Bio
A native of Athens, GA, Hannah Elizabeth Peterson had little to no musical experience before choosing to play flute in her Middle School band at age 11. Music did not come naturally to her at first and she struggled with the instrument after a collar bone injury. But eventually, Hannah decided that she wanted to practice hard, get better, and fell in love with the flute in the process. She began taking lessons from local flutist Rachel Simmons and soon found herself winning spots in the GMEA District and Allstate Bands.
By age 13, Hannah had decided to pursue flute playing as a career and is still on that path today. Graduating in May 2020, she earned bachelor's degrees in Flute Performance at the University of Georgia with Angela Jones-Reus. At UGA, Hannah has been given many opportunities to perform in large ensembles, such as the UGA Symphony Orchestra and the Hodgson Wind Ensemble, as well as many chamber groups, including the UGA Flute Quartet, a string and flute quintet, a woodwind quintet, and a woodwind quartet. With the UGA Flute Quartet, she has performed at the National Flute Association convention and the Florida Flute Association convention, both in Orlando, FL.
Hannah then earned a double Master's in both Flute Performance and Music Theory Pedagogy. Here she studied flute with Jean Larson Garver and piccolo with Deborah Baron. During her time at SMU, Hannah performed all positions with both the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Meadows Wind Ensemble. As a Theory Teaching Assistant, she taught Music Theory I-IV, Musicianship I-IV, and Graduate Theory Review. Hannah wrote her Master's thesis on the role of hermeneutics in the classroom, featuring an analysis of the Nielsen Flute Concerto.
Hannah has also been very lucky to have many opportunities to perform as a soloist both in the Athens area and around the Southeast. She has played in masterclasses for flutists such as Lorna McGheeCarol Wincenc, Marianne Gedigian, Leone Buyse, Walfrid Kujala, Michael Hasel, Marina Piccinini, Eva Amsler, Katherine Emeneth, and James Hall. In 2018, she was selected as a winner of the National Flute Association Masterclass Competition and performed as a soloist at that year's convention in Orlando, FL. Hannah has also been selected as an advanced masterclass participant for intensives such as Orford Musique Academia, Marina Piccinini International Masterclass, and Flutissimo!.
Hannah's primary teachers include Rachel Simmons, Angela Jones-Reus, Jean Larson Garver, Deborah Baron, and Terri Sundberg. She holds her own studio of approximately 55 in the north Dallas area. She currently performs with the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya's Conducting Institute Orchestra.