At three years old, Katherine Lacy Hoover heard Mozart for the first time and was immediately captivated. She began playing the piano at five years old and studied music in high school, where she was fortunate to have very good teachers. Although her parents didn’t initially want her to pursue music, she proved that she was talented in the area and was able to study music at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music theory and became performance-certified in flute in 1959. In 1974, she earned a master’s degree in music theory from the Manhattan School of Music.
Ms. Hoover began her career as a flute teacher at The Juilliard School Preparatory from 1962 to 1969. She then joined her alma mater, the Manhattan School of Music, as a theory teacher from 1969 to 1984. After this, she taught theory and composition lessons at the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York from 1984 to 1989.
Throughout all of her professional positions, Ms. Hoover was also a freelance flutist and a composer. In addition, she has organized and directed four Festivals of Women’s Music in New York City. She also served as a partner and distributor for Papagena Press and as a guest lecturer in her field. Most notably, as a flutist, Ms. Hoover composed a piece based on American Indians titled, “Kokopeli,” which helped to usher in a new genre of flute music. In addition to her musical talent, Ms. Hoover has also ventured into other creative spaces. In 2015, she authored a book of poetry titled, “This Way About,” published as the Editors’ Choice by iUniverse. In her spare time, Ms. Hoover also enjoys writing and traveling.
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