String Studies

If you played in your high school orchestra and would like to continue in college, music major or not, we have the orchestra for you at UCM. UCM also has chamber music opportunities for string students in one of our scholarship string quartets.

Our full symphony performs at least two concerts a semester, including our Concerto and Aria Competition Winners' Concert, in which the winner of our Concerto and Aria Competition perform their solo with the orchestra. Our symphony orchestra performs standard orchestral repertoire as well as 20th and 21st-century works. Recent works include Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, "Pathetique;" Dvorak's 8th Symphony; the Academic Festival Overture of Brahms; and Howard Hanson's 5th Symphony, "Sinfonia Sacra."

As a string player at UCM you have the opportunity to perform in master classes with some of the world's best musicians. Recent master classes have been led by members of the Kansas City Symphony; Routa Kroumovitch, a student of David Oistrakh and former co-concertmaster of the National Symphony of Chile; and David and Eric Halen. David Halen is concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony and Eric is co-concertmaster of the Houston Symphony. Both are UCM alumni.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

    Faculty

    Dr. John Rutland

    Violin and Viola/Symphony Director
    Associate Professor/Strings Area Coordinator
    Utt 203
    rutland@ucmo.edu
    (660) 543-4046

    Dr. Michael Bersin

    Cello and Bass
    Professor
    Utt 209
    bersin@ucmo.edu
    (660) 543-4474

    Prof. Tom Pender

    Guitar and Guitar Ensemble
    Adjunct Instructor
    Utt 202 A
    tpender@ucmo.edu

    Auditions

    Orchestra placement auditions are held during the first week of each Fall semester. Auditions consist of a solo and orchestral excerpts. Please contact Dr. John Rutland (rutland@ucmo.edu) for audition repertoire and information.