Press

What Experts Are Saying

“I heard Nikka’s duet on her website and was blown away. After performing only a year after picking up the flute, Nikka already showed a rare talent and a mature sense of the beauty and power of music and of the instrument. She shows strong discipline and superb classical technique. As a veteran public radio broadcaster and music journalist—and a middling jazz flute player—I’ve listened to them all: J.P. Rampal, Emmanuel Pahud, Julius Baker and Ransom Wilson, as well as jazz giants like Hubert Laws, the late Dave Valentin, Cuban flute geniuses Maraca, Fajardo, and Egües. I know the A from the B players. This kid has already reached the higher echelon of young flutists, and her star is bound to rise even higher.”

— Tom Schnabel
Emeritus Producer KCRW, Rhythm Planet, Morning Becomes Eclectic, Former Program Director, World Music L.A. Philharmonic.

“Nikka is without question one of the finest and most dedicated young flute soloists I have encountered in my career. She possesses the rare qualities and gifts that are necessary to make her unique mark across the cultural landscape… a burning passion for music, artistic integrity, love of music history and a creative drive that will surely fuel her success. I continue to marvel at Nikka’s level of maturity, musical and artistic achievement and no-nonsense focus which compels her to compose and arrange music as well as to perform. We will all be enjoying and keeping an eye on this rising star!”

— Mike Greene
CEO of Artist Tribe and former Chairman/President/CEO of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences,
President of The Grammy Foundation, Founder of the Musicares Foundation

“In the course of my career as a popular music producer, I have recorded many musicians from the New York, Los Angeles and London philharmonic orchestras. Their members are considered among the best professional musicians in the world. I can honestly say that Nikka at her young age has earned her own place in this elite group. I have known Nikka since she first chose flute as her primary instrument. Her progress has been nothing short of phenomenal. I very much look forward to following her future career as a recording artist, concert performer, composer and Master Musician. I won’t be surprised to see her on the podium conducting in a few years. Do yourself a favor and acquaint yourself with this amazing musician.”

—Harry Maslin
Record Producer (David Bowie), Recording/Mixing Engineer (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner, Leonard Cohen),
Studio Owner/Designer, Image Recording Studios

Radio Broadcasts

  • Lincoln Center’s NEXT250: Young Artists Showcase

    Host Simone Dinnerstein shares preview performances from Lincoln Center’s NEXT250, an inspirational next-gen showcase curated by pianist and producer Lara Downes. Listen here…

  • WQXR: Students of Carol Wincenc

    Host Emi Ferguson features Nikka Gershman’s When We Used to Dance
    Nikka Gershman, Flute | Vivian Fan, Piano
    Listen here…

  • WQXR: Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant Recipients

    On this edition of The Young Artists Showcase, guest host Emi Ferguson presents the 2022 winners of the esteemed Salon de Virtuosi Career Grants, featuring Nikka Gershman performing Wetzger and Dinicu. Listen here…

  • NPR's From the Top

    Host and pianist Peter Dugan features Nikka Gershman, flute, playing Paul Wetzger’s Am Waldesbach
    Listen here…

1010WINS Morning Show

Flutist Nikka Gershman on 1010WINS
Hosted by Scott Stanford

Reviews, Profiles, & Interviews

  • classicasobi - Nikka Gershman x Prokofiev at Juilliard

    With a blend of acrobatic virtuosity and structural fortitude, Nikka’s flute resounded through Juilliard’s Paul Hall, weaving a rich, spirited narrative and conveying every shade of irony through fluid, kaleidoscopic modulations.
    Read more…

  • AMNY - The magic flutist: Nikka Gershman has an October surprise for New Yorkers

    Now, she is a seasoned performer who treats the flute like an extension of her soul. Gershman already has performed at many of the world’s most storied concert halls, with appearances in New York City at Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Read more…

  • The Flute View - Nikka Gershman, Cover Artist

    “An audience can seem daunting as a sea of unknown faces. Yet to me, it is a very intimate experience. I strive to connect with every single person in the audience, making eye contact with all present. Tapping into our joined energy makes me feel really at home on stage.” Read more…

  • Our Town - Rising Star: 16-Year-Old Juilliard Students Hopes to 'Bring the Flute to the Future'

    Less than 10 percent of students who apply to Juilliard are accepted, and in 2022, then-14-year-old flutist Nikka Gershman was one of them. In fact, the now-16-year-old is attending the prestigious school on a full scholarship, and her musical journey is only beginning. Read more...

  • Victoria's Secrets: A Powerful Week

    Nikka Gershman is a prodigy who made magic with her powerful and stunning solo performance… to hear her perform is to be elevated to another world and I was entranced listening to her brilliant performance! Read more…

  • Flute Almanac - World Premiere: 17-Year-Old Nikka Gershman Presents Her Flute Arrangement of Ravel's La Valse — Live from Juilliard

    Gershman’s transcription brings Ravel’s rich and mesmerizing harmonies to life, capturing the essence of the original orchestration through the intricate interplay between flute and piano. The duo aims to envelop the audience in the full sonic experience of an orchestra. Read more…

  • LA OPUS - Nikka Gershman's Magical Flute Debut at Mason House

    “That concert debut—as performer and, in one encore, also composer—satisfied, even surpassed, expectations that had preceded this young artist’s previous outings. Her dazzling, at times mesmerizing, exploration of the range of flute capabilities skipped through, confidently and consummately, the many minefields of an exhaustingly full program of seven complex works and two encores.” Read more…

  • Behind the Mic

    NPR’s From The Top Producers Newsletter, Behind the Mic, Spotlighting Nikka Gershman. “Composition is the strongest way that I can express my emotions. When I compose, sometimes I sit down and try to carve out musical ideas… generally, however, the music comes at absolutely random times, and I rush to notate it. Sometimes, it even arrives in my sleep!” Read more…

  • Pasadena Now

    Pasadena Showcase House For The Arts Awards $18,500 To Nine Aspiring Young Musicians. Nikka Gershman, a flutist, was awarded the Grand Prize for “exceptional talent and musicianship.” Read more…

  • PR Newswire

    Nikka Gershman, a 14-year-old flutist and composer, was announced by The William S. Haynes Flute Company of Boston, one of the world's leading makers of concert flutes, as youngest ever "Haynes Young Artist". Nikka earned this opportunity after getting international recognition as a rising star. Read more…

  • Northwest Reverb - Young gold medalists shine brilliantly with the Vancouver Symphony

    “The concert began with an outstanding rendition by Nikka of the first movement of Saverio Mercadante’s Concerto No. 2 in E minor for Flute and String Orchestra. Especially impressive was her cadenza where she flawlessly interspersed low notes in the midst of a series of higher ones and built the dynamics into an exciting forte. After finishing the piece with a thrilling final forte, she was rewarded with enthusiastic applause.” Read more…

  • The Columbian - Young award winners to perform with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

    Competition drew on musicians from around the US: “The faces of Maestro Salvador Brotons and the three winners of the orchestra’s Young Artist Competition were all smiles at the intersection of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street [at Times Square]… The jury selected flutist Nikka Gershman as the top performer in the woodwind category to perform with the orchestra this weekend at Skyview Concert Hall.” Read more…

  • The Flute View: Introducing the Winners of the San Francisco Flute Society Competition 2020

    First Prize Division One: Nikka Gershman. “The flute feels like it’s an extension of myself, and it comes naturally to me. This piece of metal can conduct not only sound, but also emotions, narratives, and life experiences. When the lips, the lungs, the fingers, and the feeling come together, in the best moments, I sense a presence of magic.” Read more…