The series will feature some of the College’s most accomplished music students and alumni such as guitarist Marco Sartor, a Grammy award nominee and first prize winner in numerous international competitions; Charleston piano sensation, 17-year-old Micah McLaurin, also an international competition winner who has already appeared with orchestras on three continents; the College of Charleston Concert Choir, one of the nation’s finest collegiate choral ensembles; baritone Nathan Matticks and soprano Ashley Fabian, prize winners of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing Competitions; and the Tan and See Piano Duo, finalists in the International Web Concert Hall Competition who have performed from the United States to South East Asia and Europe.

The performers hail from the United States, Uruguay, Singapore, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, China and Slovakia.

Guest artists will include pianist Matthew Griswold, an Oberlin Conservatory graduate and winner of the Arthur Dann Piano Competition and the Southeastern Festival Concerto Competition, and pianist Luis Hernandez, a winner of the Carnegie Mellon University Concerto Competition.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, May 26 - Tangos, Spanish and Latin Music for Piano and Strings
The trio of Yuhong Tu on violin, Lujza Durisova on cello and pianist Pedro Uceda perform Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” the Tan and See Piano Duo perform Anton Marquez’s “Danzon,” Micah McLaurin plays the 1st Book of Isaac Albeniz’s “Iberia Suite” and pianist Emmanuel Houston plays a piece by Alberto Ginastera.

Monday, May 28 – College of Charleston Concert Choir
Conducted by Robert Taylor, the nationally recognized chorus performs a program of sacred music. This concert takes place at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.

Tuesday, May 29 - Prize-winning Guitarist Marco Sartor, plus Music for Cello and Piano
Latin American and Italian Music with Marco Sartor, and cellists Lujza Durisova, Diego Villena, and Unusdian Errandonea perform works by Bruch, Khudoyan and Faure, with Pedro Uceda and Chee-Hang See at the piano.

Wednesday, May 30 - Gershwin, Paganini Variations and Other Showpieces for One and Two Pianos
Performers include the Tan and See Piano Duo and solo pianists Emmanuel Houston, Diego Suarez, and Emily Tran. Works by Liszt, Gershwin, Kapustin, Scriabin, Muczynski and Lutoslawski.

Thursday, May 31 – All Rachmaninoff Recital
Pedro Uceda plays Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, plus Preludes, Etudes, and transcriptions with pianists Micah McLaurin, Chee-Hang See, Matthew Griswold and Emily Tran.

Friday, June 1 - The Art of the Song: Prize Winning Singers perform Songs from around the World
Nathan Matticks, Ashley Fabian, Jordon Boyd, Kori Miller and friends perform Art Songs by Strauss, Liszt, Debussy, Schubert and Schumann.

Saturday, June 2 - Rhapsody in Blue, Petrouchka Suite, and other Piano Blockbusters
Matthew Griswold performs “Rhapsody in Blue,” Luis Hernandez plays Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka Suite,” the Tan and See Piano Duo performs Liszt’s transcription of “Bellini’s Norma” on two pianos.

Monday, June 4 – Virtuoso Violin Recital – Students of Lee-Chin Siow perform masterworks and showpieces
Yuhong Tu, Meghan Henson and friends perform works by Brahms, Wieniawski and more.

Tuesday, June 5 - Opera and Oratorio Arias – Familiar Classics for the Stage and Concert Hall
Arias and Duets from operas performed by Johnathan White, Nathan Matticks, Ashley Fabian, Joe Ford and others.

Wednesday, June 6 - Singers go Baroque! – Vocal Music from the Time of Bach and Handel
Arias by Bach, Handel and Mozart performed by Nathan Matticks, Savannah Shelby, Jordan Boyd and more.

Thursday, June 7 – Favorite Piano Concertos by Mozart, Grieg and Tchaikovsky
Tan and See Piano Duo performs Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Emily Tran plays Grieg’s Concerto and Irwin Jiang performs Tchaikovsky’s popular Piano Concerto No. 1 with Luis Hernandez playing the orchestra.

Friday, June 8 - Mozart’s First Opera! – Bastien and Bastienne – a Pastoral Comedy
Sung in English and directed by David Templeton and Deanna McBroom, the opera stars Johnathan White as Bastien, Ashley Fabian as Bastienne, and Nathan Matticks as Cola.

Saturday, June 9 – Concertos and Solo works by Chopin and Prokofieff  
Micah McLaurin plays Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, Irwin Jiang plays Prokofieff’s Sonata No. 7, and Diego Suarez performs Prokofieff’s Concerto No. 2.

