Meet the ERSO Soloist of the Year Finalists – Caroline

CAROLINE WELSH – Flautist

What is your main occupation at the moment?

I work in music as a performer, teacher and as an animateur, which means I lead creative music projects and workshops.

What made you choose to play your instrument and how old were you when you started?

I started playing the flute when I was 8 years old. I heard James Galway playing on the radio and I was instantly captivated by the clear, pure beauty of the sound. I still feel the same about the sound of the flute, all these years later!

What made you choose the concerto that you will be playing?

To me, Mozart is all about beauty of line and expression delivered with great poise. There’s always a feeling of it being just out of reach but this makes me want to keep playing it and trying to do it justice.

What do you feel you would gain from the experience of winning this competition and playing your concerto with ERSO and Peter Stark?

have always enjoyed working with Peter and found his musical ideas inspiring. I would really appreciate the chance to develop my performance alongside Peter and with ERSO.