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In addition to sharing their passion for music as performers, both women are also dedicated educators, committed to enriching the lives of children and adults.

Blithe Duo performing Kuhlau:

Blithe Duo performing Telemann:

Flutist Natalie Haworth-Liu is an active performer, instructor and clinician in the Bay Area. Recently appointed Acting Principal Flute of the Palo Alto Philharmonic, Natalie has performed in several chamber, opera, and symphony orchestras in Oregon and the Bay Area and in solo and chamber recitals. She is also one half of the Blithe Duo with flutist, Meerenai Shim. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Oregon, where she graduated with distinction and was a scholarship and award-winning student. Her primary teachers include Dr. Richard Trombley and French flutist Isabelle Chapuis-Starr. She has performed in master class with Susan Milan, Patrick Gallois, Michel Hasel, and Robert Stallmam. A passionate advocate for arts education, Natalie has worked extensively in Arts Administration and Educational Outreach with several Bay Area arts organizations, including, Ballet San Jose, sjDanceco, and the Ives String Quartet. In addition to running a successful flute studio, Natalie is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician.

Flutist Meerenai Shim is an active performer and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys teaching many excellent private flute students at the Meerenai Shim Flute School in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. Her teaching is influenced by the principles of Body Mapping and the practical application of human anatomy to allow musicians to move freely while performing and practicing.

Meerenai stays busy with many chamber music performances as a founding member of the Blithe Duo and the Ibert Trio. She also presents frequent recitals in the Bay Area. During the 2007-2008 season, Meerenai performed the Reinecke Flute Concerto with the Saratoga Symphony.

Meerenai's book, Scale Studies for Beginner and Intermediate Flutists, was originally written for her private flute students. Since it was published in 2007, it has received praise from flute pedagogues worldwide. The Flute Network described her book as "…well-thought-out and handsomely produced…" in its July/August 2008 issue. Due to the success of her first book, Meerenai has officially launched Meerenai Shim Publishing in order to continue to publish educational books for musicians.

Meerenai's flute teachers include Linda Lukas (San Francisco Symphony) and Mary Stolper (Grant Park Symphony). She has performed in master classes of Liisa Ruoho, Trevor Wye, Robert Stallman, Donald Peck and Michel Debost. She also studied orchestral conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and Eastern Music Festival. Her conducting teachers include Paul Vermel, Murry Sidlin, and Sheldon Morgenstern. Meerenai received a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from DePaul University in Chicago and a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University. She is training to become a certified Andover Educator in order to teach the Body Mapping course, What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body.