In February 2025, the College of Charleston Orchestra will have the experience of a lifetime performing on one of the most prestigious stages in the world — Carnegie Hall. Their performance, together with performances by the Charleston Symphony and Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra, will give the New York City audience a taste of the cultural jewels of Charleston.
Charleston locals don’t have to travel all the way to New York to enjoy the sounds of the College’s prestigious orchestra. Conductor Yuriy Bekker has planned an exciting sendoff concert in Charleston, on December 2, featuring repertoire that the orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall. It includes selections from Dvořák's New World Symphony, which premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1893, and a world-premiere composition by College of Charleston professor Yiorgos Vassilandonakis. “I am thrilled that we’ll perform works from our upcoming Carnegie Hall tour,” states Bekker. “Professor Vassilandonakis is so accomplished. It’s always exciting when someone composes something specific for our group,” mentions Bekker. “As an orchestra, we get to take ownership as this piece has been written just for us. Professor Vassilandonakis has a personal connection to us, and the orchestra takes great pride in premiering this work.”
In addition, the concert will shine light on the College’s award-winning faculty musicians. Bekker says that he is “especially excited that this concert puts our own faculty musicians in the spotlight. Violinist Lee-Chin Siow and cellist Natalia Khoma will be featured in a performance of a selection from Brahms' Concerto for Violin and Cello. This work is a blockbuster, showcasing the soloists and the orchestra, with the orchestral tutti sections being especially elaborate. In a way, it is like a miniature symphony with two soloists.”
DETAILS: Watch the CofC Orchestra perform on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sottile Theatre, 44 George St. Tickets are $25-$45 for general admission with discounts available for CofC students/faculty/staff.
Info and ticket links: https://calendar.charleston.
OR
buy tickets from George Street Box Office in person at 44 George St., by emailing gsbo@cofc.edu, or calling (843) 953-4726.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON ORCHESTRA • CARNEGIE HALL, FEB. 26, 2025
In addition to pieces by Dvořák and Vassilandonakis, members of the College of Charleston Orchestra will showcase their musical prowess in New York, through another exciting work written by former faculty member Trevor Weston, who previously taught music theory courses at the College. Now a professor at Juilliard and Drew University, he composed a piece about the New York subway titled Subwaves. “Our Carnegie Hall debut is a cultural celebration of Charleston in NYC. Performing this piece is a fun crossover and perfectly embodies the spirit of this trip,” Bekker says.
This is not the first time, however, that the College’s Orchestra has traveled to a prestigious venue to showcase its talents. In 2023, the orchestra was one of four select orchestras to perform for the exclusive Capital Orchestra Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The College of Charleston Orchestra is housed in the College's Department of Music. Learn more about the orchestra's Carnegie Hall tour at go.charleston.edu/carnegie-
