Karen Vaughn-Smith

Karen Vaughn-Smith, is a well-known teacher and performer in the Atlanta music community.  Former Principal Piccolo of the Gainesville (GA) Symphony, she was principal flute of the North Georgia Symphony and has played with or been a regular member of the Georgia orchestras of Columbus, Macon, and DeKalb.  Additionally, she performed as Principal Flute in Atlanta’s well-known Chastain Park for Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, and Brian Wilson.  She began her orchestral career with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and later played as Principal Flute with the Bartlesville Symphony in Oklahoma where she worked with Ruth Laredo, Doc Severinsen, and Steve Allen. 

Vaughn-Smith is also a sought-after flute clinician in middle and high schools in the Atlanta area and serves annually as an esteemed judge for the Atlanta Federation of Musicians Scholarship Competition.  Her performances, both solo and orchestral, have been aired on PBS Radio, and the most recent recording with full orchestra and chorus, “The Music of Johannes Brahms,” can be heard on Mayflower Recordings.

A private flute instructor for over forty years, Karen holds both Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees and was formerly adjunct flute instructor at Marywood University in Scranton, PA as well as teaching in Ohio, Oklahoma, and currently, in Atlanta.  A devoted teacher, her students have gone on to study with noted flutists such as Samuel Baron, Bonita Boyd, Leone Buyse, Thomas Nyfenger, Murray Panitz, and John Wion.