Details:

The Last Five Years: American Music Now
Gunter Theatre
Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 pm

Experience the cutting edge of American music with a concert of works composed within the last five years. This is a bold orchestral exploration of contemporary creativity. Greenville Symphony’s Principal Cellist Seth Russell takes center stage in Lembit Beecher’s evocative Tell Me Again. The program also features Clarice Assad’s playful Circus Fantasia, Katherine Balch’s ethereal music for young water that danced beneath my feet, and a world premiere by Ivan Enrique Rodriguez. Witness the dynamic voices shaping today’s American music!

PROGRAM

Born in Brazil, holds dual citizenship, and is celebrated for her work in both Brazilian and American music traditions.

Born in Brazil, holds dual citizenship, and is celebrated for her work in both Brazilian and American music traditions.

CONDUCTOR
Lee Mills, Music Director

SOLOIST
Seth Russell, Principal Cello
Guild of the Greenville Symphony Cello Chair

Click on Seth Russell to learn more about him.

Seth Russell performs internationally as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral player. He has performed solo and chamber music recitals in venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Eastman’s Kodak Hall, and Taipei’s Elite Performance Hall. He has been a featured soloist with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Western Illinois University Orchestra. In 2017 and 2019 he was awarded a top prize in the New York International Artists Competition. He has been Principal Cello of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra since 2021.

Seth is passionate about creating new ways to explore music and connect with audiences. He formed the Parrish Cello Trio with cellists Jamie Clark and Kenny Lee in the Spring of 2022. Since then, the trio has held guest residencies at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC, Western Illinois University, and the University of Northern Iowa. Their work has included working with students in cello and chamber music classes, performing a double cello concerto with orchestra, and performing their unique, multi-genre cello trio programs.

In September 2024, Seth launched the Greenville Chamber Players, a new chamber music concert series in Greenville, SC. The series presents chamber music concerts played by local musicians in local homes and venues, and is aimed at building community around music through creative programming and approachable, candid presentation. The series received a grant from the Metropolitan Arts Council for their March 2025 concerts.

Dedicated to sharing his love of music through pedagogy and music education, Seth works with students from diverse backgrounds and in a variety of settings. His private students have been accepted into the “Rising Stars” Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the University of North Dakota, The University of South Carolina, and Oberlin Conservatory. He has served on the faculty of several summer music festivals, including the Longhorn Music Camp, Furman Orchestra Camp, Varna International Music Festival, and the MasterWorks Festival. Seth is the Instructor of Cello and Chamber Music at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, a residential high school that gives young emerging artists the opportunity to explore and refine their talents in a one-of-a-kind, arts-centered community.

Seth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance and a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with David Ying. He received a Master’s degree in Cello Performance from New England Conservatory where he studied with Paul Katz. He studied with Bion Tsang at the University of Texas at Austin where he received his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in 2019. Seth and his wife Chelsea are natives of Greenville, SC where they live with their family.

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