Hunter Bauman has built his life around music, starting when he began piano lessons in first grade. Now a home-schooled high school junior, he plays advanced flute and piano and is a five-time Santa Cruz Symphony Mueller Scholarship recipient.
Hunter’s musicianship has a very deep and wide range. He added flute to his musical skills in third grade and now plays that instrument in the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony and the UCSC Wind Ensemble. He will play the piano accompaniment for Xander Lee in a performance of Bach’s Violin Sonata in C Minor at the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s Emerging Artist Showcase in May 2020. In addition, he is preparing for exams to earn Level 10 Certificate of Merit Awards from the Music Teachers Association of California – tests that require advanced knowledge of music theory and professional-level performance skills.
Like many college-bound high school juniors, Hunter is carefully considering his education options. He wants to major in music and, while pure music schools are an option, he says, “I also really enjoy studying the humanities like history, literature and philosophy.” That puts any number of colleges and universities with strong music programs on his list. He adds, “I want to think seriously about going to the East Coast for my education.”
While Hunter’s training to date has been mostly in classical music ranging from Baroque through Romantic periods, he has also been trained in more contemporary music. “The flute repertoire I have concentrated on was developed at the Paris Conservatory around the beginning of the 20th Century,” he says, which probably explains his interest in adding more jazz to his preferred performance repertoire from the Romantic and Impressionist periods.
“Solo opportunities are more available in modern music than in classical music where they are inserted into large-scale symphonies,” notes Hunter, who also appreciates the subtleties of orchestration, saying, “I like playing the more interesting countermelodies.” Hunter’s performance goals are varied and include playing flute in ensembles, chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras, and wind bands.
While his main instrument is the flute, Hunter’s advanced piano skills are an important foundation of his musicianship. “Because you play the piano with two hands you can have multiple voices in the music,” he says. “And because you have the full range of notes, keys and chords available, you can develop a better understanding of what the music is doing when you’re playing it on a flute.”
As a member of the Youth Symphony, Hunter has played under Maestro Danny Stewart’s direction in the Santa Cruz Symphony Family concerts and has attended regular Santa Cruz Symphony performances. “He is a really great conductor,” says Hunter. He also admires Nathaniel Berman’s leadership of the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony and the UCSC Wind Ensemble.
Wherever he goes to college and whatever music he plays, it seems clear that Hunter Bauman has a successful music career in his future.