Master Flute Concert Featuring Dr. Sarah Shin

Ariana Perez
News Reporter

On Friday, March 5th in the College’s chapel, Saint Mary’s welcomed its first guest artist of the Spring semester. Dr. Sarah Shin is an award winning performer and educator, a lecturer of flute at Princeton, and has performed all over the world, from recording music in Vienna, Italy and performing in Prague, Czech Republic. 

Accompanying her on piano for a duration of her performance was Professor Lino Rivera, who displayed great skill in harmonizing with Dr. Shin flute performance. Throughout the concert Dr. Shin performed several pieces, each varying drastically in style and rhythm. Her selected pieces covered a wide range of cultural origin and influence. Most notable were her the following pieces, El Bachiano by Raimundo Pineda, Summerland by William Grant Still, and Etude No.5 by Isang Yun. 

A Venezuluan composer, Pineda wrote El Bachiano as a tribute to Bach, complete with several Spanish dance inspired musical motifs. Throughout the song, Dr. Shin artfully replicated the fast dance-like rhythm of the piece, beginning her recital with a powerful display of style that flute is capable of expressing. 

Halfway through her recital and, with accompaniment by Professor Rivera, Dr. Shin performed Summerland. Born in Mississippi and a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, the composer Still wrote Summerland for chamber orchestra, particularly with the piano and violin in mind. Even with the piece not written with the flute in mind, Dr. Shin gorgeously captured the slow and gracious emotion of the piece, often at times replicating the sound of the violin with her flute, a beautiful experience to behold.   

The most strange and unique piece of the evening, Etude No.5 was written by South Korean composer Isang Yun. A hard piece to perform, Dr.Shin showcased a mastery over the flute in technique and control, creating sounds from her flute one would not normally associate with the flute, reaching sharp high notes, demonstrating absolute prowess over the flute in the process. 

The music department will welcome its second guest artist, fortepiano player from Vienna, Daniel Adam Maltz, on Wednesday, March 16th in the Chapel at 1:15 p.m.