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College of Charleston Music Department

Strings

The Strings Program at the College of Charleston is growing rapidly and enjoying many new successes. The Terranova Piano Trio — comprised of violinist Javier Orman, (2006 graduate and student of Lee-Chin Siow), pianist Guiliana Contreras (student of Enrique Graf), and cellist Yun Hao Jiang (student of Natalia Khoma) — completed their first South American Tour this summer, performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto! Professors Lee-Chin Siow and Natalia Khoma are launching a new series, Charleston Music Fest, celebrating the finest classical and contemporary chamber music performed by world-class artists.

Lee-Chin Siow with student

Faculty

Masterclasses

Masterclasses, conducted by guest artists, are free of charge and open to the public.
Reservations required. Please call 843.953.0935 for more information or to make a reservation.
All Masterclasses will be held in the Recital Hall, Simons Center for the Arts.

Performance Opportunities

The Department of Music works in close collaboration with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, one of the finest symphonic orchestras in the area. As part of its outreach, advanced students get the opportunity to perform with the orchestra and get a taste of the professional world before completing their studies. This rare and enormously positive experience can only be found in larger cosmopolitan areas.

Under the direction of Maestro Lorenzo Muti, the College's own student-based Chamber Orchestra performs once every semester at the Sottile Theatre, as part of the Monday Night Concert Series.

The Chamber Music Class is coordinated and coached by Professors Siow, Khoma, Enrique Graf (Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Piano at the College) and cellist and conductor Dennis Burk. In the class, students of various instruments get the opportunity to play together in groups under the guidance of said professors. Eventually, advanced groups perform at the end of semester Chamber Music Concerts (Simons Center for the Arts Recital Hall), the Millenium Music Sunday Spotlight Series, the Santee Cooper "Family Fridays with the Classics" series (Monck's Corner) and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

Further Learning Opportunities

Our students have participated in master classes by world-renowned artists, such as Andres Cardenes (Tchaikovsky Competition laureate and Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) and Earl Carlyss (former member of the Juilliard String Quartet), among others, and have represented the College in regional and national competitions (MTNA, Allentown Symphony and South Carolina Philharmonic Competitions). During the summer, serious students further their studies and continue to work hard, by participating in prominent music festivals, such as the legendary Meadowmount (New York) and Weathersfield (Vermont), or by touring Europe with the Charleston Pro Musica, the College's own early music group. There, students take lessons, participate in master classes taught by distinguished teachers and artists, challenge themselves, and perform in positive and enriching environments.

For further information, please contact:

Lee-Chin Siow: 843.953.5195 siowl@cofc.edu