Kate Prestia-Schaub, flute

Kate Prestia-Schaub, an active and enthusiastic performing artist and teacher, is a Southern California flutist sponsored by Powell Flutes.  She is the first place winner of many prestigious competitions, most notably the San Diego Flute Guild Young Artist Gold Competition, the National Flute Association Piccolo Artist Competition, and the Indiana University Woodwind Concerto Competition.  Kate made her solo piccolo debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at age 18, and since then, has concertized throughout the United States, Japan, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.  Her primary teachers have been Jim Walker, Tom Robertello, Kate Lukas, and Maralyn Prestia.

Passionate about expanding the piccolo repertoire, Kate has worked with numerous world-renowned composers, including Frederick Lesemann, Daniel Dorff, and James Sharp.  Kate performed the world premier of their piccolo compositions, including “”Flash!”” the winning composition in a competition sponsored by the International Piccolo Symposium.  Kate premiered this work at the Symposium and gave the NFA premier in New York City in August of 2009.  In 2013, Kate premiered another work written for her by Martin Kennedy, “Desplazamiento” at the Mid Atlantic Flute Festival.  She will perform this work at the 2013 NFA convention.   Kate is working with Martin on a Piccolo and Piano CD which is scheduled to be released in August of 2013.  She also recently recorded “Slow Music For Piccolo Alone” for an album featuring the compositions of USC composition professor Frederick Leseman.

Kate is fortunate to collaborate with some of the finest professional musicians in Southern California, performing solo and chamber music in a variety of ensembles.  The flute/piano duo, Ekatra, with Jeanette-Louise Yaryan, and the West Coast Wind Quintet, have both won critical acclaim in Southern California.  Kate is a regular soloist for the “Classics at the Merc” concert series sponsored by the Golden Valley Music Society.  In addition, she is principle flutist in the Inland Valley Symphony, and performs as a flute and piccolo soloist regularly with the California Chamber Orchestra, Temecula Valley Players, and the Temecula Opera Company.

In order to bring exceptional activities and opportunities to Southern California professional musicians and students alike, Kate serves on the board of the San Diego Flute Guild, the Music Teachers’ Association of California.  She serves on the Community and Youth Outreach advisory board for the Golden Valley Music Society, and is on the advisory committee for the National Flute Association.