:00 pm – Lunch & Visiting with Vendors (Tanner Atrium & Richer Alcove)
1:00 pm – Artist Performer Competition Finals (Jones Recital Hall)
– MWFF Class: Flute Performing Skills with Kristen Parrish (Manship Choir Room)
– Baroque Basics: A Workshop on Baroque Ornamentation & Style with Emilee Ewing (Jewett 202)
2:00 pm – Molly Barth in Recital (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
3:00 pm – FREE EVENT: Orchestral Excerpt Masterclass with the Flutists of the Utah Symphony: Mercedes Smith, Lisa Byrnes, & Caitlyn Valovick Moore (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
– Flute Care: Paint and Assemble Basic Flute Care Kit with Katrina Young (Manship Choir Room)
4:00 pm – UFA Annual Member Meeting (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
– Sparking a Sense of Discovery with Laura Lentz (Manship Choir Room)
– Tone, Breathing, & Posture with Brittni McDonald (Jewett 202)
4:30 pm – Performance of En el Centro del Mundo y el Tiempo by Leonardo Cardenas, performed by Ligia Verduga (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
5:00 pm – High School Scholarship Competition Winners Recital (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
5:30 pm – Debut of Powder Jam by Ben Taylor, performed by Dr. Jeiran Hasan & Sonata Competition Winner Announcement (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
– See Detailed information on scheduled events below –
MountainWest FluteFest Day
*a sneak peek into our MountainWest FluteFest 4-day festival we hold in the summer!*
This year we will have a second event, designed for our younger flutists, that runs simultaneously with the convention. The MountainWest FluteFest Day is a discounted and shorter convention designed for our younger flutists, grades K-10. Compare the two schedules and see which one works best for you!
1:00-1:10pm – Welcome to the MountainWest FluteFest Workshop! with Katrina Young (Manship Choir Room)
1:10-1:50pm – Flute Performing Skills with Kristen Parrish (Manship Choir Room)
2:00-2:50pm – Molly Barth in Recital (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
3:00-3:50pm – Flute Care: Paint and Assemble Basic Flute Care Kit with Katrina Young (Manship Choir Room)
4:00-4:50pm – Tone, Breathing, & Posture with Brittni McDonald (Manship Choir Room)
– Sparking a Sense of Discovery with Laura Lentz
5:00pm – High School Scholarship Competition Winners Recital (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
5:30 pm – Debut of Powder Jam by Ben Taylor, performed by Dr. Jeiran Hasan & Sonata Competition Winner Announcement (Vieve Gore Concert Hall)
Registration
Orchestral Excerpt Masterclass with the Flutists of the Utah Symphony Registration
Pricing
All day member: $20 (Please note if you are also participating in the Sonata Competition, that will be a separate, additional registration and payment.)
Single event member: $8
All day non member: $30
Single event non member: $12
MWFF Day: $15
Utah Symphony Orchestral Excerpt Masterclass: FREE
Lunch is available for Preorder with your registration. All lunches are $5 and are nonrefundable after the sign up deadline. Lunch orders may be made until March 1st.
Schedule Details
Moving with Music: Enhancing Health Through Mobility Training with Gabriel Gutierrez
Sparking a Sense of Discovery with Laura Lentz
Masterclass with Molly Barth (Performance Spots Available!)
Only 3 spots available! Sign-ups will close once filled. Register for the masterclass as one of the three participants in the member registration page under the convention section, found here!
Musician Money: Finding Flute Financial Freedom with Drew Powell
In “Musician Money: Finding Flute Financial Freedom,” we will explore essential strategies for musicians to achieve financial stability and success. The lecture will cover cultivating healthy mindsets around money, practical tips for managing finances wisely, and creating effective budgets. Drew will also discuss balancing side hustles and day jobs with a musician’s lifestyle, as well as strategies for affording instruments, accessories, and other career necessities. Come ready to be equipped with actionable insights to harmonize your artistic and financial goals!
Drew Powell is a professional flutist and aspiring Certified Financial Planner (CFP) based in Salt Lake County, Utah. His recent performance highlights include collaborations with renowned
ensembles such as the Utah Symphony, Ballet West, and Symphony San Jose, along with appearances with the San Francisco Opera and the New World Symphony.
With over 20 years of competitive musicianship, Drew’s accolades include winning the 2017 Myrna Brown Artist Competition, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 National Flute Association (NFA) Young Artist Competition, and being named runner-up in the 2020 NFA
Orchestral Audition and Masterclass Competition.
Drew is now channeling his passion for excellence into the financial services industry. He is pursuing licensure as a financial advisor and working toward CFP certification, driven by his commitment to empowering individuals and families to achieve financial well-being.
Drew earned his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University under the mentorship of John Thorne and his Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University, where he studied with Dr. April Clayton. His musical growth has been further shaped by post-graduate
work with Gretchen Pusch and Rob Knopper.
