Competitions

Born in 1925 in Electra, Texas, Byron Hester was principal flutist of the Houston Symphony Orchestra for forty years. At the time of his death in 1995, he was Professor Emeritus of the University of Houston’s School of Music, having served on the faculty for 39 years. After losing his flute to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the first Kamikaze attack of World War II, he then traveled to New York City to study with Georges Barrere at The Julliard School. After two years of study, he transferred to the Curtis Institute of Music. Following the model set by William Kincaid— Hester’s flute professor at Curtis— the combination of teaching college-age flutists and playing in a major symphony orchestra kept him in touch with the essence of the technique of playing the instrument, and the obligation of passing on his knowledge to young, aspiring talents. Hester taught students of all ages and backgrounds, from pre-teens to senior citizens, and jazzers to astronauts.