AJ Schmidt, a private student of Dan Parasky at Parasky Flute Studios, is a Pittsburgh-based flutist born in 2008. AJ has also worked in depth with Austin Brown, Megan Ensor, and Kelly Zimba-Lukić. He is a four-year member of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as was a guest musician on the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestras’ tour to Germany/The Czech Republic. Additionally, he has traveled as a musician to both Portugal and Hawai’i. He has also participated in the National Flute Association’s high school flute choir, and has had numerous experiences with chamber flute ensembles. AJ earned the piccolo seat for the ’23-’24 PMEA All State Band, and is a winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Young Artist Competition on flute (‘25), on piccolo (‘24), as well as in a small ensemble (‘23). Additionally, he has won the Woodbridge Flute Choir Concerto Competition, the Central Ohio Flute Association Junior and Senior divisions, as well as several other regional competitions. AJ plans to move on to major in flute performance after he graduates from high school with hopes of earning a chair in a major symphony orchestra.

Schmidt is a strong advocate for strong music education for a variety reasons. Primarily, he has found that music education helps one connect and find community in a beautiful, wordless form of art. For this reason, he is steadfast in his belief that music education should come at the highest quality.