The School will also recognize alumni who have made significant professional and personal contributions to their communities since graduating from the College of Charleston. These alumni are leaders in the arts, business, philanthropy and other areas who honed their skills through the study of the arts at the College and now share their talents and their resources with others.

ALUMNI AWARDS

Alumni Award of Achievement

Erick Avari, ’76

Allison Munn, ’96

Alumni Award for Service

C. Michael Phillips, ’77

Liz Vaughan, ’09

Young Alumni Award

José Lemos, ’01

Awards granted as of May 1, 2012 are listed below.

Departmental Honors: The criterion for Departmental Honors is based on a student’s overall grade point average. Students must have an average of 3.7 or higher to receive this award.

Outstanding Student Award: The criteria for the Outstanding Student Award are based on a student’s artistic/scholarly contributions as determined by the department or program

ART HISTORY

Departmental Honors

Milena Rebecca Berman

Leah Faith Bush

Jourdan DeVies

Lauren Duxbury

John Carl Epperson

Margaret F. Jordan

Jessica Elizabeth Steele

Outstanding Student Award

Leah Faith Bush

ARTS MANAGEMENT

Departmental Honors

Harriet Caroline Abbot

Megan Elizabeth Alder

Kaitlyn Marie Bayag

Craig A. Budde

Sytske Rosanne Hillenius

Jessica Krust

Claire Long

Sarah-Kate Magee

Samuel Adam Morgan

Outstanding Student Award

Megan Elizabeth Alder

William Robert Hastings

Sytske Rosanne Hillenius

Lauren Ann Hollek

Margaret Lindsey Jarvis

Sarah-Kate Magee

Samuel Adam Morgan

Julie Jett Arts Management Citizenship Award

Megan Elizabeth Alder

Lori Kornegay, Program Manager for Online Education and N.Y. Public Programs at the Institute, worked with Scott Shanklin-Peterson, director of the College’s Arts Management program, to formulate the summer study fellowship. Kornegay expounds, “Our summer study program provides a unique opportunity for study in the vibrant and dynamic city of New York, and we are delighted that Chelsea will join us as the first College of Charleston Summer Study Fellow. With students coming from over 30 countries around the world, summer study is a global networking experience and a place to learn about the business of art in one of the world’s great art capitals.”

The courses at the Institute will allow students to develop professional expertise and critical thinking skills and also will enhance knowledge of art and the international art market. These classes will offer interesting and compelling insights into the art world and will incorporate lectures, guest speaker interviews, and site visits led by the Institute’s faculty, international experts, and leading practitioners in the field. Some of the courses offered this summer will include “Being a Curator in the 21st Century,” “Emerging Markets in the Global Art World,” “Contemporary Art: Market Theory & Practice,” and many more from which to choose.

Hailing from Atlanta, G.A., Chelsea Michael grew up with a passion for the arts, particularly the visual arts. She elaborates, “I quickly realized that it was a natural extension of my artistic ardor to pursue a career in the art world. Not only do I love to create art, but I also love the process of bringing art to its audience and seeing how it impacts people. Although I am not certain where my career will lead me, I aspire to work within an established museum, auction house, or other visual arts organization, and I would absolutely love to own an art gallery one day.”

Concerning the Summer Study Fellowship, Michael excitedly reveals, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to study at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art this summer. It is such a dynamic organization with an amazing breadth of programs, and I know that I will have so many opportunities to learn while I am there. And, I am definitely looking forward to being in New York City and experiencing its bustling art world firsthand!”

Originally established by the Sotheby’s auction house, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art currently is a division of the Cambridge Information Group, with campuses in both New York and London. The Institute prepares students for careers in the international art world and continues to work closely with the Sotheby’s auction house, as well as galleries and museums in New York and London, and private collections. For more information visit http://www.sothebysinstitute.com/.

The College of Charleston School of the Arts is one of the few schools in the Southeast and the only school in South Carolina to offer undergraduate study with a major and a minor in Arts Management and Administration. The program is for those who are interested in supporting the work of performing, visual, and media artists. The curriculum includes studies in strategic planning, fund raising, grantwriting, programming, special event planning, audience development, board development, financial management and arts policy. For more information about the Arts Management program or the fellowship with the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, call 843.953.6301 or visit http://artsmgmt.cofc.edu/.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Barnets, we have this beautifully enhanced ‘greenspace’ to enjoy,” says School of the Arts Dean Valerie Morris. “The stage and sculpture areas are wonderful additions that will allow the School of the Arts faculty, staff, students and alumni to present intimate performances and exhibits, transforming this area of the campus into a true ‘arts corridor’.”

