More about the Flute Soloist for PSYO: American Dances/Movement
Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO) hosts a Concerto Competition each season, offering PSYO members a chance to win a solo performance opportunity during their Spring concerts. This competition serves as a powerful avenue for gifted young musicians to develop and hone their concerto performance skills in a formal concert setting.
The winner set to perform for PSYO: American Dances/Movement on May 19th is flautist Erin Liao. Erin has been a member of PSYO for two seasons. She will be performing Fantaisie for Flute and Orchestra by Georges Hüe. Erin describes the piece as having three characters: one that is very serious and intense, one that is more romantic and flowy, and one that is lively and animated.
The piece is about nine minutes long. The beginning portion is slow and pensive, then transitions into some technically intriguing passages, including quick scales and a double-tongued section. This piece was made to be used as an examination for flute students of Adolphe Hennebains at the Paris Conservatory, so it was meant to showcase a variety of stylistic elements and techniques. The piece is more than just a technical display: the soloist must develop their stage presence and performance by exhibiting restraint across the emotional storyline of the piece. The orchestral instrumentation is quite light, and the flute has a chance to showcase the lyrical beauty of the piece.
Georges Hüe, born in Versailles, wrote operas, choral music, and some soloistic repertoire for flute and piano. His work even garnered the admiration of several well-known colleagues like Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré. Fantaisie for Flute and Orchestra was composed in 1913 for flute and piano and orchestrated ten years later. Hüe’s works are only occasionally performed by orchestras, so this is a rare opportunity to hear the piece live. Reserve your tickets here.
More about Erin Liao
Erin Liao, 18, is a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. She began her journey with the flute at age 10 and currently studies with Professor Catherine Ransom Karoly. Erin has won several national and international honors and awards including the 2026 National Youth Orchestra Award (NYO-USA), the 2026 National YoungArts Competition Award as one of five flutists, Grand Prize Finalist in the 2026 Music Center Spotlight Program, and was a finalist in the 2025 NFA High School Soloist Competition. Additionally, she was accepted into the 2024 MusicForAll Honor Band of America and won 1st prize in the 2022 American Protege International Woodwinds and Brass Competition. Erin was named a Fellow of the From the Top Learning and Media Lab in 2025, through which she had the opportunity to speak about music and neuroscience on National Public Radio. In 2024, Erin performed as a soloist with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic, playing the Double Flute Concerto by Franz Doppler at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Over the past seven years, Erin has consistently earned principal positions in the All-State California and All-Southern California Honor Ensembles. Outside of her orchestral activities, Erin serves as the principal flute of the ERHS Wind Ensemble and regularly performs chamber music for annual festivals.