13-year-old rising star flutist Nikka Gershman to represent California State in the MTNA Junior Woodwinds Competition

LOS ANGELES, CA, NOVEMBER 15th — Nikka Gershman, a Los Angeles, CA native, will compete as a Division Finalist in the MTNA Southwest Division Junior Woodwind Competition.

Nikka earned this opportunity after winning the California State Junior Woodwind Competition. As the youngest student at the Colburn Music Academy, Nikka has been studying flute for 7 years and is currently a student of Jim Walker, former Principal Flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and founder of the renowned band Free Flight.

Described as “without question one of the finest and most dedicated young flute soloists” by Mike Green, the President of the Grammy Foundation, Nikka is a first-prize winner of numerous competitions including Rising Stars Grand Prix (Berlin), Vancouver Symphony Concerto Competition, and a recipient of a Sir James Galway Merit Scholarship award. She was chosen to be featured on NPR’s From the Top Radio Station. Her solo concerts include Beethoven House (Bonn, Germany), Salon de Virtuosi (New York), and Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz with the LA Virtuosi Orchestra.

The winner of the division competition will compete in the National Finals. Division winners will be announced in mid-January. The three-tiered MTNA competitions begin at the state level. Winners of each State Competition advance to the Division Competition. Division winners then proceed to the National Competition Finals.

Music Teachers National Association is a nonprofit organization comprised of 17,000 independent and collegiate music teachers committed to advancing the value of music study and music making to society and to supporting the professionalism of music teachers. Founded in 1876, Music Teachers National Association is the oldest professional music association in the United States.