Casey Granofsky is Principal Flute of Symphony Nova Scotia. Prior to her appointment in March 2023, she was an in-demand freelance flutist and piccoloist throughout southern Ontario. Previous engagements include the Montreal Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Toronto Concert Orchestra, and the Niagara Symphony.

As a chamber musician, Casey has had the opportunity to perform works ranging from Bach and Telemann to world premiers. In recent years, she has had the privilege of performing concerts at the Banff Centre, the Fresh, Inc. Festival, and with the Ottawa New Music Creators. While she is well acquainted with the major works involving her instrument, she revels in works for less conventional instrumentation, such as trios for flute, viola and bass, or piccolo, tuba and piano.

Casey operates an active teaching studio both online and in-person. She has students of all ages and abilities from all over Canada. Some of the proudest moments of her career are seeing her students achieve their musical goals, whether that involves a successful performance, joining a community band, or being accepted to the music program at the university of their dreams.

She has a Master’s degree from McGill University, where she studied with Montreal Symphony’s Principal Flute, Timothy Hutchins. Prior to attending McGill, Casey attended the University of Montreal, studying with Denis Bluteau, and completed both a Bachelor’s degree and Artist Diploma at The Glenn Gould School where she studied with Dr. Kathleen Rudolph.

In addition to all of the incredible teachers and colleagues she’s met during her studies and travels, none of it would have happened had she not caught the “bug” at a young age. She would be remiss to leave out her first flute teacher, Loyda Lastra, who created the musical foundation that Casey continues to build upon to this day.

Q&A WITH CASEY

Why did you begin playing your instrument?
As a kid, I always wanted to play the tuba. I think I was drawn to it, in my six-year-old brain, because I thought it was funny. I had a dream of walking around the neighbourhood playing the old A&W jingle. My mother always said no because it was bigger than I was at the time. I think she was pretty relieved a few years later when I came home from camp asking for flute lessons. A girl in my cabin brought her instrument with her and let us all try it. We all got pretty excited when I managed to squeak out a sound, and that was the beginning of it all.

Do you teach music? Where, and why?
I absolutely do! I teach private flute lessons in-person and online. More details and contact information can be found at caseygranofsky.com.

What’s your favourite movie/book/TV show of all time?
Movie: I am always in the mood to watch Dodgeball. It’s the perfect sports movie.

Book: it’s a two-way tie between Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Fool by Christopher Moore. I read P&P usually every few years when I’m feeling down. Fool is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear as told by the fool, explaining a different perspective of the events and why the character disappears halfway through the play.

TV show: this is a tough one. I don’t have a favourite show, but I do have episodes that are all-timers, like “The Strike and The Doll” from Seinfeld, “Something Larry This Way Comes” from Married With Children, “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” from The Simpsons, “Dinner Party” from The Office, and “Make Love, Not Warcraft” from South Park.

What’s your favourite food?
This may be a bit of a disappointment to some, but I think eggs are the most perfect food. Their versatility is unmatched – you can have them as the main component of a dish, on the side, or as a key ingredient. They’re suitable for any meal of the day or as a snack. The number of ways you can prepare or cook them is also incomparable. They’re magical and I love them.