Nikka Gershman
5% Gold Custom Flute, with C# Trill, 14K Lip plate and Riser
PURCHASED AT FLUTACIOUS
Described as “without question one of the finest and most dedicated young flute soloists and composers” by Mike Green, the President of the Grammy Foundation, Nikka Gershman is a 15-year-old musician. Haynes Flutes, the oldest flute manufacturer in America, has invited her to represent the company as a Young Artist. Nikka made history as the youngest ever recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where she joined the studio of Carol Wincenc to pursue her Bachelor of Music degree. She graduated the Colburn Music Academy under the mentorship of Jim Walker. The Academy awarded her the prestigious Thibaudet Scholarship, in which Jean-Yves Thibaudet personally selects students for this merit-based grant. In addition, Nikka studies composition with renowned Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.
Nikka is honored to be a National Finalist of YoungArts, the most prestigious award in the United States, which identifies exceptional young artists to invest in their lifelong careers. The Concorso Internazionale A Tutto Flauto awarded her the Absolute First Prize (Primo Premio Assoluto) in the adult category. In 2022, she was the only 14-year-old in the history of the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition to win the Grand Prize for Exceptional Talent and Musicianship Award over all categories, judged by a panel of esteemed LA Philharmonic members. Nikka was the only flutist selected out of 13 winners internationally by the Classicalia Global PBS Televised Competition. She is a recipient of the Sir James Galway “Outstanding Junior Performer” Award and a winner of the prestigious career grant for the Salon de Virtuosi. Nikka was a guest performer on NPR’s From the Top, showcasing her performance and composition, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station WQXR-FM, and has also been interviewed by The Flute View magazine and featured multiple times by The Violin Channel.
Nikka is a first-prize winner in numerous competitions including the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) national winner, British Flute Society International Young Performer Competition (BFS), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artists’ Concerto Competition, Colburn Academy Virtuosi Concerto Competition, Rising Stars Grand Prix Berlin, San Francisco Flute Society International Competition (Adult Division), Chicago Flute Club (Senior Division), Whittier Regional Symphony Concerto Competition, and New York Young Virtuoso Competition. The International Alliance for Women in Music has selected Nikka’s original composition “The Tears of Winter” for the Libby Larsen Prize in the 41st annual Search for New Music Competition. Her piece “Valse Infernale” won the 1st prize in the Pacific Musical Society competition (up to age 25).
Nikka’s solo concerts include performances at the Wiener Konzerthaus with the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra; Beethoven House, Bonn, Germany; Merkin Hall for the Salon de Virtuosi Gala, NYC; Skyview Concert Hall with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; and Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz with the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra. Nikka has been chosen to perform in masterclasses with distinguished artists, including Sir James Galway, Carol Wincenc, Raffaele Trevisani, Kersten McCall, Denis Bouriakov, Marina Piccinini, Lorna McGhee, Andrea Griminelli, Emily Beynon, Viviana Guzman, Garrett Hudson, and Ransom Wilson.
At age six she discovered her love for music, and a year later, she performed with the Emmy-winning Honor’s Orchestra at UCLA Schoenberg Music Hall Concert where she was offered the position of principal flute in The All-Schools Elementary Honor Orchestra. Subsequently, she has been accepted as a soloist in the LA Youth Philharmonic for the 2019 Music Festival Concert at The Walt Disney Concert Hall and Colburn’s Zipper Hall. Nikka was the featured principal flutist of the Colburn Academy Virtuosi Orchestra, a chamber ensemble comprised of the most talented musicians from the Colburn Music Academy.
Community outreach is extremely important to Nikka, and she is dedicated to inspiring young audiences and bringing her music to underserved communities. In 2021, Nikka was named an ambassador to the Music to Save Humanity Mentorship and Outreach Program. As a From the Top Fellow, she performed for the Colorado Children’s Hospital facilitated by the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. Nikka’s showcase of her composition helped raise funds for the Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles, benefiting homeless children, and she also brought her music to the Villa Gardens Retirement Home in Pasadena.