Special Event: Francisco Fullana and SOA Sinfonietta

As part of the CMC Youth Chamber Music Initiative, guest violinist Francisco Fullana joins the Charleston County School of the Arts Sinfonietta for a special performance on Thursday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 405 King Street.

The program will include Mendelssohn Sinfonia #8, Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile, Vivaldi Autumn from The Four Seasons and Vivaldi La Folia.

“Each year we attract world-renowned guest artists to perform alongside our professional musicians of Chamber Music Charleston for our Ovation Concerts, and we are excited to expand this opportunity for guest artist to work with the accomplished string students at SOA,” says Sandra Nikolajevs, president and artistic director of Chamber Music Charleston. “Providing the students with the change to not only hear an artist of the caliber of Francisco Fullana, but to work with him closely in exploring the music of Holst, Shostakovich, and Montgomery over the course of four days, will create an incredible experience for the students and audience alike.”

Spanish-born violinist Francisco Fullana, winner of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant, is making a name for himself as both a performer and a leader of innovative educational institutions. As a soloist, he has performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Bayerische Philharmonie led by the late Sir Colin Davis, the Sibelius Concerto with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, and the Brahms Violin Concerto with Venezuela’s Teresa Carreño Orchestra under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. In March he will perform as soloist for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in New York City’s Carnegie Hall with the Grammy-Award winning ensemble Apollo’s Fire.

“Through my formative years at Juilliard and beyond, I realized that experiences centered on active learning and collaborations with world class musicians exponentially accelerated my learning process and were life-changing,” explains Mr. Fullana. “By working with students as equal collaborators, one can lead the creative process through a collective effort that has transformative long-term effects in students’ artistic development.”

The Charleston County School of the Arts is a public Middle and High School that offers students rich and intensive instruction in eight Art majors in middle school and nine Art majors in high school. Students may apply and audition for two areas, and once accepted into a major, spend one-fourth of their day with dynamic teachers in that art area. Art majors include instrumental band, creative writing, dance, piano, string orchestra, theater, visual art and vocal music. SOA’s students excel at the local, state and national level, earning awards, scholarships, and the respect of audience members, peers, and patrons of the arts.

Students also participate in an appropriately challenging academic curriculum that includes college preparatory, honors, and Advanced Placement courses. Clubs, community service, and unique school events tailored to meet the interests of young artists, provide additional opportunities for expression and involvement. We want our students to maximize their potential and then find out how their art can impact the world around them.

The SOA Sinfonietta, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Selby, is the select high school string ensemble made up of the most accomplished string players at the Charleston School of the Arts. They perform collegiate and professional chamber orchestra repertoire, and many of the members continue their musical studies in college and pursue a professional career in music.

This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.