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Timothy M. Hagen

Biography

Summary: Timothy Hagen, 22, wanted to play clarinet in his school band but the only instrument offered to him was the flute. He accepted and the decision changed his life, causing him to put aside his dream of a career in science and devote his life to music instead. Two years after taking up the instrument, he made all-state band and decided to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts. Timothy won a concerto competition, earned a 4.10 GPA, and taught music to grade-school children as well as performing in solo and ensemble concerts. He plans to pursue a master of music degree at the University of Southern California.

Biography: Abandoned by his father before he was born, Timothy was raised by his mother, a bookkeeper in a small town in rural North Carolina. She read to him every night and by the age of three he was reading on his own. "I was always surrounded by love, and Mama was determined to give me a good life," he recalls. At first, Timothy dreamed of being a scientist, finding a cure for the common cold, and winning the Nobel Prize. But music changed all that when he signed up to play the flute in the school band in fifth grade. A self-described "insatiable show-off," he soon was performing at every opportunity in school recitals, church services, and band concerts. He took private lessons, made all-state band in seventh grade and, encouraged by his mother, decided to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts during his senior year in high school.

He decided to continue in the college program at the specialized arts institution, winning a prominent place in the orchestra and giving several solo recitals. Timothy won the school's concerto competition with a difficult contemporary work. "I became a practice machine," he recalls. Mr. Hagen won a Kenan Fellowship at Lincoln Center in New York, performing twice at that celebrated site, and again chose to present music by contemporary composers. He entitled the concert "Playing with Fire" because of the musical risks he was taking.

Timothy intends to seek a master of music degree in flute performance at the University of Southern California, a credential which will aid his teaching career. While he has hopes of becoming a solo performer, he also is interested in forming a chamber ensemble with flute, strings, and wind instruments. "I love to share my knowledge of music and the flute with others," he says. "I believe it is important for society to remember that the arts are essential to living a full life."

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