Sharon Sparrow

Sharon Sparrow is currently Assistant Principal Flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She remains tenured in the position of Assistant Principal Flute granted to her by Leonard Slatkin in 2014, and before that, was tenured as DSO’s Second Flutist for nine years. Sparrow earned her bachelor’s degree at The Juilliard School and a master’s degree at Mannes College of Music, studying with renowned teachers Julius Baker, Thomas Nyfenger, and Geoffrey Gilbert. She has given master classes all over the world, and locally she is an Instructor of Flute at Oakland University and Wayne State University.

Sparrow is a sought-after trainer for orchestral auditions on all instruments, and she has coached players who have won major jobs in orchestras throughout the U.S. Her specialty is helping musicians with their mindset, confidence, and certainty through preparation, so they can master the audition experience. Her book 6 Weeks to Finals, published by Theodore Presser in 2016, is in high demand. Telemann for Two, a set of duets that Sharon co-wrote with colleague Jeffery Zook and based on Telemann’s Solo Fantasies, was released in August 2018 by Theodore Presser.

Sparrow is a hands-on advocate for music education at all ages and has hosted and written children’s shows for both the DSO and the CutTime Players. She has been a frequent concerto soloist with the DSO and other local orchestras. Sparrow has held principal positions with the Memphis Symphony, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and has been a guest flutist in the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Hong Kong, and Baltimore symphony orchestras.

Sparrow’s children have continued with a passion for music. Her daughter Hannah graduated with a degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Michigan and is a professional singer; and son Zack graduated from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business and is the digital media manager for Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville. Sparrow is proud to be a resident of downtown Detroit.