The Barnet Courtyard includes a stained concrete performance pad, sculpture garden, benches, and a large lawn. The courtyard was designed as a venue for small events and performances, like strings or jazz concerts, as well as a place for faculty to hold classes outside.

“Bill and I are passionate about supporting the arts and arts education,” says Valerie Barnet. “We hope that our donation will be an extension of the Marion and Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Center for the Arts – a place for everything from quiet relaxation and reflection to artistic creation and expression.”

Bill and Valerie Barnet are longtime friends of the College of Charleston. Valerie graduated from the College in 1984. She is an avid horticulturist and volunteer serving on many boards, including Spoleto Festival USA.

Bill Barnet is the CEO of The Barnet Company and Barnet Development Company, as well as the former mayor of Spartanburg, S.C.  Prior to being elected President and CEO of William Barnet & Son, Inc. in 1976, Mr. Barnet served as 1st Lieutenant, US Army and Adjutant General’s Corps. Mr. Barnet has served on civic boards such as the Education Oversight Committee (Chairman), Leadership Spartanburg (Chairman), South Carolina Textile

Manufacturers Association (President) and The Spartanburg County Foundation (Trustee). His current board involvement includes the Palmetto Business Forum, ETV Communications Endowment, Palmetto Institute, The Duke Endowment, and Duke Energy.

The Barnets have three children: Mary Rebecca, Will and John.

For more information, contact Ashley Jones Smith at 843.953.5348.

Named in honor of former Georgia Philharmonic concertmaster Sam Fordis, the annual competition helps the next generation of great musicians to establish their place in musical history. In a congratulatory letter to Tu, Megan Hallam, President of the Georgia Philharmonic wrote, “Based on your outstanding performance of the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 1, we would like to offer you a more prominent opportunity than to perform as a Competition Laureate. Instead, we would like to invite you to appear as featured Guest Artist with the Georgia Philharmonic at our closing concert of the season.” During the Philharmonic’s concert of Slavic Tributes, held last Saturday, April 28, 2012, Tu performed Polish composer Henri Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a piece dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.

Speaking proudly of her student’s achievement, violin professor Lee-Chin Siow says, “Yuhong chose to study in Charleston, and he has already made a mark for himself and the College. Our artist certificate program opens the door to hone his musicianship further. It is a joy to mentor this rising young virtuoso.”

Before coming to Charleston, Tu was the top student at the conservatory in Wuhan, a thriving metropolis of 9 million known as the “Chicago of China.” He consistently swept first prizes in violin competitions at the state and national levels. After hearing Siow perform as soloist with the Wuhan Philharmonic last summer, he immediately wrote and expressed his wish to study with her in Charleston.

“As a student who loves classical music, I know I have to study with teachers in the West to reach a higher level of performance,” explains Tu. “I was so moved when I first heard Professor Siow perform. Words cannot describe how beautiful her music is,” he adds.

Since joining the College, Tu has contributed actively to Charleston’s cultural life. He has been invited to perform in concerts with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, in chamber music concerts in the community, and leads the College’s Orchestra as concertmaster. Single-minded about his passion for classical music, the hardworking student lives by the motto: “Studying, thinking, practicing and never giving up. This is the only way to understand classical music,” he says.

The artist certificate program at the College’s department of music is a two-year, advanced program of study that addresses the needs of musicians who have completed their music training at the undergraduate level but desire to continue their studies while preparing for professional performance careers. For more information, visit music.cofc.edu or call 843.953.5927.

The collection of projects, entitled “Visual Soundscapes,” is an exploration and synthesis of 21st-century media: the merging of the visual, the aural, and the algorithmic.  

The free exhibition opens Friday, April 6 and closes Monday, May 7, in the rotunda of the College of Charleston Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, 205 Calhoun St. These works are sonifications of digital images through computer programming. Students enrolled in two Computing in the Arts (CITA) courses selected beautiful or compelling images and then designed a set of musical parameters through which these images could be realized in sound. Musical parameters included pitch and scale, dynamics, timbre, and instrumentation. Inspiration and models were drawn from musical traditions such as Minimalism, Jazz, Rock, Serialism, and Aleatory Music. Students were free to select different parts of the image for specific musical functions.  Not all parts of the images were necessarily sonified, yet most of the sound comes from numeric data (pixels) inside these images. Changes in sound reflect a scanning of the image from left-to-right, up-to-down, center-to-corners, or diagonally. Sometimes sound comes from averaged regions of the image, and at other times complex sequencing rules are used, like those found in Living Systems.

In the end, visual, musical, and algorithmic processes become intimately intertwined.  None is subservient to another. Through these works, the visual, aural, and algorithmic become one.

Student artists were part of the Fall 2011 “Computer Music and the Quest for Beauty” Freshman Learning Community.

