2023 Montana Flute Festival Guest Artists
Mark Sparks
Mark Sparks is an American solo flutist, orchestral artist, teacher, and writer. He is the former Principal Flutist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure (2000-2021) he served under Music Directors Hans Vonk, David Robertson, and Stéphane Denève, and appeared as soloist with the orchestra numerous times. He has toured and performed with many orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago, Dallas, Bergen Philharmonic, Detroit, Cincinnati, Houston, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. Prior to his appointment in St. Louis, Sparks served as Associate Principal Flutist of the Baltimore Symphony, Principal Flute of the Memphis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and began his professional career as Second Flute of the Caracas Philharmonic.
Sparks maintains an active solo career, having appeared in recital and with orchestras on 5 continents. He presented the world premier of Katherine Hoover’s Four Winds Concerto in 2014. Sparks can be heard as solo recording artist on the Summit, Pesen, and AAM labels and has recorded with many
orchestras on the Sony, Telarc, Nonesuch, and Decca and other labels.
Sparks is a faculty member of DePaul University in Chicago, and the Aspen Music Festival. He has coached many of America’s emerging orchestral artists at
top orchestral training programs such as the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and the Pacific Music Festival. A
frequent guest at major U.S. music schools and flute courses, many of his students occupy chairs in American orchestras. Recent activities include classes
and performances at Rice University, Interlochen, New World Symphony, the Ohio Flute Festival, Eastman School of Music, London’s Royal Academy of Music,
the British Flute Society, Cleveland Institute, Texas Flute Society, University of North Texas, and regular coaching at the Oberlin Conservatory.
Sparks writes and publishes several acclaimed book series for flutists, including Exploring Sound: Tone Development Through Orchestral Repertoire,
Orchestral Excerpt Practice Books, Excerpt Duos, and Mozart X2. He is a Contributing Editor of Flute Talk Magazine, and publishes arrangements with Theodore Presser and his own sparksflute publishing. Mark Sparks is a Pi Kappa Lambda graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where he studied with Robert Willoughby, and an alumnus of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Sparks maintains an active solo career, having appeared in recital and with orchestras on 5 continents. He presented the world premier of Katherine Hoover’s Four Winds Concerto in 2014. Sparks can be heard as solo recording artist on the Summit, Pesen, and AAM labels and has recorded with many
orchestras on the Sony, Telarc, Nonesuch, and Decca and other labels.
Sparks is a faculty member of DePaul University in Chicago, and the Aspen Music Festival. He has coached many of America’s emerging orchestral artists at
top orchestral training programs such as the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and the Pacific Music Festival. A
frequent guest at major U.S. music schools and flute courses, many of his students occupy chairs in American orchestras. Recent activities include classes
and performances at Rice University, Interlochen, New World Symphony, the Ohio Flute Festival, Eastman School of Music, London’s Royal Academy of Music,
the British Flute Society, Cleveland Institute, Texas Flute Society, University of North Texas, and regular coaching at the Oberlin Conservatory.
Sparks writes and publishes several acclaimed book series for flutists, including Exploring Sound: Tone Development Through Orchestral Repertoire,
Orchestral Excerpt Practice Books, Excerpt Duos, and Mozart X2. He is a Contributing Editor of Flute Talk Magazine, and publishes arrangements with Theodore Presser and his own sparksflute publishing. Mark Sparks is a Pi Kappa Lambda graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where he studied with Robert Willoughby, and an alumnus of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Beilin Han
Born in Shanghai, China, Beilin Han started piano lesson at the age three. After four years of studies, she won 1st prize at a young artist competition in Shanghai. Ms. Han attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for primary and middle school. She was the winner of the 8th Hong Kong International Piano Competition and was awarded the highest scholarship available in China. In 1996, Ms. Han recorded and sold her first CD, and in 1997,was accepted by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore under a full scholarship. After graduating, Ms. Han attended the University of Kansas for her master's degree as the only full scholarship recipient. There she studied with famous American pianist Jack Winerock and world-renowned Portuguese pianist Sequeira Costa. Under Costa's instruction, Ms. Han won prizes in many prestigious competitions including first place in the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Scholarship Competition, the Kansas City National Scholarship Competition, as well as the Naftzger National Young Artist Competition. In 2004, Ms. Han became a prizewinner of the "Vianna Da Motta International Piano Competition" in Portugal. In addition to the competitive world, Ms. Han was invited to perform at the 7th Annual World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Las Vegas in 2002 and was honored as a Young Artist in 2003. She was invited to perform Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with University of Kansas Symphony
Orchestra, Mozart Piano Concerto in A Major (K.488) with T'ang Quartet in Singapore and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with Portugal's Gulbenkian Orchestra.
Ms. Han has toured internationally as a concert pianistperforming in China, Portugal, Spain, and throughout the US. Her performances have been heard on radio shows in Singapore, the U.S., and a television show in Shanghai. In 2008, Ms. Han graduated from Roosevelt University, where she received her Artistic Diploma with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Mr.Meng- Chieh Liu.
In addition to Ms. Han's successful solo career, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians, she constantly appears in Chicago Culture Center, The Stradivari Society and Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a collaborative pianist and collaborating with such artists as pianist Alberto Portugheis, world-renowned counter-tenor Paul Esswood, world-renowned violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi, Ilya Kaler, Yossif Ivanov, Kyoko Takezawa, Elmar Oliveira, Frank Almond, Violists Roger Chase, Robert Vernon, cellist Timothy Eddy, Flautists Mark Sparks, Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, Jean Ferrandis, Clarinetist Stephen Williamson, Steven Cohen.She has also worked with world-famous conductors such as Riccardo Muti and Christoph Eschenbach.
Ms. Han was also invited to be on the jury panel of Walgreen National Concerto Competition and Dover Quartet Chamber Music Competition. She is currently the coordinator of piano faculty of Heifetz International Music Institute and Artist Collaborator of Shepherd School of Music in Rice University.
Orchestra, Mozart Piano Concerto in A Major (K.488) with T'ang Quartet in Singapore and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with Portugal's Gulbenkian Orchestra.
Ms. Han has toured internationally as a concert pianistperforming in China, Portugal, Spain, and throughout the US. Her performances have been heard on radio shows in Singapore, the U.S., and a television show in Shanghai. In 2008, Ms. Han graduated from Roosevelt University, where she received her Artistic Diploma with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Mr.Meng- Chieh Liu.
In addition to Ms. Han's successful solo career, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians, she constantly appears in Chicago Culture Center, The Stradivari Society and Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a collaborative pianist and collaborating with such artists as pianist Alberto Portugheis, world-renowned counter-tenor Paul Esswood, world-renowned violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi, Ilya Kaler, Yossif Ivanov, Kyoko Takezawa, Elmar Oliveira, Frank Almond, Violists Roger Chase, Robert Vernon, cellist Timothy Eddy, Flautists Mark Sparks, Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, Jean Ferrandis, Clarinetist Stephen Williamson, Steven Cohen.She has also worked with world-famous conductors such as Riccardo Muti and Christoph Eschenbach.
Ms. Han was also invited to be on the jury panel of Walgreen National Concerto Competition and Dover Quartet Chamber Music Competition. She is currently the coordinator of piano faculty of Heifetz International Music Institute and Artist Collaborator of Shepherd School of Music in Rice University.