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Band Programs
We are pleased to host our fourth annual Clarinet & Double Reed Day on Saturday January 10, 2026.
All high school students who play clarinet, oboe, or bassoon are invited to spend a day of music-making featuring a clarinet choir directed by Dr. George Stoffan and a double reed ensemble directed by Dr. Bruce Hammel, bassoon and Alyssa McKeithen, oboe. Students will rehearse new music throughout the day and perform short selections at the end. A pizza lunch will be provided along with a short faculty recital and masterclasses on each instrument. Seniors will have the opportunity to audition for VCU Music that same day. Check-in will begin at 9:30am, and the day should end around 4pm. Registration is $22.00 and is open until January 8th.
REGISTER HERE for this event!
Choir Programs
The VCU Choral Classic is an invitational event for high school choirs to attend.
Each fall choirs from across the state attend a half-day vocal workshop with our voice faculty followed by tours of campus, rehearsals in the concert hall, dinner at Shafer Dining Hall and culminating with Gala Concert featuring each of the guest choirs and the VCU Commonwealth Singers.
For more information, please contact Dr. Christopher Hansen.
Jazz Programs
About GRYJB
The Greater Richmond Youth Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Taylor Barnett, is made up of some of the most talented high school jazz students from the region. Alumni of this ensemble have gone on to major in music at such programs as VCU, Temple, Miami, The New School, Berklee, and at other institutions throughout the U.S.
GRYJB members also get to work in sectionals with the VCU Jazz faculty member on their instrument.
Each year the group is selected through auditions, held in January.
GRYJB rehearses Sundays from 2-4pm starting February 15, 2026.
2026 Performances:
Sat, May 2, 5pm at Trinity Episcopal Titan Jazz Festival
Mon, May 18, 7pm at VCU Singleton Center (joint concert with GRYWE).
Cost: $150, with financial aid available. Email Dr. Barnett at barnettt@vcu.edu
GRYJB Audition Dates (SIGN UP HERE)
Wed, January 28, 2026, 4-7pm
Thurs, January 29, 2026, 4-7pm
Location: James Black Music Center, 1015 Grove Ave, Richmond VA.
Auditions will determine acceptance in the band, as well as chair placement. We welcome an extra copy of your sheet music. Backing tracks are allowed.
Possible audition tunes might include:
- Swing: “Autumn Leaves,” “Satin Doll,” “Now’s the Time,” “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Stella by Starlight”
- Bossa: “Blue Bossa,” “Recorda-Me,” “Meditation,” Wave” and “Black Orpheus”
- Samba: Samba versions of the bossas above are acceptable.
- Afro-Cuban: “Mambo Inn” (2-3 clave), “Afro-Blue” (12/8), “Frenesí” (cha-cha),
“Como Fue” (cha-cha) and “A Night in Tunisia” (possible in a variety of settings) - Ballad: “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Body and Soul,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and “Misty”
- Waltz: “Up Jumped Spring,” “Someday My Prince Will Come,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “All Blues” and “Bluesette”
You are not limited to the above choices; these are merely examples.
The 2026 Summer Jazz Intensive is July 7-8, from 9am-4pm, with an informal performance for parents and families at 3pm on July 8th.
All events take place in the James Black Music Center (1015 Grove Ave, Richmond VA, 23284).
- 9am: students arrive and get checked in
- 9:30-9:45am: faculty performance
- 10-11:30am: Combo rehearsal #1
- 11:30am: break/transition
- 11:45-12:45pm: full group session (Music business panel)
- 12:45-1:30pm: lunch and jam session
- 1:40-2:30pm: instrument-specific master classes (drums, bass, piano/guitar, brass, and woodwinds)
- 2:40-3:50pm: Combo rehearsal #2
- 4pm: parents pick up
Registration fee: $100. Email Dr. Taylor Barnett at barnettt@vcu.edu to request scholarship assistance.
Deadline to register is July 1, 2026.
Strings Programs
Cellopalooza takes place every two years. Check back for 2026 Cellopalooza information.
You can view information below about the 2024 Cellopalooza.
All cello, all afternoon! Stretch your playing and musicianship with a diverse offering of workshops in technique and creativity with like-minded community cellists. All participants will perform in a cello ensemble concert! Cellopalooza is an ideal experience for cellists age 12 to 99*, both students and teachers.
