Sonora Slocum (Flute ’11)
Interviewed by Ali King
Director, Marketing and Business Development
Curtis Institute of Music
January 28, 2021
AK: You’re the principal flutist for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Are you in Milwaukee now?
SS: Yes, I’m at home in Milwaukee, although I’m a New Yorker at heart. The pandemic has been the only time I haven’t wanted to visit even though my family is still there. I haven’t been back in over a year — it’s hard. It was important for me to come to the Midwest though, because beyond my job it opened my eyes to the disparities in this country. I’m appreciative that I had an idealistic childhood in the New York City bubble. I miss Philly too; I always try to make a trip down to Philly when I’m out east too to teach or record. Curtis has made it easy for me to stay connected as an alumna.
AK: When do you first remember hearing about Curtis as a young person?
SS: My grandparents were professional musicians (my grandfather was associate principal horn for The Cleveland Orchestra), and so were my parents. I’d heard about Curtis even though no one in my family had attended, but it wasn’t until I was at a festival when I was fifteen years old that it became a real consideration. Aaron Rosand came up to me and said, “You have the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard and need to apply to Curtis.” Encouragement coming from someone as connected and well-respected as him of course made me more eager to apply, and generally gave me confidence that I was moving in the right direction. I was lucky that I had access to opportunities like this, growing up in New York City and with a family that fostered my interests.
AK: With so much musical exposure, how did you choose to focus on flute?
SS: I played Suzuki violin starting at age three, and then switched to piano, which was a family requirement to play from age six to eighteen. I wasn’t that good at the piano so then played cello for a bit, which went better. When flute finally entered the picture, though, I felt talented at it, so that’s what stuck.
AK: You won your job with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra during your orchestral performance master’s program at the Manhattan School of Music. What do you like about being an orchestral flutist?
SS: It’s hard to have expectations of what your career will be like at age 22, especially in this industry. I’m grateful that now at age 31 I have nearly a decade of experience as a principal, and I can say that I’m an orchestral flutist through and through. I wanted the security of playing in an orchestra, even though during the pandemic that security has been tested, but also fell in love with the repertoire.
AK: Are you working on any non-orchestral projects?
SS: I have two CDs in the can that I need to edit and release.
AK: What’s the goal of releasing these albums?
SS: It’s not a lucrative business, that’s for sure, which is why I’m interested in crowdfunding them. It’s important to me to have a body of work and document different stages of my musical development.
AK: You’re one of the alumni participating in Curtis’s newest program, the Curtis Mentor Network. Tell me about that experience.
SS: Like Aaron did for me when I was fifteen, it’s rewarding to encourage these young musicians to work toward festivals and competitions even in a virtual setting. Coaching the current Curtis students who serve as teaching assistants for the studio classes on their pedagogy skills has been great too; I know the participants love that level of access to the school. It’s hard to believe in dreams these days because they don’t feel achievable in any tangible way, but the participants I’ve worked with in the fall and winter sessions have improved so much! It’s inspiring to see progress happening somewhere in the world, and it motivates me to stay focused in my own career.
AK: How can we improve the Curtis Mentor Network for future sessions?
SS: I had a wide age range in my most current session, which can be a little tricky to manage especially for studio classes. The participants are mostly just so excited to connect with each other and for a concentrated opportunity to practice and perform again, so I think the program is on the right developmental track.
