Heather Elfline, sophomore at Morrison High School (MHS), is the winner of the 2011 CSO Young Artist Auditions which took place January 15, 2011, at MHS auditorium. A number of participants took part in the auditions with Heather winning the competition for outstanding performance on the flute. Besides a $250 award as top performer, Heather will play a piece with the orchestra on the Winter Concert, February 26, 2011. Heather has chosen the first movement from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, KV313.
Heather is the daughter of Alan and Shari Elfline of Morrison, and according to her parents, she has had an interest in music from an early age. It was in her church that Heather found her voice, so to speak, and by age seven, she was singing liturgy and soloing on the holy days at Easter and Christmas.
When her family moved from Ohio to Morrison, Heather entered the sixth grade and chose flute as her band instrument because she "figured that her mom [an amateur flautist] could help teach her and there was a spare flute at home, so why not?"
On her first day in sixth grade when she met with the junior high band, she discovered she was at "an extreme disadvantage"; the other flute players had begun the flute a year earlier - the fifth grade - than she, so she found herself sitting out a most of the early practices. But she was determined to succeed, and with the help of her instructor, David Bean, and with consistent and persistent practice, she advanced several chair ranks by the second semester. Her grandfather rewarded her with a better flute for her diligence and progress. With added motivation from her flute teacher Denise Deter, Heather "started to strive to be the best flute player she could be."
Seventh and eighth grades were years of advancement for Heather. In the band, she sat first chair, and the two Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) festivals in which she participated proved to be particularly rewarding experiences. During her two IMEA festival appearances, she advanced from sixth chair to second chair in addition to garnering a number of honors. Heather finished junior high school with two IMEA showings, eleven solo and ensemble performances earning superior ratings, as well as four honor recitals.
In her freshman year at MHS, Heather was pleasantly surprised that she was able to handle the new and more difficult music without any serious problems. She made first chair and remained there throughout the year. She again participated in the IMEA festival, sitting third chair flute. Besides IMEA, Heather participated in Augustana band where she sat first chair, second part. In solo and ensemble performance, she recieved a best in room for her flute solo. Heather, to top off her first year in high school, took the lead role in Curtains, in an MHS production under the direction of Darlene Powers-Palmer.
Heather has aspirations in the field of music - flute performance, vocal performance, or band or choir teacher are areas she finds appealing. St Olaf is her college of choice for now, but that could change..."after all, she's just a sophomore."