Students:
Caroline Bowman
Daniel Anderson
Marissa Croop
Jordan Freeman
Sam McCants
Forrest Hammond
Kenneth Hanson
Hudson Jones
Elizabeth Koury
Katherine May
Stephen Rainey
John Thevos
Dylan Walsh

Faculty:
Bill Manaris, Computer Science
Blake Stevens, Music
Jarod Charzewski, Studio Art (Exhibition Coordinator)

Thanks To:
Claire Fund, Administrative Coordinator, Addlestone Library
Susan Kattwinkel, Director of the First-Year-Experience (Fall 2011)
James Williams, Associate Dean, Addlestone Library

Credits:
This work has been funded in part by the National Science Foundation (DUE #1044861)

Computing in the Arts (CITA): Computing in the Arts (CITA) is an integrated program in the sciences and the arts at the College of Charleston. The program is an inter-disciplinary B.A. degree offered by the Department of Computer Science in the School of Science and Mathematics along with the Departments of Art History, Music, Studio Art, and Theatre in the School of the Arts.

 As National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman has noted, “Art works everywhere,” which is why the NEA’s Challenge America Fast-Track (CAFT) program supports projects from primarily small and mid-sized arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved audiences—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (HICA) at the College of Charleston School of the Arts was selected to receive one of the 162 grants of $10,000 awarded to organizations in 46 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The grant will support Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto, a two-week residency and solo exhibition featuring the work of contemporary Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto. During the residency, which will begin in early May 2012, Yamamoto will create a large-scale salt installation at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art on the College of Charleston campus, which will also be a featured presentation of the 2012 Spoleto Festival USA. In addition to the installation, the exhibition will feature new work on paper and a documentary about the artist created by HICA. To accompany the exhibition, HICA is producing a major exhibitions catalog. HICA is organizing extensive education and outreach programs for the Charleston community including K-12 schools. Yamamoto will participate in a variety of workshops, demonstrations, and artist talks, during which the public with have an opportunity to watch and interact with the artist. The exhibition will open to the public on May 24 and close on July 7, 2012.

“Taken together, these Challenge America Fast-Track grants provide an extraordinary sampling of the work that arts organizations do to reach underserved communities,” said Chairman Landesman. “With these grants, we are helping to ensure that art works for all Americans.”

“We are honored and very thankful to be a recipient of the NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grant,” said Mark Sloan, Director and Senior Curator at HICA. “Motoi Yamamoto is an extraordinary artist and we are looking forward to sharing his work with the Charleston community. Yamamoto’s uncommon yet familiar medium of salt is what makes him such an engaging and fascinating artist for all ages.”

HICA has also received funding from the Asian Cultural Council for the project. The exhibition will travel throughout the United States after its debut at HICA including the Mint Museum of Art, NC; Monterrey Museum of Art, CA; and Loyola Marymount University, CA.

The program is called Fast-Track because of its expedited review timeline. The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art was notified approximately six months after applying. Also, with 375 eligible applications submitted from across the country, there was significant competition for funding for these grants. The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art’s grant award is evidence of the artistic excellence and artistic merit of Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto.

Please see the complete listing of projects recommended for Challenge America Fast-Track grant support.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is administered by the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston and exists to advocate, exhibit and interpret visual art, with an emphasis on contemporary art. The Institute is committed to providing a direct experience with works of art in all media within an environment that fosters creativity, individuality, innovation and education. In addition to producing exhibitions, lectures, film series, publications, and a comprehensive website, the Institute serves as an extension of the undergraduate curricula at the College and as a cultural resource for the region. To find out more, please visit www.halsey.cofc.edu.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.  To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at www.arts.gov.

A new concerto for piano and orchestra by Florencia Di Concilio, a young composer from Uruguay, received its world premiere on Monday November 14, 2011 at the Solis Theatre in Montevi

deo, Uruguay. The concerto was commissioned by the Orquesta Filarmonica de Montevideo and will be performed by the orchestra with Swiss conductor Thomas Herzog and pianist Enrique Graf as soloist. The composer describes her concerto as harmonically “jazzy” with South American rhythmic elements and a mixture of influences from Sergei Rachmaninoff to Bill Evans.

