Episode 021: Interview with Rena Urso
April 14, 2020.
Bio:
Rena Urso enjoys a flourishing career as a freelance orchestral and chamber musician all over California. in addition to being on the faculty at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach and California State University Stanislaus, she is the Second Flutist of the Oakland Symphony and the Oregon Coast Music Festival Orchestra. She previously held Piccolo positions and toured extensively with the New York City Opera National Company and San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater.
Rena performs frequently with many of the orchestras throughout California including the San Francisco Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Monterey, Marin, Santa Rosa, Berkley, Modesto, and California Symphonies, Carmel Bach Festival, and Festival Mozaic. She has also performed with the Seattle Symphony, American Ballet Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Hawaii Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As a versatile musician who has recorded for video games, television, radio, and film, Rena also performs with the National Tours of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera.
As a Licensed Body Mapping Educator, Rena presents workshops and masterclasses all over the world, as well as the course she created at CSULB, Body Mapping for the Performing Artist. Her popular monthly column in The Flute View covers a myriad of topics related to injury prevention and musicians wellness.
As an active member of the National Flute Association, Rena has served as an adjudicator for various competitions and performed at many of the annual conventions including those in Chicago, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Minneapolis, and Orlando.
Rena is a course coordinator for California State University Summer Arts with her biennial flute course, The Complete 21st Century Flutist, taking place again this July at California State University Fresno. She is also a frequent guest artist at the Iowa Flute and Piccolo Intensive summer courses and the International Piccolo Festival in Grado, Italy.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Rena received her Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University, and her Master of Music with honors from California State University Long Beach. For more information about Rena, please visit www.renaurso.com
Show Info:
We talk about everything from the Body Mapping Classes she teaches at Cal State Long Beach, to her own journey with body mapping and self-study. This one is such a treat. Rena is so fun to chat with and her knowledge is equal parts fun and informative with the perfect dose of humble. Enjoy the episode and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe.
Show Notes:
Programs and Institutions
Intermission- Melissa White
Books and Publications
How to Navigate Music School with a Performance-Related Injury - Francesca Leo
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life - Thich Nhat Hanh
People
Melissa White - Violinists of Intermission
Timothy Hagen - Flutist