Classical flutist, Gia Sastre has spent many years performing as a freelance soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. Notable solo engagements have included recitals at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Friday Musicale of Jacksonville. Recent concerts include the Music @ Main Intermezzo Series, Riverside Fine Arts, the Ponte Vedra Library Series and Riverside Presbyterian’s Wednesday Happenings. As a chamber musician, Ms. Sastre has appeared with numerous ensembles including Chicago’s CUBE ensemble, Accessible Contemporary Music, the Seram Flute Quartet, the Elgin Opera Ensemble and the Chamber Music Society of the Good Shepherd. For many years, she performed with Chicago harpist AnnLaura Tapia as part of Abellimento Flute & Harp duo. Their recording, Abellimento, a collection of flute and harp classics is available on Pandora and iTunes. Ms. Sastre currently performs as part of the Vivace Trio, a Jacksonville-based two flute and piano ensemble. As an orchestral player, she has had the opportunity to perform and substitute with many orchestras, most recently the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Coastal Symphony of Georgia. As an educator, Ms. Sastre works with many dedicated and talented students through her private studio and at the University of North Florida. Previously, she served as flute faculty for the DePaul University Community Music Program in Chicago. Ms. Sastre has presented recitals and masterclasses at Florida State University, Emory, DePaul and St. Xavier University and has helped to present the Annual UNF Flute Day. She is a current member of the Florida Flute Association and Jax Flutes as well as member and Farwell Award winner of the Musicians Club of Women. Originally from Miami, Fla., Ms. Sastre holds a Master of Music in Flute Performance from DePaul University in Chicago, where she studied with Mary Stolper and a Bachelor of Music in performance from Florida State University, studying under Charles Delaney and Eva Amsler. Ms. Sastre also traveled to Great Britain to pursue a resident course of study with Paul Edmund-Davies, then principal flutist of the London Symphony Orchestra.