Meet Kayla.
Kayla Noelle Cieslak is an up-and-coming flutist who is known for her passionate solo playing and an unwavering dedication to a high level of musicianship. Showing an interest from a very young age, Kayla was introduced to the flute through her mother, who is also a professional flutist. She would often wake up to a house filled with beautiful music and think to herself, “I want to play like that someday...” This deeply-rooted love for music continued to be an integral part of her life growing up. In high school, Kayla was highly involved in her band program while also playing in the Oakland Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she held the position of Principal Flute in her senior year. In 2017 she was given the great honor of performing in the wind ensemble at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, where she was awarded first chair- making her one of the year’s top high school flutists in the state of Michigan.
Kayla received her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from Eastern Michigan University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. During her time at EMU she held various ensemble positions such as Principal Flute/Piccolo in the Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra. She won first prize in the School of Music’s William Stewart Concerto Competition as well as the Concerto/Aria Competition. In 2019, Kayla won first place in the nationally recognized Barry Manilow Scholarship Competition, sponsored by the Manilow Music Project. As well as being an avid performer, she is also an active member of the professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon, where she held multiple board and committee positions within the Epsilon Lambda chapter.
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Kayla Noelle Cieslak recently graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a Masters of Music degree in Flute Performance, under the tutelage of Dr. Tadeu Coelho. In the studio, she was the Flute Teaching Assistant. She also was the Graduate Assistant for Academic and Artist Services. There, she performed with the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Kayla has had the privilege to perform Principal Flute in UNCSA’s production of The Nutcracker in 2021 and 2022. Kayla was also a member of ArtistCorps, a community engagement program at UNCSA that serves the Winston-Salem community through the arts. Through this program, she taught Pre-k students phonics and middle school through high school flute students.
On a national level, Kayla has a broad range of experience performing with various professional ensembles. In 2018, she was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when she was selected to perform in the United States Premier Air Force Band Collegiate Symposium. One of only two flutists selected by a nationwide audition, she performed alongside the Air Force Band and participated in masterclasses with their top-tier professional musicians. In that same year, she won a seat in the National Flute Association Collegiate Flute Choir, which was in collaboration with Project Trio and under the direction of renowned flutist Jim Walker. She has participated at the Renova Summer Music Festival and in various masterclasses with prominent musicians such as Sharon Sparrow, Amy Porter, Marina Piccinini, Richard Sherman, Amanda Blaikie, Anthony McGill, Marin Alsop, and Christina Jennings.
As well as being an active performer, Kayla Noelle Cieslak was a private teacher in the metro-Detroit area from 2016 - 2022 and now teaches online and in the Winston-Salem, NC area, where she leads a highly successful flute studio. She teaches all levels ranging from beginners to advanced. Kayla’s students have consistently received 1st and 2nd ratings at both regional and state level Solo and Ensemble festivals and some have gone on to further their music studies in college. Kayla has worked as a flute instructor with various high school marching band programs, including Clio Area High School, Lamphere High School, and Blissfield High School.
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Kayla's primary teachers include Dr. Tadeu Coelho, Dr. Julie Stone, Dr. Penelope Fischer, Jeff Zook, and Jacqueline Fornari.
