When Collegiate High sophomore Sasha Hitachi applied for a masterclass with renowned Swiss flutist Emmanuel   Pahud, she did not expect to have her dream of performing with him come true. "I was going up against college students getting Masters and Doctorates," she explains, but "I didn't know when another opportunity like this would come again." Hitachi was one of only six applicants from the region selected to play in a prestigious event earlier this year at the University of Georgia. 

Hitachi was the first student to perform, playing the Ibert Flute Concerto. Despite natural nerves accompanying a performance in front of professionals and strangers, she describes it as a wonderful experience. It also bolstered her confidence in a subsequent competition a few months later: “I wasn’t nervous at all. I was thinking, ‘If I can stand in front of Pahud and several hundred people and play this piece, then this isn't anything to be worried about.’”

Hitachi also credits her enrollment in Collegiate High as being instrumental in the pursuit of her musical passions. The flexibility of college faculty and her schedule have allowed her to travel, compete, and practice. “I am so appreciative of where I am now, especially since I can keep up with school and still be involved in other extracurricular activities.”

Hitachi has finished this particular once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but she hopes more are on the horizon. She plans to continue competing and applying to conservatories. “I would like to learn as much as I can,” she says. “I am going to keep trying to better myself and my playing.”

For more information about Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State Community College, visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/early-college/collegiate-high or call (423) 697-4492.

By Julie Barcroft, Chattanooga State