Study Cello at the School of Music
Central Michigan University
Are you looking for a great place to study cello for undergraduate or graduate studies, receive lots of one on one attention, and develop as a musician and educator? I highly recommend considering the School of Music at Central Michigan University. We currently offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. We combine a state of the art facility, one of the finest student recital halls in which you will ever have the opportunity to perform (see photo of Chamichian Recital Hall below), and a unique combination of the benefits of a large program with the benefits of the attention you would receive at a smaller school.
About Our Faculty
Our faculty at CMU are active performers, researchers, publishers, and clinicians. But best of all, we are devoted to teaching and helping you develop as a performer and or educator. Please see our Faculty Page and browse the biographies of our Professors in the School of Music.
About Our Students
We currently have approximately 450 music majors with about 100 of those comprising our graduate students. Many of our students go on to very prestigious programs across the United States and Europe. Cello students of mine of have gone on to receive scholarships and graduate assistantships from music schools such as the Cincinnati Conservatory, North Carolina School of the Arts, Florida State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin. My students have placed in competitions such as the Adrian Boyert Competition at the Bay View Music Festival, and the 34th Korean Music Journal Competition in Soul Korea.
Attending CMU
Chamichian Recital Hall
To attend CMU you will need to be accepted by the University and the School of Music via an audition. Here is information on undergraduate admissions and graduate admissions.
Scholarships
CMU has a wealth of scholarships available. For a partial list see our CMU Scholarships for New Students page on the CMU website. Additional scholarships are available through the individual departments.
Good news for out of state students! If you are not a resident of Michigan, are a high school senior (not a transfer student) and have a GPA of at least 2.75 GPA, you will receive in-state tuition via the CMU President's Award. This scholarship is for the first year and renewable for three additional years as long as you maintain a 2.5 GPA.
Please contact me for more information about studying at Central Michigan University.
Audition Dates
Friday, November 16, 2012
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
CMU String Faculty
Seunghee Lee, a native of Seoul, Korea, is professor of Violin at Central Michigan University. She has performed extensively as a soloist and as a chamber musician. Music critics have described her concert performance as "...stunning performance. Lee left a lasting impression with her marvelous playing," "Seunghee Lee was spectacular...her tone was liquid and lovely, and she sang out her story with vivid emotion," and "Lee's sensitive phrasing...glowed with confidence and adroit technical range." As a soloist and a chamber musician, she has performed throughout the United States, Korea, Ukraine, Brazil, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Russia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and China. She has appeared as a soloist with the Sophia Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria, the Sarajevo National Philharmonic Orchestra in Bosnia, the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra in Korea, the Kharkov Symphony Orchestra in Ukraine, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Renaud Chamber Orchestra, and the Michigan Chamber Symphony Orchestra. Her chamber recital experience includes a performance at Lincoln Center, New York, as well as performances with the Fontana Concert Society, the Renaud Chamber Music Society, the Orpheus Trio, and the Westbrook String Quartet. Currently she is the concertmaster of the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and she has served as the concertmaster of the Midland Symphony Orchestra and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Korean National Philharmonic Orchestra, she toured Southeast Asia. She has won several competitions and awards, both in the United States and in Korea. Also, she has given master classes at many universities in the United States and abroad, and was a faculty member of the Bay View Music Festival and the Interlochen International Summer Camp. Dr. Lee received her degrees from Seoul National University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Michigan State University. Her major studies were with Walter Verdehr, Paul Statsky, David Cerone and additional studies with Charles Castleman. She also received diplomas from International Master Courses with Max Rostal in Switzerland, Viktor Liberman in Luxembourg, Nicolas Chumachenco in Italy, and Jean Fournier in Austria. In master classes she worked with the Orion String Quartet, Donald Weilerstein, Joseph Fuchs, and Dorothy Delay.
James Fiste, associate professor of cello at Central Michigan University, has been an active recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. Recent solo performances include recitals in the beautiful Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary, the Plymouth Chamber Music Festival in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Wisconsin Lutheran College recital series in Milwaukee, Notre Dame Alumni Series, Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan and the Ashmont Hill Chamber Music Series in Boston, Massachusetts, and a solo performance with the Baroque on Beaver Festival Orchestra. Recent chamber music performances include performances in the Maison Danoise in Paris, France and the Museu d'Historia de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. He has also performed chamber music in the Plymouth Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts, Fontana Music Festival in Shelbyville, Michigan, the Ashmont Hill Chamber Music Series in Boston and performances at Tennessee Technological University and Michigan State University. He has also appeared in recital throughout New England. He has performed chamber music with musicians from the Boston and Dallas Symphonies, Chicago String Quartet, faculty from the University of Illinois and other distinguished musicians at the Music Festival of Arkansas and Hot Springs Music Festival. Jamie Fiste was co-artistic director for the Plymouth Chamber Music Festival in Plymouth, MA from 2000-2007 and was also founding member of the Stonehill Trio, piano trio in residence at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. Dr. Fiste has been a prizewinner in the Rolland Competition, Cello Society Competition and the University of Illinois Concerto Competition. He has also been a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra in Providence. He has given several presentations at the Michigan Music Conference on cello technique and pedagogy. Dr. Fiste has studied with Laurien Laufman and Karen Buranskas and has participated in master classes with Janos Starker and Fritz Magg. He received a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, a M.M. from the University of Notre Dame and a D.M.A. from the University of Illinois.
David Holland has been with Central Michigan University since 2009 and has been Instructor of Viola at the Interlochen Center for the Arts since 1973. He began training with his father in Toledo, Ohio. He then studied at the Indiana University School of Music and the Ohio University School of Music. He is a founding member of the Aurora Quintet and has performed with the New World, Stradivari and Interlochen string quartets. While serving as the resident violist, coordinator of the string chamber music curriculum, and conductor of the string orchestra at Interlochen, Mr. Holland has held visiting professorships at the University of Iowa, Ohio University, and South Dakota State University. He has had summer faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, the University of Iowa, Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, and Southern Methodist University. He is currently on the faculty at the Quartet Program located at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, PA. Recently he presented viola master classes at the University of Michigan, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Eastman School of Music.
Edward Fedewa serves as instructor of double bass at Central Michigan University. He is a member of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and serves as a mentor in the Lansing Symphony Mentor program. Fedewa has performed in the pit orchestras of numerous Broadway shows at the Wharton Center and with the Boarshead Theater and has performed with the Moody Blues and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Fedewa has recorded with the Capitol Jazz Quartet, Shawn Wallace, Ann Elizabeth and many others. In addition to performing and teaching, Fedewa restores double basses at the Guarneri House in Grand Rapids. Fedewa received a bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Michigan State University.
