Flutist Olivia Staton was appointed second flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra with the start of the 2018–19 season. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree and studied with Jeffrey Khaner. Upon graduating, she was awarded the prestigious Peter Mennin Prize.
Ms. Staton has performed with the National Symphony and the New World Symphony, and during her time at Juilliard she was a member of the Juilliard Orchestra, AXIOM, and the New Juilliard Ensemble. In 2017 she was selected to represent Juilliard in a collaboration with the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki to celebrate the centenary of Finnish Independence. Under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen, they performed in Helsinki, Stockholm, and New York.
As a chamber musician, Ms. Staton has participated in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Audience Appreciation Concerts, the New York Philharmonic Biennial as a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, as well as Juilliard’s ChamberFest. She has performed with various chamber ensembles in David Geffen Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Aspen Art Museum.
In 2018 Ms. Staton was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA, and for three previous summers attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she served as principal flute of the Aspen Conducting Academy for two summers.
Born and raised overseas, Ms. Staton began studying the flute while living in Italy. After moving to Virginia, she was principal flute of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra for three years and served as principal flute of the New York Youth Symphony for her first year in New York. She has won first prizes in the Richmond Flute Competition and the Flute Society of Washington Competition. Upon moving to the United States, she studied with Jennifer Lapple for six years. Olivia later became a National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellow where she studied with Aaron Goldman of the National Symphony for three years.
Ms. Staton currently serves on the faculties of the Philadelphia International Music Festival and Metropolitan Concerts Artists, both summer music intensives. During the year she is a regular coach for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and teaches lessons privately.
Ms. Staton is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Photo by Jessica Griffin