Although Uruguay is known for its substantial cultural output there have been only a handful of concertos written for piano and orchestra by Uruguayan composers. Di Concilio, has scored more than twenty feature and documentary films, as well as composing music for chamber ensembles and orchestras. Her music has been commercially released by Milan/Universal and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Variety. One of the highlights of the many films Di Concilio has scored is the prize winning “Stranded: I’ve Come From a Plane in the Mountains” which chronicled the survival story of the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the Andes Mountains for seventy seven days. Di Concilio, who lives in Paris, was educated at the French School in Montevideo, the College of Charleston and the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Pianist Enrique Graf has performed the world over as soloist with orchestras, in chamber music and solo recitals. His recordings include solo works by Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt and Moussorgsky and concertos by Beethoven, Grieg, Gershwin, Poulenc and Hart. Graf is also an outstanding teacher and holds the positions of University Artist in Residence at the College of Charleston and Artist Lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the International Piano Series in Charleston, SC and Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Young Artist Series and is also Co-founder/Director of Music Fest Perugia in Italy.

“I have had the great pleasure of working with Karen for the past three years while she has been Executive Director of Redux Contemporary Art Center here in Charleston,” said Sloan.  “I am looking forward to her contributions here. We are very fortunate to bring on board someone with outstanding professional experience who will help to advance this institution in the years ahead. Myers has been teaching in the arts management curriculum at the College of Charleston for the past year and this move to HICA seems a natural progression for her career in this field.”

Karen Ann Myers is an artist, educator and administrator. She received her MFA in Painting from Boston University and her BFA in Painting, Graphic Design and Art Education from Michigan State University. In 2009 Myers began work at Redux Contemporary Art Center, where as Executive Director, she facilitated enormous growth in the organization’s membership efforts and greatly increased its educational offerings. This fall, Redux is opening a much-expanded facility with more than twice the exhibition space and new studio spaces to provide for 22 artists. Under her leadership, a grant for exhibition support was received from the prestigious Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

While at Redux Myers implemented a successful marketing and communications campaign, which helped bring more visitors to the organization’s exhibitions, classes, and programs. These initiatives ultimately led to enhanced community support.

Myers is also an active artist and her paintings and prints have been shown nationally. Most recently, her work was shown at the LUIS DE JESUS gallery in Los Angeles, CA, Robert Steele Gallery in New York, NY, at the Commonwealth Gallery in Boston, MA, the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC, the FAB gallery at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC and Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA. Myers is currently represented by SCOOP Studios in Charleston, SC.

As Assistant Director of the Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art, Myers will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of HICA, while assisting the Board and Director Mark Sloan with its many strategic initiatives. Myer’s position was created as part of the Halsey Institute’s reorganization in July. Dean Valerie Morris of the School of the Arts said, “Ms. Meyers has substantive knowledge of and experience in the arts. She is already an excellent teacher in our arts management program, and we welcome her talent and enthusiasm to the Halsey Institute and the School of the Arts.”

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located on the campus of the College of Charleston, on the corner of Calhoun and St. Philip Streets. HICA offers a comprehensive contemporary arts program that is committed to providing a direct experience with art works in various media, in an environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and learning. The Halsey Institute serves as an extension of the undergraduate curricula at the College of Charleston and as a cultural resource for the region by producing exhibitions, lectures and panel discussions, film series, publications, and a comprehensive website. In addition, the Halsey Institute seeks to foster meaningful partnerships with local organizations in order to further the reach of contemporary art within the Charleston community. Admission into the galleries and to most programs is free with the public encouraged to attend.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is administered by the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston and exists to advocate, exhibit and interpret visual art, with an emphasis on contemporary art.

Location: The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts

161 Calhoun Street, 1^st Floor (on the corner of St. Philip & Calhoun Streets)

Parking:  Available in the St. Philip and George Street Garages

Gallery hours:  Monday – Saturday, 11 – 4 p.m. during exhibitions, or by appointment

FREE and OPEN to the public

Tours: Guided group tours are offered through the Halsey Institute’s Looking to See program. Contact Lizz Biswell at BiswellL@cofc.edu for inquiries.

Sponsorship: Become a HICA Community Partner today! Contact Lisa Reed at reeded@cofc.edu for more information.

For more information:  Contact the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art by calling (843) 953-HICA (4422) or visiting www.halsey.cofc.edu.

PRESS:

The Post and Courier, CharlestonScene, 9.7.11

Charleston City Paper, 9.9.11

This season’s opening concert will kick off on Labor Day with Tacy and Friends, featuring flutist and College faculty member Tacy Edwards.  She will perform duo and trio works with her colleagues in an entertaining mix of French, American and Latin works, ending with a quintet work by jazz pianist Claude Bolling.  Joining Tacy will be guitarist Christopher Teves, pianist Robin Zemp, soprano Margaret Kelly Cook, bassist Brian Reed and drummer Larry Gale.

The concert will take place on Monday, Sept. 5, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St. Admission is $10 at the door and free for College of Charleston students with valid I.D.