Won wins way towards Carnegie

Coppell+High+School+sophomore+flutist+Lindsey+Won+prepares+for+a+recital+during+seventh+period+in+the+CHS+Band+Hall+on+Sept.+4.+Won+placed+first+in+The+Golden+Classical+Music+Awards+competition%2C+qualifying+her+to+play+at+Carnegie+Hall+next+July.+Photo+by+Aliza+Abidi.

Aliza Abidi

Coppell High School sophomore flutist Lindsey Won prepares for a recital during seventh period in the CHS Band Hall on Sept. 4. Won placed first in The Golden Classical Music Awards competition, qualifying her to play at Carnegie Hall next July. Photo by Aliza Abidi.

Sri Achanta, Staff Writer

After months of fine-tuning her solo, Coppell High School sophomore flutist Lindsey Won’s hard work pays off as she is to play at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie in July of 2022. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were limited in-person competitions available for Won, so she decided to look more into online competitions. With the help of her flute teacher Monica Song, she found The Golden Classical Music Awards competition

“I turned in a recording [for the competition],” Won said. “I didn’t think anything of it because it was just for fun, and then a month later I got an email back saying I got first [place].” 

To enter in this competition, Won sent in a 10-minute recording of her playing Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra First Movement. To Won, recording was a struggle at first. 

“Recording, it’s so much pressure,” Won said. “Once you get an OK recording, you know you have the opportunity to make another recording. When I don’t do better, I get frustrated and [the recording] becomes worse and I have to let myself know that I [need] to take a break and start again.” 

With this mindset, Won completed her recording within one hour. 

After the recording was submitted, it was judged in the intermediate (13 to 15 years old) category. Won placed first and was awarded the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in New York. 

To Won, playing at Carnegie Hall is a major source of inspiration. 

“After playing at Carnegie I’ll be a lot more motivated and driven to do more competitions and work harder than I usually do,” Won said. 

Won credits her mother, Eunyoung Kim, and her friends as her other main motivators. 

“My friends are motivating me to be the best,” Won said. “A lot of it was my friends who knew flute [is]one of the biggest things in [my] life. They all know the right things to say when I’m feeling unmotivated or if I think I sound bad. They tell me to get up, practice and [I] got this.”

CHS sophomore Livia Thomas, one of Won’s closest friends, describes Won as dedicated and never willing to give up, both as a friend and a flutist.

“[Won] is very determined,” Thomas said. “She [works] very hard at succeeding at flute. She is always there for you and no matter what happens you can depend on her.”

CHS senior Wes Booker, Won’s fellow drum major, likewise describes Won as talented and diligent. He hopes to see her grow as a flutist and sprout into her own inspiring person.

“I have never seen a young flutist this good,” Booker said. “It has been very helpful to learn from her, and it’s cool to see her doing all this great stuff.” 

Won’s improvement over the years as a flutist has helped her reach aspirational goals. 

“Don’t show everyone that you are working hard,” Won said. “That’s not how you get an effective practice session, or how you get better. I used to want to practice in front of people so I could prove something, but that’s not what you need to be doing.” 

Won thinks the ultimate goal of practicing is to find ways to improve.

“What you’re striving for shouldn’t be perfect, it should be for improvement,” Won said. “That is something I had to learn along the way [be]cause I always wanted everything to be perfect, but that’s really not possible, especially with music. Nothing is ever deadset so you just have to work towards improvement and know everything can’t be the way you want it to be.”

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