Serena Gu~
Piano & Flute
Serena started playing the piano at the age of 5 and grew up accompanying her brothers in their violin recitals, and would often have them play compositions from various movie soundtracks, Broadway, and classical genres together.
She began flute by age 11 for the middle school band and quickly became a student of Kate Prestia-Schaub and a flutist for the Inland Valley Youth Symphony. At age 13, she began playing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and was studying under Susan Miyamoto.
Serena has performed in various piano and flute solo festivals and competitions throughout Southern California as well as attended master classes with virtuoso flutist James Galway and professor of flute from Northwestern University’s School of Music, Walfrid Kujala.
She has accompanied choirs, other instrumentalists and vocalists, and performed in a quintet under the instruction of violinist Lois Leyva. In 2012, she began her flute studies with Michelle Totten and was featured as a soloist for the 2012 IVYS concert. She was a finalist in piano performance for the 6th Annual Temecula Young Piano Competition and the 14th Annual Murrieta Rotary Music Contest as well.
Besides classical studies, Serena enjoys arranging music and has showcased her musicality at The Merc in Old Town Temecula. Serena graduated class of 2017 from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, however, she continued to pursue her passion in music her by joining chamber ensembles and creating acoustic versions of pop songs with her friends.
She has experience teaching children and adults, and likes to use time wisely in addition to focusing on the fundamentals of playing music while incorporating analytical music theory that is understandable to each individual. Serena strives in inspiring students to find joy in music and encourages them to bring in pieces that they want to work on, but she also incorporates classical repertoire.
In her spare time, aside from music she has many interests including gardening, dancing, and exploring the outdoors.