Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is your name Genna or Genevieve?

A: Yes. My full name is Genevieve Celeste Hahn. I'm named after both of my grandmothers, Eve and Celeste, and Hahn is German for “rooster”. But I've always gone by Genna for short. I love both of my names and use them fairly interchangeably. I will respond to both in any situation, but generally I use Genevieve in more formal settings and Genna in informal settings.

Q: Are you a singer or a flutist?

A: Yes. I maintain an equal level of proficiency in both instruments and I am equally passionate about both of them. Degree-wise, my Bachelor's is in Flute Performance with a Vocal Performance minor and I have two Master's degrees in Flute and Vocal Performance. However, I've recently decided to focus more on my singing than my flute playing, primarily because of all the physical problems I struggle with due to my flute playing. If you're a flutist, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But I still feel it's important for me to keep pursuing both instruments throughout my career.

Q: Do you teach?

A: Not yet. I have a very minimal amount of experience teaching private lessons in both flute and voice, but I do not feel I have enough experience or time to open a private studio right now. A type of teaching that really interests me is teaching foreign languages. I am proficient enough in Italian, German, French, and Russian to teach a beginner-level course. I maintain my language proficiency with Babbel, and I’ve also been studying ASL and Spanish (Castilian and Latin American).

Q: What is your fach?

A: This is a bit of a loaded question and I know people who could debate with you over the purpose of fachs for hours. However, I am primarily a coloratura and lyric soprano but I can also sing soubrette repertoire. In simpler terms, Mozart yes, Wagner no. For those of you who are more musical theater-minded, my lowest reliable note is a G3, my chest belt stops around an A4 or B4, my mix belt goes up to about at D5, and the rest is all head voice up to an Eb6.

Q: If you're a soprano, why do you sometimes sing alto in choir?

A: I am equally comfortable singing Soprano 1, Soprano 2, and Alto 1, but it has been my experience that smaller choirs (i.e. those that sing a capella or with a piano or chamber ensemble accompaniment) want their sopranos to be able to sing quite high with minimal, if any, vibrato, similar to a boy soprano. While my voice is technically on the lighter side, it's not that light, so that's why I often sing Alto 1 in those types of choirs. But in larger choirs (such as those that sing with orchestras or in operas), I would more likely be a soprano.

Q: What flutes do you play?

A: I play a Powell flute, a Burkhart piccolo, a Wenner Palanca Baroque flute, and I just bought a Gemeinhardt alto flute. I also own a soprano, sopranino, and garklein recorder, as well as a couple of tin whistles, but I have not received too many opportunities to play those yet. And I have a tiny bit of experience on Renaissance flute, but I do not currently own one.

Q: Who is your favorite composer?

A: A few of my favorites include Amanda Harberg, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Adam Guettel, Ricky Ian Gordon, Richard Strauss, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Ellen Mandel.

Q: What is your favorite musical?

A: Some of my favorites include The Light in the Piazza, Wonderland, Ragtime, The Secret Garden, Operation Mincemeat, Wicked, title of show, The Writing on the Stall, and Shanghai Sonatas.

Q: What are you most passionate about?

A: Some such things are:

-telling important stories through music

-underrepresented composers and pieces

-learning everything I can about pretty much everything

-my Christian faith

-my family

-innumerable nerdy franchises

Q: Who are your favorite artists to listen to for fun?

A: Some of my favorites are Postmodern Jukebox, Pentatonix, Lydia the Bard, Peggy, Lawrence, Meghan Trainor, Tori Kelly, Jax, Elton John, The Puppini Sisters, Bruno Mars, and Dennis van Aarssen.

Q: Wait, you have how many cats?

A: Six, and a crested gecko. Their names are Sophie, Gus-Gus, Perla, Suzy, Jewel, Mia, and Chris. And yes, I have pictures.

Q: Oh my gosh, you had CANCER?!

A: Please don't panic, I'm not dying. When I was 3 1/2 years old, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or in layman's terms, blood cancer. I underwent 2 1/2 years of chemo and steroid treatments and have been cancer-free ever since. However, because those treatments were designed with adults in mind and my body did not metabolize them correctly, I still deal with several long-term physical and cognitive side effects, hence the aforementioned physical problems when playing the flute (as well as the general aches and pains that come with that instrument). I don't talk about my cancer years too often, not because I don't like talking about it but because I genuinely don't remember most of it. I mean, how much do you remember of the first six years of your life? But when people find out and they or someone they love are going through something similar, they expect advice or hope from me and I feel kind of bad that I can't help them. I have to defer to my parents and their memories. However, if you are in such a situation and seeking hope, what I can tell you is that throughout my life, I have seen far more children and adults survive cancer than succumb to it. If you need more advice than that, talk to my parents.

Q: And you have AUTISM?!

A: Again, please do not panic. I was diagnosed within the spectrum at the age of 2 1/2. Back then, I had almost every textbook symptom: I was non-verbal, I wouldn't make eye contact, I was afraid of everything, I would line up my toys in the order in which I received them. But my parents thought I was fine because I could read before I was two. With time and a lot of help from a lot of different people, I got better. And today, I am on the mild, high-functioning portion of the spectrum. I still have my struggles—I’m not great in social situations, I struggle with quick decisions, I like following specific instructions, schedules, and plans, etc. But I’m still improving every day. Every person with autism is extremely different, but they can all do great things if they are given the help and support they need.