Flutastic Retreat Directors

Emily Harrington is a flutist and teacher based in Southern California. She currently holds the flute 3/piccolo fellowship with Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles and the flute 3/piccolo position with the South Orange County Orchestra. She has performed with the San Diego Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Juneau Symphony, California Young Artist Symphony, American Youth Symphony, San Diego Philharmonic, and Music Academy of the West Orchestra. 

Emily has appeared as a soloist with the Palomar Symphony Orchestra in W.A. Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major. She was awarded third place in the La Jolla Symphony Young Artist Competition. Her musicianship has also been recognized with awards such as the Thornton Scholarship, Sigma Alpha Iota Alumnae Chapter Scholarship, Bob Cole Scholarship, Ivie Wickam Scholarship, Neva May Pipes Endowment, and Palomar Performing Arts Scholarship. She is also an avid teacher and operates her own private studio, Harrington Flute Studio. 

She earned her Graduate Certificate at the University of Southern California where she studied with Catherine Karoly and Sarah Jackson. She also earned her Master of Music in flute performance at USC under the tutelage of Jim Walker. She received her Bachelor of Music from CSU Long Beach, where she studied with Dr. John Barcellona. Emily has also studied with Diana Morgan, Cynthia Ellis, and Jane Masur.

Alina Steele is a versatile flutist whose performances span classical, contemporary, and experimental genres. She has performed in major halls, including Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, with ensembles such as the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Camerata New York Orchestra, as well as in more intimate settings with artists like renowned soprano Renée Fleming, and Chicago’s CUBE Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. A champion of new music, she has premiered works by Joseph Waters, Berglind Tómasdóttir, and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Julia Wolfe. She is collaborating with Madelyn Byrne on a new composition for flute and computer-generated sound. Active in both chamber and orchestral settings, Alina performs with the San Diego–based Swarmius Ensemble as Flutastica and plays principal flute with the Palomar Symphony Orchestra. 

Alina holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Flute Performance and Sound Recording Technology from DePaul University’s School of Music in Chicago, and a Master of Music in Music Technology from New York University. Her primary flute teachers were Frances Brodeur, Linda Chesis, Mary Stolper, Jennifer Clippert, and Robert Dick.