Mercedes Smith

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July 12, 2018Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto with the Utah SymphonyMercedes Smith and harpist Matthew Tursky will perform Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto with the Utah Symphony Wednesday, July 18th at St. Mary's in Park City as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival. Tickets: https://my.usuo.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=20961

October 18, 2014Utah Flute Association Recital Success!Mercedes' recent recital raised over $1000 for flutist Carson Tueller who is recovering from a spinal cord injury and training for the Paralympic Games.

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Fri Oct 13 20:47Wednesday October 18, 8:30 PM. Tickets at https://t.co/SuOUgo0iiA https://t.co/F6GnL2z8qz

Thu Oct 12 20:35Practicing for @SkyVenueSLC Oct 18th! tickets at https://t.co/HLkaSiOXUy https://t.co/tLQXZQfVVF

Tue Oct 10 00:04Hey, y'all, I'm playing Pierrot Lunaire in a nightclub with @MusiciansUTSym! Oct 18th. Get your seats early, doors… https://t.co/7xCx36KGmX

Mercedes Smith is Principal Flutist of the Utah Symphony. A Texas native, she served as Principal Flutist of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras for nearly a decade. She has performed with the Seattle Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Houston Symphony, and served as Principal Flutist of the Pacific Symphony during the 2010-2011 season. Awarded First Prize in the National Flute Association’s 2010 Young Artist Competition, Ms. Smith was also the Second Prize winner of the 2007 Haynes International Flute Competition and top prizewinner of the Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition and has performed multiple times in Carnegie Hall, Europe, and Asia. Currently on the faculty of the Miami Summer Music Festival, in previous summers she has performed at the Grand Teton Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Marlboro Music Festival. Ms. Smith was accepted as a scholarship student at the Manhattan School of Music at the age of 16 and is greatly indebted to her teachers Michael Parloff, Jeanne Baxtresser, and Dr. Ronda Mains.

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REVIEWS

"...Smith sailed through it with flying colors. She gave a stunningly virtuosic performance that was nuanced and also underscored the lyrical content of the score. It was a superbly crafted reading that put Smith’s technical prowess and musicality on display."Ed ReichelReichel Arts Review
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"...Mercedes Smith’s virtuosic solo in the third movement was particularly magnificent."Ed ReichelReichel Arts Review
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Flutist Mercedes Smith, clarinetist Tad Calcara and bassoonist Lori Wike played with delightful piquancy. Every bar was utterly involving.Catherine Reese NewtonThe Salt Lake Tribune
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Mercedes Smith, who just took over the principal seat in the Utah Symphony, made the piece her own.Scott FarleySLUG Magazine
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Newly appointed principal flute Mercedes Smith played with gorgeously crafted expressiveness in the Pavane. Her low register especially sounded mellow and full. She was also wonderful in the Ravel...Edward ReichelReichel Recommends
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Especially noteworthy performances came from Mercedes Smith and Jason Hardink, who played the "enchanted" flute and bells, respectively.Catherine Reese NewtonThe Salt Lake Tribune
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Playing by woodwind principals Mercedes Smith (flute), Robert Stephenson (oboe), Tad Calcara (clarinet) and Lori Wike (bassoon), along with horn principal Bruce Gifford, was particularly enjoyableCatherine Reese NewtonThe Salt Lake Tribune
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Quaglia’s second piece, Fantasy Variations for Solo Flute, was handled just as skillfully by the Utah Symphony’s new principal flautist, Mercedes Smith. Smith’s reading of Quaglia’s often angular and robust score lent a pleasing lyrical quality to the music, while providing well-crafted phrases and a lovely tone.Matt DixonReichel Arts Review
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Quaglia’s second piece, Fantasy Variations for Solo Flute, was handled just as skillfully by the Utah Symphony’s new principal flautist, Mercedes Smith. Smith’s reading of Quaglia’s often angular and robust score lent a pleasing lyrical quality to the music, while providing well-crafted phrases and a lovely tone.Matt DixonReichel Recommends
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The first movement featured a particularly lovely interaction between the soloist and new Utah Symphony principal flutist Mercedes Smith.Catherine Reese NewtonThe Salt Lake Tribune
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"Scintillating..."Lawrence BudmenMusic and Vision Magazine
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ARTICLES

Thorough and Effective Music Preparation
Here are preparation techniques that I use for learning orchestral music, particularly when I am faced with a new pile of music each week and need to prepare quickly. I use this same method when I am working on chamber music or solo parts too.Mercedes SmithSupportFlutists.com
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The orchestra's new principal flutist, Mercedes Smith, is also in the group. "For people who haven't heard her, Mercedes' playing will be quite gripping," Porter said. "She has a gorgeous, focused sound that is hard to describe in words. When I first heard her play, it completely turned my head — she's really exceptional."The Salt Lake Tribune
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Regular concertgoers might notice some newcomers onstage, as the orchestra has hired four players and an associate librarian in the past year.Catherine Reese NewtonThe Salt Lake Tribune
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INTERVIEWS

It is the highly competitive aspect of gaining employment in the classical music field that it makes those in the industry often say that one wins a job rather than finds or gets one.Joel LuksCultureMap.com
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Reichel Recommends had the opportunity to interview Smith by email last week while she was at the Festival Internacional de Musica de Camera in Mexico. Below is the interview.Ed ReichelReichel Arts Review
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mercedesflute@gmail.com