Rising Stars: Meet Stephanie Flack

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Flack.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began playing the violin at the age of 8 after hearing a string quartet at my public elementary school in Fairfax, Virginia, and becoming enamored with the sound. My teacher at school encouraged my family to have me study with a private teacher, so I began learning with a member of the National Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Murray Labman. I fell in love with the violin and progressed rapidly, learning via the Suzuki Method. My family moved to Arizona when I was 12 years old, and unfortunately, many of the educational and musical opportunities that were available in Virginia were not available to me out west. In order to advance my musical studies, I entered music competitions and attended music festivals during the summers, where I was able to continue my intensive studies. I met a wonderful teacher during music camp the summer after my senior year who believed I could become a professional and encouraged me to study music. So, two weeks prior to the start of college, I called my parents from the music camp (using a pay phone!) and told them I wanted to change my college plans and go to Louisiana State University to study music. Thankfully, they allowed this leap of faith, and I was able to attend LSU. While attending LSU, I performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony and had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. An unfortunate injury during my junior year forced me to take the year off from practicing and performing. I was able to recover and complete my senior recital and graduate with honors but was concerned that performing full-time was not going to be possible. 

I took a gap year and moved home to Arizona to spend a year studying violin, conducting, and taking business courses at Arizona State University–during this time, I won an audition to perform with the Arizona Opera in Tucson. I was also a finalist in the American Symphony Orchestra League fellowship for arts administration and decided to pursue my master’s in arts administration at Indiana University in Bloomington. This opportunity allowed me to pursue my academic interests as well as study violin at one of the finest music schools in the world. I worked with The Houston Symphony as an intern to complete my master’s degree and subsequently worked with The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony in operations and education as well as marketing–during this time, I met my future husband, Sean, who was in pilot training for The United States Air Force. I missed performing, so leaving arts administration as a full-time career was not a difficult decision. I have been so fortunate to use the skills I acquired during these years as a non-profit Board Member, Festival Director, and President of the Suzuki Association of the Greater Washington Area, coming full circle from my beginnings as a Suzuki student. 

During my husband’s career as a pilot in the Air Force, we were stationed in Grand Forks, ND, Del Rio TX, RAF Mildenhall/Lakenheath in England, and Andrews AFB, MD, and had two beautiful daughters along the way. While living in England, I applied to and auditioned for the British Suzuki Institute and began my teacher training while performing with the Ely Sinfonia and orchestras in Cambridge and Suffolk. Since returning to the States, I have had opportunities to continue my Suzuki teacher training and attend the biennial Starling-Delay International Violin Symposium at the Juilliard School in New York City. I have a private violin studio, Stephanie Flack Violin Studio, with 28 students ranging in age from 3-adult, and collaborate with another studio as Northern Virginia Preludio Strings. I have music-directed three international student tours to Austria, Italy, Germany, and England, with plans to return to England July 2024. I have performed with orchestras in the DC metro area at major venues, including The Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, DAR Constitution Hall, among many others. I have toured with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra to the International Tango Festival in Medellin, Colombia, and performed this past season in Raleigh, NC–we were also nominated for a Latin Grammy for “Best Tango Album” in 2021. My professional string quartet was founded in 2009 and performs at dozens of events each year for chamber music concert series, weddings, galas, and other events. During the pandemic, I co-founded a professional orchestra, Paragon Philharmonia, which is beginning its third season in October 2023 and making its Kennedy Center debut in March 2024. I am so lucky to be able to have a multi-faceted career which keeps me very busy and extremely fulfilled. I am blessed with amazing colleagues and an incredibly supportive family and community. This didn’t end up being very brief, but I have a hard time being succinct–so sorry for the verbosity! 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My bout with tendonitis during my undergraduate studies nearly derailed my violin career–I was fortunate to study with two teachers who were able to address my tension issues and refine my technique, so I would not hurt myself again. I completed many years of training with master teachers of violin pedagogy before I started teaching beginners to ensure I would set them up with healthy playing habits. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my teaching, I am most proud of the connections I have with my students and families. Every student has their own challenges, and I love being able to create a program and approach for each student and every lesson. 

As a performer, I enjoy playing all styles of music, and whether performing classical, rock, tango, or the latest pop tune, connecting with the audience is incredibly rewarding. 

I also enjoy having the opportunity to lead groups of students in performance as well as performing professionally with my chamber ensembles and orchestras. Adapting to each environment, style, and venue as well as communicating with other musicians, keeps my job fresh and exciting. 

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Live music cannot be replaced–every performance is unique and is what keeps audiences coming to concerts in person. The pandemic has created new ways of reaching our audiences as well as students, but in my opinion, there is nothing better than teaching and experiencing music in person. 

Contact Info:

• Website: stephanieflackviolin.com, paragonphilharmonia.org, northernvirginiastringquartet.com
• Instagram: @violinsteph
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephanieflackviolin
• Youtube: @paragonphilharmonia

Image Credits
Kenneth Garrett
Shannon Flack
Frank Auer
Sean Flack
Carter Ward