Katie’s flute journey began in sixth grade when she was assigned the clarinet but, inspired by the bird in Peter and the Wolf, she convinced her parents to let her play the flute instead – much to her band director’s surprise. She studied flute throughout middle and high school with Wanda Eddy in Oregon, then continued at Linfield University, earning a music minor under Denise Westby while completing a B.S. in Environmental Science and a Biology minor. Her senior recital included “Schizo Cuckoo” from Gary Schocker’s Flute Forest, a nod to her lifelong love of birds and nature.

Katie later moved to Hilo to pursue graduate studies in forest bird conservation at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, where she also played in the UH Hilo Jazz Orchestra and earned an M.S. in Conservation Biology and Environmental Science. After graduate school , she set her flute aside for a time to serve as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and work for several Hawai’i state agencies protecting rare and endangered birds and insects.

Now living on Maui and working as a forest bird biologist with Haleakalã National Park, Katie is excited to join the Maui Flute Choir and reconnect with her love of music. She plays a Yamaha flute and piccolo.