About
Dayna Hagstedt is a Charlotte-based flutist who seeks to foster compassion, community, and connection through the power of music performance.
She is committed to creating innovative performances that challenge the status quo and invite audiences into a social, emotional, and intellectual exchange. Whether through virtual concerts for COVID ICU patients or sensory-friendly programs featuring flute quartet, ukulele, and didgeridoo, Dayna works to make classical music approachable and meaningful to a broad range of listeners.
​
Dayna enjoys a growing career as an orchestral musician, performing as Principal Flute of the Durham Symphony Orchestra and Third Flute/Piccolo of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra. Her performance career has taken her across the U.S. and abroad, from Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony in an intimate cathedral in Fiera di Primiero, Italy, to sharing the stage with legendary rock band The Who.
​
An active educator, Dayna is equally passionate about cultivating the next generation of musicians. She currently serves as Adjunct Lecturer of Flute at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she works closely with students to develop their artistry and musical identity. She has presented a lecture-recital for the Chicago Flute Society on integrating works by diverse composers into pedagogy and given masterclasses at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Lenoir Rhyne University. She also served as a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, where she spoke on freelancing and career development. In Charlotte, she works with the Symphony’s Project Harmony program, providing El Sistema inspired music education to children.
​
Beyond the stage, Dayna is dedicated to expanding accessibility and inclusivity in the arts. She is the co-founder of Azure Family Concerts Pittsburgh, a sensory-friendly concert series offering live music in welcoming, judgment free spaces for individuals with autism and their families.
​
Dayna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Flute Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s in Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She is eternally grateful for the wisdom and artistry bestowed upon her by her primary teachers, including Demarre McGill, Lorna McGhee, Alberto Almarza, and Tadeu Coelho.
​
Offstage, Dayna enjoys lifting weights, salsa dancing, and playing fetch with her golden retriever, Hank.
​
*For more information about Dayna's administrative experience, please follow the link below to her LinkedIn profile.*
