Angelreana Choi ’19 began playing the flute five years ago and is part of band and orchestra groups on campus.
Each year, select Seniors perform solos at orchestral concerts, accompanied by the Academy Orchestras. This year’s Senior Concerto winners are Eden Cui, Angelreana Choi, Shyan Koul, and Christina Cho. Several other musicians will be featured in a concert, accompanied by piano, including Jenni Lawson, Jonathan Lin, Mona Suzuki, Claire Lee, Will Duan, and Chloe Choi.
While taking part in Le Domaine Forget, a music-based summer program in Quebec recommended by Dr. Meghan Jacoby, Adjunct Instructor in Music, Angelreana Choi ’19 was able to attend many concerts by world-class flutist Emmanuel Pahud. As a flutist herself, Choi was thrilled to be able to experience his talent and skills firsthand.
“When I met [Pahud] for the first time, I was in awe of being in the presence of such a powerful musician and possibly the best flutist in the world and in history. I have always admired the emotion, beauty and dedication he conveys through his playing… Every time I play the concerto piece, before I play I imagine how [Pahud] would play it,” said Choi.
Choi will be performing a flute solo of the piece “Nocturne et Allegro Scherzando,” a two-movement chamber score by Philippe Gaubert. Although Choi has been learning the piece for a year and a half, she is most excited to experience the accompaniment by the full orchestra during the upcoming rehearsals.
Choi hopes that her Senior Concerto will be an opportunity to express herself.
Choi said, “It’s one thing to practice your piece a lot and play a couple of times with a piano accompaniment [or] by yourself; it’s a totally different thing to play it with an entire orchestra. It just brings so much more musicality to the piece. I’m just so excited to see what comes out with my piece and all the other [Concerto winners’] pieces as well, and to see what people think of it.”
On campus, Choi plays the flute in the Academy Band, Symphony Orchestra, and other wind and chamber ensembles. According to Choi, regular practices and rehearsals make music an integral part of her Andover experience. During her final year at Andover, Choi hopes to utilize her concerto performance as a platform to express herself and connect with more people on campus.
“One of my goals for Senior Year is to focus more on music because I understand how much I love it… I wanted to be able to share my music with more people for my last year at Andover, so [being a Concerto winner] will definitely provide me with the vehicle of doing that.” said Choi.
