When the pandemic shut down most activities last year, Greta Hulterstrum made the most of an opportunity to refine her musical talent.
A little more than a year later, the Litchfield High School junior is reaping the reward of her focus on playing the flute.
Hulterstrum was one of two winners in the Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra’s annual Young Artist Competition, and she will be featured in the orchestra’s Young Artist Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the Willmar Arts and Education Center.
When she was chosen in the fall, there was some question about whether there would be an in-person concert at which she would play, due to pandemic restrictions, but the concert will go on live, with a limited number of free tickets available to the public.
“It’d be fun to play in front of an orchestra, because I’ve never done that before,” Hulterstrum said. “It’s different than, you know, playing with an accompanist when you get the full, real deal behind you. I’ve never had that experience before.”
Of course, there’s been a lot that Hulterstrum had not experienced before this past year — a year that was challenging but also one of discovery.
Hulterstrum turned pandemic shutdown time into an opportunity to practice flute about five hours a day. And through that incredible commitment she learned that flute was something she wanted to take beyond the band room and marching band at Litchfield High School.
“I realized how much I loved it when that was all I did all day, every day in the summer,” she said. “After playing that many hours, I’ve definitely developed a lot more skills that have made me want to consider going into flute performance in the future. And I don’t think, without the pandemic, I would really be considering that at all.”
Hulterstrum, the youngest of John and Katie Hulterstrum’s three daughters, said she started playing flute, in large part, because her older sister Ellen played.
“We had one (a flute), and I always looked up to her that she played flute and piccolo, and I knew I wanted to play piccolo in marching band when I watched her,” Hulterstrum said. “And so that was probably the main reason. She helped me with a few notes, I remember. And now, she always encourages me when I’m playing.”
Like most Litchfield Public Schools students, Hulterstrum chose her instrument in sixth grade. She began taking private lessons in ninth grade. But it took a pandemic, she said, for her to really get serious about the instrument.
“It kind of started with the pandemic that I actually really started investing my time,” she said. “I didn’t really invest more than an hour of my time (a day) until the pandemic started. And then I had all this time on my hands, and I really didn’t have anything else to do besides play flute.”
Once uncertain about a career path, the summer of musical introspection and growth helped Hulterstrum settle on a direction. She plans to study flute performance in college, with the goal of landing a college teaching position and continuing to play in an orchestra.
It’s a path that others seemingly saw before Hulterstrum did.
“Greta has a musical sense that is found in those that dedicate themselves to the pedagogy of the instrument — and that dedication is rare in a high school student,” LHS vocal music teacher Joel Green said. “I see that musical desire in and commitment in her when she sings in Dragonaires. As a freshman, Greta had a difficult time singing high, her singing voice was breathy, and her vocal range was limited because she hadn’t ‘discovered’ her breath.
“Being that she was driven to play the flute at a high level gave her the springboard to discover her breath as a singer — thus why she sings so well today,” Green added. “When you discover your air, singing and playing a wind instrument takes on a whole new meaning. It becomes more enjoyable.”
Knowing Hulterstrum’s dedication to music prompted Green to encourage her to audition for the Young Artist Competition. Green was familiar with the Willmar Symphonic Orchestra’s program and saw it as a good learning experience for an exceptional student.
“I immediately thought of Greta and forwarded her the information,” Green said. “What happened next is the real story, because she developed her skill to a very high level.”
Green also agreed to assist with Hulterstrum’s audition, playing piano accompaniment on a recording she submitted as part of her audition.
“She and I are similar in our desire to be really good at our instruments,” he said. “I competed in concerto competitions when I was in high school – it’s been fun to be part of her audition. My choir teacher, Mike Ellingsen, was my accompanist when I competed for a spot to play with the Minnesota Orchestra, so it’s come full circle for me as a player and now a teacher.”
Winning the Young Artist Competition is only a part of Hulterstrum’s musical pursuits during the past year, however. As she practiced, she looked for outlets to perform. Last summer she started her own YouTube channel and Instagram page where she posted videos of her musical performances, and she participated in a few “porch concerts,” sharing music she worked on with small groups of family and friends.
“That was kind of a summer pandemic project,” Hulterstrum said. “I mean, it kind of gave me a purpose. It did give me a goal of a concert in the sense that I would be performing, even though I was still in my own home.”
She also experimented beyond flute, creating “quartet” videos by mixing recordings of herself playing flute, piano and even cello after her sister found a used one.
“So, I learned a few things (about cello), and it was a good try,” Hulterstrum said. “But, like I said in the video, I think I’ll stick to flute.”
That would be a difficult decision to challenge, given Hulterstrum’s obvious talent and success with the instrument.
Beyond all that, though, she said playing flute is simply enjoyable.
“It kind of gives me an escape away from the world for a while,” she said. “It depends on what I’m playing. I like to always make sure I play something just for my enjoyment every day, even though I might be working on something really complicated that will give me a little stress and is very difficult. That’s what the quartets have given me because they’re not super hard, musically challenged, but they’re fun to do. So, I do those, but then I’m also working on a hard piece of music in my lessons. It’s good to have a balance between the two.”
