Karen Kobayashi, 14, flute

January 7, 2023, 11:00 am

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Karen Kobayashi
Karen Kobayashi

Today we hear from Karen Kobayashi of Palatine, a 14-year-old flute student of Hideko Amano. She joins pianist Beilin Han in music of Ibert, Hailstork, Schocker, Fauré, and Burton.



Karen Kobayashi, age 14, is an 8th grader at Plum Grove Junior High School in Palatine, and studies flute with Hideko Amano. She is a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra at Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. Karen also studies piano with Midori Nagasaka.

She won first prize in the Junior Division and had an honorable mention in the Intermediate Division at the 2022 Society of American Musicians Competition, and was chosen as a First Place Winner of the American Protégé
International Music Talent Competition in the fall of 2022. She was awarded first prize in Junior division (2020) and Elementary division (2019) of the Chicago Flute Club Student Competition. In the 2020 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, she was the winner of the wind and percussion category of Open Junior division.

Karen took part in the 2022 All Illinois Junior Band and ILMEA festivals as a first chair flute. She also participated in the 2022 Flute Symposium of Chicago and played in the masterclasses of Demarre McGill and Nancy Stagnitta. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and spending time with her friends and family.

Playlist

Jacques Ibert: Flute Concerto:
III. Allegro scherzando

Adolphus Hailstork: Yuhwa

Gary Schocker: Regrets and Resolutions

Gabriel Fauré: Morceau de concours

Eldin Burton: Flute Sonatina:
III. Allegro giocoso quasi fandango