Biography
Grace Playstead is a Seattle-based flutist and teacher from Olympia, Washington.
As a soloist, Ms. Playstead appeared with the Tacoma Music Collaborative Orchestra, playing Mozart’s Concerto in G Major, and with the University of Puget Sound Wind Ensemble, performing David Maslanka’s Song Book for Flute and Wind Ensemble.
Ms. Playstead is a prolific summer festival performer, having been featured at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, ARIA International Summer Academy, the Bonita Boyd International Flute Masterclass, and as principal flute in the Marrowstone Summer Music Festival Orchestra. She has performed in two National Flute Association conventions as a member of the collegiate flute choir. Ms. Playstead was selected as a performer for masterclasses with renowned flutists Zart Dombourian-Eby, Tara Helen O’Connor, Aaron Goldman, Jonathan Keeble, and Bonita Boyd.
Ms. Playstead is finishing her Master of Music degree in flute performance at the University of Washington, where she performs piccolo and principal flute with the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and numerous Chamber Music Lab ensembles, receiving the Gustafson, Marsh, and Reynolds Music Scholarships. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Puget Sound, where she was principal flute of the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and runner-up in the concerto-aria competition. She is the recipient of the Doc and Lucille Weathers Memorial Scholarship, James R. Slater Excellence in Music Award, and the Delwen and Genevieve Jones Scholarship, an honor bestowed by the School of Music faculty to a student demonstrating excellence in academics, performance, and departmental leadership. Ms. Playstead pursued additional flute studies in Vienna, Austria, studying at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien.
Ms. Playstead is an active member of the music history program at UW, presenting her research at the Midwest Graduate Music Consortium and for the UW Music History Colloquium. Outside of her musical pursuits, Ms. Playstead holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound in environmental policy. In her spare time, she is a long distance runner and enjoys cooking.