Two CCM Prep Violinists to Perform with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Left to right: Christina Nam, Robert Treviño and Skye Park.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19 and Wednesday, March 20, two students from the CCM Preparatory Department (CCM Prep) will perform the first movement of Bach’s concerto for two violins on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s A Family of Strings program!

The students, Skye Park of Lexington, KY and Christina Nam of West Chester, OH, are from CCM’s Starling Preparatory String Project and are studying with CCM faculty member Kurt Sassmannshaus.

The concert is part of the CSO’s Young People’s Concerts series, and will feature CSO musicians under Associate Conductor Robert Treviño. Park and Nam performed the same work last summer at the Great Wall International Music Festival in Beijing and the performance was broadcast in November on NPR‘s From the Top.

Students From CCM’s Starling Program Featured on NPR’s ‘From the Top’

This month, NPR‘s popular program From the Top will feature students from CCM’s Starling String Project, who were taped at the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing last summer.

From the Top host Christopher O’Riley travelled to China to tape two concerts led by CCM’s Kurt Sassmannshaus, which will air at 9 a.m. on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 on Cincinnati’s WGUC (90.9 FM)!

Learn more courtesy of Janelle Gelfand and the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s “Arts in Focus” blog here.

CCM Announces Updated Event Information for November and December 2012

Today, we are delighted to provide you with CCM’s updated schedule of major events for November and December 2012. All updated listings are highlighted in red.

All events listed below take place in CCM Village on the campus of the University of Cincinnati unless otherwise indicated. Admission is free to many CCM performances, although some events do require purchased tickets or reservations. Please see individual event information for details and ordering information.

All event dates and programs are subject to change. Visit ccm.uc.edu or contact the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 for the most current event information.

CCM’s Aquarius String Quartet Advances to Fischoff Competition Quarter Finals

Congratulations to the members of the Aquarius String Quartet (Yabing Tan, Yang Liu, Qin Li, Christoph Sassmannshaus) on advancing to the quarter finals in the college division of this year’s Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. These live rounds will start on May 11 in South Bend, Indiana.

Last May, the Polaris String Quartet from CCM’s Starling Project were awarded the first prize in the junior division of the competition.

Founded in 1973 in South Bend, Indiana, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition has grown to become the largest chamber music competition in the world, and one of the most prestigious classical music prizes attainable today. Since its founding, more than 5,000 musicians have participated, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in music performance and education.

CCM Starling Students Claim Top Prize at the Fischoff Competition

The Polaris Quartet includes, from left to right: Jenny Lee, Demi Fang, Billy Fang and Joshua Halpern.

Congratulations to the members of the Polaris String Quartet from CCM’s Starling Project, who were awarded the first prize in the junior division of the Fischoff Competition. The event was held at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana on May 15, 2011. The Gold Medal includes a $2,000 prize as well as an appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program “From The Top.”

The performers of the Polaris Quartet are Jenny Lee (violin), a high school junior from Bloomington, Indiana and a student of Dr. Won-Bin Yim; Billy Fang (violin), a Princeton-bound high school senior from Centerville, Ohio and student of Kurt Sassmannshaus; Demi Fang (viola), a high school sophomore, also from Centerville, Ohio and also a student of Kurt Sassmannshaus; and Josh Halpern (cello), a high school junior from Dayton and a student of Alan Rafferty.