'Cello Choir Cellobration!

2009 South Carolina Cello Choir
with host Natalia Khoma
and guest clinician Suren Bagratuni

September 4–5, 2009
In Charleston at the College of Charleston and Ashley Hall

Sponsored by:
SCASTA, College of Charleston, and Ashley Hall

Read about the event below.

Click here for information about the 2010 Cello Choir

Article by Courtney Sharp, Artist Diploma student at COFC (edited by N. Khoma)

The annual South Carolina Cello Choir, an event for cellists of all ages, took place in Charleston on September 4th and 5th . It was a fun-packed weekend of masterclasses, recitals, rehearsals, and, to cap it all off, a performance by the 65-member cello ensemble. Natalia Khoma, professor of cello at the College of Charleston, organized the entire event.

As the cellists arrived at the College of Charleston’s music building, every child and young adult was excited to be a part of the fun weekend. Suren Bagratuni, cello professor at Michigan State University, was the guest artist this year. After registration, the cello choir participants chose to attend one of two different masterclasses, for high school and for college students. During the college-level masterclass, which was led by Maestro Bagratuni, cellists played standard repertoire and were given his thoughts, observations, and musical ideas. He never said the same thing to each performer, so the audience learned as much as did the performers.

Damian Kremer, a Charleston Symphony Orchestra cellist, gave a wonderful master class to high school students and one college student at Physician’s Auditorium in the College of Charleston.
On Friday evening Bagratuni played a superb recital in the Simons Center for the Arts Recital Hall. He was joined onstage by cellist Natalia Khoma and pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky. Mr. Bagratuni performed the Suite No. 1 in G Major for solo cello by J.S. Bach; the Sonata for Two Cellos in G Major by Jean Barriere; and to cap off the evening, the spectacular sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor by Dimitri Shostakovich. A reception followed the recital, which gave the cello choir participants a chance to mingle amongst themselves and to speak with the evening’s performers.

The next morning, festivities started bright and early at beautiful Ashley Hall School. Cellists were divided into four sections according to their playing level, then were brought together to form a large cello ensemble guided by Maestro Bagratuni. All together, the participants experienced five hours of rehearsals and workshops that day.

Many South Carolina cello teachers participated in the Cello Choir weekend. Robert Jesselson, Carolina Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina and founder of the SC Cello Choir, led a workshop on the Senior All-State piece and played principal cello in the Full Choir; Kenneth Law, Associate Professor of Violoncello at the Petrie School of Music of Converse College, was principal of Advanced Cello Choir; Andrea R. Kemper, James Island Charter High School Music Director for the Orchestra, Chorus and Piano Program conducted the work session for Full Cello Choir; South Carolina Governor's School for Arts & Humanities Cello Instructor Robert O'Brien led a workshop for Junior All-State piece; and Summerville High School String Orchestra Instructor Paul Buyer was principal second cello of the Cello Choir.

On Saturday evening all of the cellists’ families came to see their children play in a cello orchestra. Maestro Bagratuni entertained and informed the audience with comments about each piece prior to the performance. The students also benefitted by learning about the works they had played all day. The concert went off quite well and everyone gained something valuable during the festival.

Suren Bagratuni, Guest Clinician

Hailed as "a cellist of uncommon attainments" by the Boston Globe, Suren Bagratuni was winner of the Silver Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition and first prize winner at the 1988 Vittorio Gui International Competition in Italy while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. He has gone on to a distinguished international career as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. In addition to performing throughout the former Soviet Union, he has toured Europe and the United States earning enthusiastic praise in both traditional and contemporary repertoire.

As soloist Mr. Bagratuni has performed with all the major orchestras in the former Soviet Union, including the Moscow Philharmonic under the direction of Valery Gergiev, and has also appeared with the Boston Pops, L'Orchestre Jeune Philharmonie in Paris, the Armenian Philharmonic, the Weimar Staatskapelle, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Thüringen Philharmonic of Suhl, the Philharmonic Orchestras of Rostock and Erfurt, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Halle in Berlin, and the symphony orchestras of Chile, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. He was the guest soloist for the U.S. tour of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, opening the tour with a performance in Alice Tully Hall.

A recent tour of South Africa included concerto appearances with the Cape town Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic in Durban. In 2006 he made his Korean debut with the orchestra of Daegu. Recital and chamber music appearances have included guest invitations with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Newport Music Festival, Festival of the Hamptons, the "Russian Winter" Festival in Moscow, the El Paso Pro Musica Festival, the Niagara International Music Festival in Canada, the Bear Mountain Music Festival in Korea, the Alpenglow Festival in Colorado, the Masters de Pontlevoy Festival in France, the Nevada Chamber Music Festival, the Woodstock Cycle at the Maverick, the St. Gallen Festival in Switzerland, the International Music Festival Pernambuco, Washington's Phillips Collection, Detroit's Pro Musica series, the "Premiere Performances" series in St. Louis and international festivals in Italy, France, Switzerland, Mexico, and Taiwan In addition to his solo activities, Mr. Bagratuni is a member of the Nobilis Trio with pianist Stephen Prutsman and violinist Ruggero Allifranchini. Mr. Bagratuni is Professor of Cello at Michigan State University where he serves as Artistic Director of the annual Cello Plus Festival.