The School of the Arts at the College of Charleston is excited to announce this year’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival Young Artists Series. Tickets are $11 and available at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Box Office (1-866-811-4111) or online. All concerts take place at 12:00 noon in the College’s Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street, except for May 28 at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul at 126 Coming St.
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.
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.