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An Interview with Todd Skitch​​

​​​​​AS FEATURED IN THE FEBRUARY 2026 AFC NEWSLETTER

 

 

Jessica Petrasek: 

What is something unique to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra among all the orchestras you have played in? 

Todd Skitch:  

Is any orchestra really unique? The ASO is unique to me (keep in mind that I'm a weirdo Canadian) in that it has always been one of my "dream job" orchestras. Going to school as a music performance major in the 1990s was all about listening to orchestras, knowing the various players, and playing along with recordings, which were compact discs at the time (I'm aging myself!). The Cleveland Orchestra and the ASO were my two all-time favorites, in part because they both play strictly at A440, the concert tuning pitch. They also each had a fantastical story of a new young Principal Flute winning the position straight out of the Curtis Institute of Music: Joshua Smith and Christina Smith respectively (no relation). This was around 1991 and I started my studies at McGill University in 1992. So, I think it is pretty unique that now it's my job to sit beside that famous young flute player and play Second Flute in my "dream job" orchestra. 

JP: 

What are some of the challenges of playing Second Flute in a major American orchestra? How do those challenges compare with your Principal Flute experiences?

TS:

Believe it or not, I think playing Principal and playing Second are not that different. In my experience, it's the people you are playing with that can create the challenges and the biggest differences - that is what truly makes all the difference in my musical experiences: the team. I think if you are a great Principal player, you need excellent ears, rhythm, intonation, listening skills, tone quality and control, communication skills, empathy, and more. And guess what? As a Second player you also have to have all those skills. I think a truly great Principal player will also make a great Second player and vice versa. But the personality of the flutist factors in, and I have the personality of a Second player. I am comfortable not being in the spotlight all the time; I enjoy being supportive, listening, playing the rich inner lines and harmonies, and I also enjoy the occasional Second Flute solo (think Dvorak 9).  

I also enjoy playing Principal flute. I played a fair amount of Principal in the Memphis Symphony, as that smaller ROPA orchestra does not have associate winds, so I would move to the Principal chair whenever needed. I played a rotating Principal role with IRIS Orchestra, conducted by Michael Stern, from 1999 to 2019. In the ASO, I have only ever played Principal in a subscription week once, for Brahms 4. It was a very rewarding experience and I'll never forget it. All that said, I'd much rather play second to a great Principal in a great orchestra like the ASO. 

JP:

How do you stay in shape for concerts each week without overexerting yourself? What are your preferred warmups and practice methods? 

TS:

I think I never over-exert myself physically on the flute. I think I can play all day... no problem. Some days full of orchestra rehearsals I don't find personal practice time - this is a problem. However, I must exercise daily. Not at home, but at a gym, surrounded by people. Lift some weights - be physical. Sweat like crazy. Get out of my head, and my small environment and away from the orchestra world. This gives me balance and supports my mobility and mental health. I don't practice enough. lol joking, not joking. I could "warm up" all day... it's my fav thing to do. I use any DAILY EXERCISES that are easily memorized and take them through every key in an ascending or descending chromatic order. Sound, Smooth, and Grow. This is my mantra. It is the boiled down essence of De La Sonorite and Trevor Wye's TONE, book 1. I use Taffanel/Gaubert, Reichert, Wummer, Gilbert Sequences, Maquarre... the list goes on. Chromatic stuff, making up my own patterns and stuff all the time. I probably should do more harmonics... but I don't like the way they sound. I'm currently obsessed with warming up with the song Golden. (yup, you heard that right.) I do not have perfect pitch - this is not super easy for me - I have to work on it.

JP:

Which teachers or mentors inspired you to become a professional musician, and what was their most memorable or effective advice?

TS:

I grew up listening to Rampal, Galway, and Bennett. And then I was also introduced to Jeanne Baxtresser, former Principal Flute of Toronto and Montreal. swoon In Canada/Toronto, the great English pedagogues William Bennett and Peter Lloyd would do masterclasses every year. I absolutely loved Bennett's incredibly rich, ebullient tone. He was always perfectly in tune. I was very lucky in my youth... I had some occasional lessons that I did not deserve from the iconic Shelley Brown, of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. She and I are from the same small Ontario city - Peterborough. Athens is to Atlanta as Peterborough is to Toronto. Her style and aesthetic helped shape my high school experience. In college I was so lucky to go to my top choice schools, the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and study first with Nora Shulman, Principal of the Toronto Symphony, and then Timothy Hutchins, Principal of L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. In reference to the Advanced Practice book by Trevor Wye and those monotonous little tricky technical measures that every student ought to practice - he said "Do these, or you are going NOWHERE." Tough love, and it helped me get somewhere, for sure. 

At McGill I met the Canadian version of Christina Smith - Joanna G'Froerer - such an inspiration for me! One time we went on a trip to Ottawa from Montreal together to take an audition. She won, of course. Principal Flute of the National Arts Center Orchestra. Totally amazing person and player. I met Joanna in real life around the time I met her American counterpart, Christina Smith, via the magic of compact disc. Ugh... legendary. Both iconic child prodigies, and the nicest people. I'm not sure I could have lasted as long as I have in this business without these women.

JP:

Who are your favorite flutists to listen to right now and why?

TS:

Easy. Yubeen Kim. Holy crap! I knew he was the next "big thing" as soon as I heard him play Mozart D major way back in 2014 as a competitor in the Concours de Geneve. At that time, one year after moving to Atlanta, I said to myself  "this kid is the next Emmanuel Pahud." Of course, I'm an addict of vintage flute playing: Rampal, Bennett, and Baker recordings. Also Fenwick Smith, a heroic Second player - past Second Flute of the Boston Symphony - I met him at Tanglewood in the mid 90's. I love his playing! The Ned Rorem Trio... wow, just wow. I will always listen to Montreal recordings just for the Tim Hutchins flute sound, all the way.