Lamont Parent Profile: Jason Flood

The Floods are always on the go; you never know where you might find them. I caught up with Jason Flood, father of flutist Hana (BM ’24), after a long business trip to Hawaii. Sensing my envy, he hastened to qualify that work kept him very busy. “I barely got to leave the hotel,” he said.

Hawaii serves as a coincidental midpoint between the Floods’ home bases. Although they have lived in Colorado Springs since 2015, mother June and all three children were born on Okinawa, in the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago. Jason had been stationed there with the U.S. Army from 1994 to 1997, at which point he and June met and married. They stayed on when Jason secured a contract position, meaning that all the Flood kids are bilingual in English and Japanese.

Speaking of Hana’s musical ability, Jason said with a smile, “It must come from her mother.” June plays piano, and all the Flood children have studied music: Hana’s sister Ally also plays flute, and younger brother Darrick plays the oboe. Hana had wonderful private teachers in high school, her father said, who encouraged her to join the Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO). It was during a weekend camp with DYAO that Hana first visited the campus of DU.

Unsure of whether to pursue music in college, Hana and her dad went to a college fair hosted in downtown Denver, where they met Lamont’s Director of Admission, Stephen Campbell. “He was really helpful,” Jason remembered, and Hana’s interest was piqued. After successfully applying and auditioning, Hana was excited for the move north.

Her first year coincided with the outbreak of the pandemic, but this did not deter the eagerness of the young Flood. Even before the initial lockdowns, she was on a mission. “Hana spent the vast majority of her freshman year in the practice rooms,” Jason told me. “She got a lot of use out of those practice spaces.” If there was a silver lining to the whole ordeal, he said, it was Hana’s ability to concentrate and practice without the typical distractions.

Another bright side was the introduction of live-streamed concerts. Since they couldn’t join the audience in person, Jason and June watched the livestreams “pretty religiously,” he said. The most memorable concert experience came when Hana gave an elective solo recital in Hamilton Recital Hall this past year, for which they were thrilled to be in attendance.

Asked if the family had vacation plans this summer, Jason laughed and replied, “None of our schedules lined up – everyone is so busy!” Aside from the business trip for Jason, Hana had two trips of her own, Ally was taking summer classes, and Darrick had camp for marching band, in which he plays keyboard. They might be able to travel this autumn, however, for a skip across the pond.

Hana will be taking advantage of DU’s Cherrington Global Scholars Program for the fall quarter, studying in Glasgow, Scotland. As it happens, her sister, Ally, will also be studying abroad in Scotland, in Edinburgh, about an hour away by bus or train. Why Scotland? It was a product of pragmatism and whimsy, Jason explained: they wouldn’t have to learn a new language, and they love the Starz series Outlander, which takes place in the Scottish Highlands. The Floods are hoping to bring a decidedly stateside custom with them when they visit – a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.