Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians- Margaret Flower

We are so pleased to welcome Margaret Flower into the community of teachers here at CYM! Ms. Margaret joins our vocal department for the 2016-2017 school year.

Margaret Flower, soprano, is a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she recently moved back to after spending two years in Texas. She lately completed her Master of Music degree in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Texas at San Antonio and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Margaret has taught private voice lessons at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level at the Comal Independent School District and The University of Texas at San Antonio. Her focus is on developing healthy vocal habits that allow students to continue their music throughout their lifetime, instilling whole-body performance, and providing pedagogical tools for students to continue their study independently. Margaret has appeared as Miss Todd in the UTSA Lyric Theater performance of Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and on the Lincoln Center stage singing Verdi’s Requiem with the Ithaca College Choir. She has also appeared in opera scenes as Orphée Gluck’s in Orphée et Eurydice and The 3^rd Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She is looking forward to starting her new studio with CYM!

We're fascinated to know more about Ms. Margaret, so we sit down for a little Q+A:

CYM:       What is your favorite piece of music to play and or favorite composer?

Ms. Margaret:       That's difficult to say! I love so many different composers for so many reasons! I think my current favorite composer is Giacomo Puccini. I have been listening to, reading about, and singing more Puccini lately and I just adore his operas! His music captures the complexity of human emotions and tells such real stories. I am also so impressed with absolute precision needed to perform his music well. I often find myself with jaw dropped and tears streaming down my cheeks while listening to his music.

  

CYM:       When/where/how do you listen to music for fun?

Ms. Margaret:       I mostly listen to music while I am driving. I am often on the go or taking road trips, and I love to play entire musicals in the car: JC Superstar, Les Mis, Phantom (mostly Lloyd Webber), Into the Woods, Rent, Hairspray, and of course my latest is Hamilton! I just love jamming out in my car. I don't care how crazy I look to other people, I just perform every part to my hearts content.

CYM:                 What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Ms. Margaret:       I seriously considered going into law or criminal justice. I wanted to be a detective and solve crimes, probably due to the many episodes of Law and Order I watched growing up. My mother joked about me becoming "the singing detective."

  

CYM:              Where do you live? Would you like to share anything about your family/roommates/pets?

I currently live in Mars, PA. I just moved back to the Pittsburgh area after spending two years completing my Masters degree in San Antonio, TX. My fiancé and I are getting married this September and are looking for a new apartment in the Franklin/Sewickley area. We have an adorable calico cat named Winnie (Winifred Sanderson), who I rescued close Halloween and named after Bette Midler's part in Hocus Pocus.

CYM:              Favorite childhood book?

Ms. Margaret:       My favorite childhood book was called, "But No Elephants." My mother worked for Scholastic when I was young and often brought books home for my and my brothers. It was about an old woman who allowed all these animals to come into her house during a snow storm, "but NO elephants!" she would shout. A couple years ago, I gave the book to my niece, and it quickly became her favorite book too. She loves shouting, "but NO elephants!" during story time.