A firm believer that variety is the spice of life, Drew balances his pursuits in music and finance with a range of other interests. When he’s not performing, teaching, or working in financial
services, you can find him exercising, rucking, exploring personal finance literature, or experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Artist Performer Competition Finals
Watch the three finalists for this year’s Artist Performer competition perform Sonata in a minor, I – Poco Adagio by CPE Bach and a selecton from Flute Music by French Composers. The winner will be announced along with all the other winners at the end of the convention.
Molly Barth in Recital
Orchestral Excerpt Masterclass with the Flutists of the Utah Symphony: Mercedes Smith, Lisa Byrnes, & Caitlyn Valovick Moore
Utah Flute Association Annual Member Meeting
Performance of En el Centro del Mundo y el Tiempo by Leonardo Cardenas, performed by Ligia Verduga
High School Scholarship Competition Winners Recital
MountainWest FluteFest Day
Flute Performing Skills with Kristen Parrish
Molly Barth in Recital
The Utah Flute Association will be featuring Guest Artist Molly Barth from Vanderbilt University. Students will be able to see a professional flutist perform a 45-minute recital
Flute Care with Katrina Young
Paint and Assemble a Basic Flute Care Kit
Basic flute care involves cleaning and proper storage of the instrument.
After learning the basics of simple maintenance, we will create and assemble a basic flute care kit for
students to take home.
Orchestral Excerpt Masterclass with the Flutists of the Utah Symphony
Featuring Mercedes Smith, Lisa Byrnes, & Caitlyn Valovick Moore
Attend a masterclass, featuring the winners of the Orchestral Excerpt Mock Audition, working on excerpts with the fabulous Utah Symphony | Utah Opera flute section!
Tone, Breathing, & Posture with Brittni McDonald
Come learn some new skills that will improve your playing in an interactive way! Improve tone with a series of breathing and posture games and experiments.
Sparking a Sense of Discovery with Laura Lentz
High School Scholarship Competition Winners Recital
The Utah Flute Association awards three Utah High School Seniors a flute scholarship to help towards college pursuits. This recital will feature the winning students!
Debut of Powder Jam by Ben Taylor, performed by Dr. Jeiran Hasan & Sonata Competition Winner Announcement
Featured Artists
Molly Barth
Molly Barth is constantly in motion. This Grammy Award-winning flutist, professor and clinician moves effortlessly from concert hall to teaching studio to rehearsal room to
orchestral section. Molly needs fuel for this fire.
Molly is fueled by visceral communication with listeners. The halls may be large or small, the music may be old or new, but the performances are always concentrated, intense.
Molly is fueled by the smell of wet ink and spark of chamber music. Molly has premiered hundreds of pieces, finding the creation of new music uplifting and miraculous. Molly has toured the world, recorded a dozen albums, and—with Eighth Blackbird—won a Grammy Award. Molly is a co-founder of the Zohn Collective, a group of curious musicians who share a love of risk and exploration.
Molly is fueled by her work as a teacher. Molly is Associate Flute Professor at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, and Molly guides her students to become comprehensive flutists. Molly took her inspiration primarily from her stellar teachers at
Oberlin, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and Northwestern.
Molly is fueled by involvement in community. Molly is the Associate Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, where she curates connections among people. Molly leads the Curb Scholars Program, a selective group of undergraduate students who work at the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, and public
engagement.
Molly is fueled by her desire to document her adventures as a performer. You can hear Molly’s blend of control and ferocity on these featured albums: Vento Appassionato, digging into 20th century solo flute repertoire; Thorn, focusing on the chamber music of
David Lang; and Castillos de Viento, performing intimate music with guitar.
To help fuel Molly, contact Molly via her website: mollybarth.com
Mitchell Giambalvo
Dr. Mitchell Giambalvo moved to Salt Lake City on a whim right before the pandemic. Originally from Pennsylvania, he received his doctorate from Florida State University in piano performance. He went back to complete a second Masters degree in collaborative piano before teaching piano at Troy University in Alabama. After moving to SLC in 2019, Giambalvo is highly active in collaborating.
On staff at the University of Utah where he is a vocal diction coach for singers and works with instrumentalists, Giambalvo is also a pianist with the Utah Symphony, works with faculty at UVU, BYU, and U of U, as well as performs on the NOVA Chamber Series.
Sponsors & Vendors
Sponsors
- We are grateful for the generous support of our Anonymous Donor, committed to creating meaningful opportunities for Utah flutists of all ages.
- The Zoo, Arts, and Parks Foundation. The mission of the Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) Program is to enhance Salt Lake County resident and visitor experiences through art, cultural, and recreational offerings. ZAP currently provides support for 233 arts and cultural nonprofits.
