Biography
Regina Helcher Yost is nationally renowned as both an orchestral and chamber music musician, as well as an acclaimed teacher of the flute and piccolo pedagogy. Currently, Regina is the Second Flute/Piccolo of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado. She also serves as the Adjunct Professor of Flute at Charleston Southern University and core flutist for Chamber Music Charleston.
Regina began her professional orchestral career as Associate Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Honolulu Symphony, a position she held for many years. Regina then decided to move back to the mainland where she became the Second Flute/Piccolo of the Knoxville Symphony and later a core member of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. In 1999-2000, Regina unanimously won a position as Acting Second Flute of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. While in St. Louis, she soloed with the St. Louis Symphony in Brandenburg’s Concerto #4 in Powell Symphony Hall which received a standing ovation and rave reviews. The next year, Regina was chosen to play in the Minnesota Orchestra on their NYC/European tour, playing in Carnegie Hall and the finest halls in Europe, including the Musikverein and the Philharmonie.
In 2006, Regina performed with the Atlanta Chamber Players on their 20th Anniversary European tour, performing in Burgundy and Paris France, Lausaune, Switzerland and Rome, Italy.
In 2010, Regina was one of two flutists selected to perform in the International Pacific Music Festival 20th Anniversary Alumni Orchestra in Sapporo, Japan conducted by Maestro Christoph Eschenbach.
In May of 2013 and 2017, Regina performed with Chamber Music Charleston in Carnegie Recital Hall (Weill) to sold out audiences.
In 2013-2014, Regina was selected to perform piccolo in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on several occassions, which included several live DSO broadcasts, a CD recording and also performing on the DSO 2014 Florida tour.
Regina was chosen as the feature article and cover photo of Flute Talk Magazine for the October 2015 issue.
Regina has performed in many music festivals including Tanglewood, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), GRAZ (Austria), Sarasota Music Festival, Chautauqua, among many others.
Regina received her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, was an Associate Instructor of Flute while pursuing a Master of Music degree at Indiana University, and was a flutist in the National Orchestra of New York (a national training orchestra that studied with world famous musicians and conductors and performed a six concert series in Carnegie Hall). Regina also has a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Florida and a Doctorate of Music Education degree from Liberty University. Her flute/piccolo teachers include Geoffrey Gilbert, James Pellerite, Julius Baker, Thomas Robertello, Carl Hall, Jack Wellbaum and Kyril Magg, among many others.
Currently Regina resides in Charleston, SC, where she lives with her husband Jeffrey and their pug dog Satchmo. Regina enjoys hiking 14,000 feet mountains, running half marathons, professional cake decorating and attending as many live opera performances as possible.
