The South Carolina Cello Choir Weekend has been an important annual tradition for Palmetto-state cellists since 1980. It offers a chance for cellists of all ages from near-beginners to professionals to celebrate their love of the cello by playing together.
Affiliated with South Carolina’s Chapter of the American String Teacher’s Association (SC-ASTA), in its early years the Cello Choir alternated between the University of South Carolina and Furman University. More recently, it has been hosted at other institutions around the state.
The 2020 event was deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now take place on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18, 2021, returning to the beautiful campus of Furman University in Greenville. Christopher Hutton, Furman’s Professor of Cello will host.
Guest clinicians will include Horacio Contreras (Assistant Professor of Cello at Lawrence University) and Lisa Caravan (Assistant Professor of Music Teaching and Learning at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music).
Registration information is available further down this page.
The Cellobration would not be possible without our generous sponsors:
An important aspect of the weekend is that sponsoring instrument dealers will have cellos, bows, cases, music, and accessories on display and for sale. There may be no better opportunity to be able to try different cellos together in one place. Please support our sponsors and thank them for their patronage!
All events are on the campus of Furman University (3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, SC 29613) in the Daniel Music Building and McAlister Auditorium.
A campus map is available here: http://campusmap.furman.edu
Parking is free.
For those participants traveling from out of town, a list of hotels with Furman rates is located here: https://www.furman.edu/younts/local-accommodations/
3:00-7:00 p.m. – Check in (Daniel Music Building) 3:30-7:00 p.m. – Master Classes (Daniel Music Building) 8:00 p.m. – Guest Artist Recital (Daniel Recital Hall – Daniel Music Building)
8:30-9:00 a.m. – Check in and prepare for rehearsal (McAlister Auditorium) 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. – Rehearsals and Clinics (McAlister Auditorium and Daniel Music Building) 5:30 p.m. – Cello Choir Closing Concert (McAlister Auditorium) [Free; No tickets required]
Registration for the Cellobration 2021 takes place online via EventBrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-carolina-asta-cello-choir-weekend-registration-161943771179
Registration will be limited to 150 registered participants. The last day to register online will be Thursday, September 16; there may be a limited number of same-day registration slots available on a space-available basis.
For priority placement in master classes please register by Friday, September 3.
Our guest clinicians will be leading master classes on the afternoon of Friday, September 17. You can sign up to perform on a class as part of registration. Those who register by September 3 will receive priority for placement on those classes. Additional players will be added after that date on a space-available basis.
Master classes are included in registration. There is no additional cost to play on a master class.
Cello Choir participants who are not performing in master classes are strongly encouraged to attend as observers.
If you are going to perform a work with accompaniment and would like help engaging a piano accompanist, then we will be happy to put you in contact with a pianist and help to arrange a short rehearsal. There would be a cost to that, paid directly to the pianist.
At 8 p.m. on the evening of Friday, September 17, our guest clinicians and host will present a cello recital in the Daniel Recital Hall of Furman’s Daniel Music Building. All event participants who have signed up for regular registration (Friday/Saturday) will receive one ticket to the concert.
Additional tickets to the recital are $20 for adults and $10 for students. They can be purchased in advance with your registration and will be held at will call under your name.
The detailed schedule for Saturday, September 18 will be made available closer to the date but will include cello choir rehearsals and scale/technique clinics for students beginning at 9 a.m. Those events will culminate in a closing Cello Choir concert at 5:30 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium. That concert will be FREE admission and open to the public.
There will be breaks in the schedule on Friday for dinner and lunch on Saturday. Campus dining facilities are closed to guests. There will be a way to order meals in advance at a cost of $15 each (payable at pick-up); registered participants will receive information about this via email. There are off-campus options (driving distance) and participants are also encouraged to consider bringing a bag lunch.
For questions about the event please contact Prof. Christopher Hutton at Cellobration@furman.edu.