LIVE from Merit School of Music | Jacob Cornejo, 18, flute

You can join us in person for this live Introductions episode – come to Merit School of Music (38 S Peoria St, Chicago). Doors open at 10:30am on Saturday June 21 for the live broadcast starting at 11:00am sharp. Robbie Ellis hosts. Free entry, no reservation required. This event is part of Make Music Chicago, a one-day festival of free music-making across the city. Jacob Cornejo, from Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, is an 18-year-old flute player. He began his music education at the Merit School of Music, where went through the Music Conservatory Program. He served as a section leader in the Merit Philharmonic, Wind Symphony, and the award-winning chamber ensemble The Purple Hippopotami. As a fellow of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI), Jacob has received intensive pre-professional music training and has performed in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed flutists and chamber musicians. This year, he performed as Principal Flute with the National Pathways Festival Orchestra, alongside musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In addition, through the Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO, Jacob was invited to perform Mozart’s Concerto in G major at Symphony Center last March. Jacob studies flute woith Mariana Gariazzo and recently graduated from the Chicago High School for the Arts. In the fall he will begin Flute Performance studies at DePaul University studying with Aaron Goldman and Alyce Johnson. He previously appeared on Introductions as a member of The Purple Hippopotami Flute Trio in September 2024.