The Amazing Cellopalooza Faculty for 2024 is: Dana McComb & Mikhail Veselov with this year’s special guest artist Nicholas Photinos.
Registration fee $50 (Early Bird, up to October 15th ) or $65 (October 16th-November 10th).
Registration covers all workshops, rehearsals, T-shirt, boxed lunch
Event details:
- SUNDAY NOVEMBER 17TH 2024
- 12:00PM to 6:00PM
Workshops Topics:
- Practice Strategies for left hand/Sectionals
- Right Hand Technique/Sectional
- Young Artist Masterclass with Nicolas Photinos
- Cello Choir Rehearsal & Concert
Important Details – Please Read:
- Students younger than 12 must be accompanied by their parents or a teacher/guardian
- **Cellists will be assigned a cello ensemble part based on their experience. Cello teachers may join any cello choir section.
- Link to Cellopalooza Ensemble Music will be made available on November 7th
- T-shirt will be guaranteed for all who register by Wednesday November 6th
- Final schedule for the day, parking info and directions will be emailed the week of the event
Cellopalooza has been running for more than a decade!
Previous special guest artists have been:
Cellopalooza I: Bonnie Hampton, Juilliard
Cellopalooza II: Peter Wispelwey, International Artist
Cellopalooza III: Zuill Bailey, International Artist
Cellopalooza IV: Joel Krosnick, Juilliard Quartet
Cellopalooza V: Clive Greensmith, Tokyo Quartet
Cellopalooza VI: Alisa Weilerstein
Cellopalooza VII: Irene Sharp
Cellopalooza VIII: Paul Watkins
Cellopalooza IX: Sharon Robinson
Cellopalooza X: Emanuel Feldman
To be added to our Strings mailing list, please click here
Questions about Cellopalooza? Contact Dana McComb: dmmccomb@vcu.edu
More about this year’s Special Guest Artist:
Four-time Grammy Award-winning cellist Nick Photinos is one of the most innovative and multifaceted cellists of our time. An ardent advocate of new music, he has worked closely with many of the foremost composers of this era and has premiered hundreds of works throughout his career. He has received Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year Award, the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, the inaugural Chamber Music America Visionary Award, the Naumburg Award, and the Concert Artists Guild Grand Prize.
Stay up to date with string events by signing up for the VCU Strings Newsletter.
You can find information about the 2026 Bass Day below as an example of what future bass days might include.
Come be part of VCU Double Bass Day! Led by VCU Bass Professor Ayça Kartari and featuring special guest artists, this workshop offers a day of music-making, technique-building, and performing alongside fellow bassists.
The Double Bass Workshop is open to Middle School and High School Bassists.
Double Bass Teachers are also welcome to participate!!
Meet Our Amazing Double Bass Faculty:
Ayça Kartari (VCU Bass Prof.)
Lee Philip (Richmond Symphony Orchestra Principal Bass)
Kim Parillo (Maryland Symphony Orchestra)
Registration Information:
$40 Early Bird (on or before March 6, 2026)
$50 (March 6 and later, including walk-up registration)
The fee covers all workshops and a snack.
Workshop Schedule (subject to change)
12:15 PM – Student Arrival
12:30 PM – Group Warm-Up & Ice Breakers
1:00 PM – Technique Workshop with Faculty #1
1:40 PM – Snack/Break
1:50 PM – Technique Workshop with Faculty #2
2:30 PM – Technique Workshop with Faculty #3
3:10 PM – Snack/Break
3:20 PM – Bass Ensemble Rehearsal
4:30 PM – Faculty Recital & Bass Ensemble Concert (open to the public) (30 min)
Important Details:
- Ensemble parts will be assigned based on experience (registration includes a brief questionnaire).
- Sheet music will be emailed two weeks before the event and will also be available on-site.
- Bassists should bring their own stools if needed; VCU will provide music stands
- Parking, directions, and additional details will be sent via email the week of the event.
For questions about the Double Bass Workshop, please contact Bass Prof. Ayca Kartari at kartaria@vcu.edu
Faculty Bios:
Born in Bilecik, Turkey, Ayça Kartari began studying the double bass at age 11. She earned a full scholarship to the International Yehudi Menuhin Music Academy and completed her graduate studies at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland. As a performer, she has toured extensively across Europe, appearing at venues such as the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzerthaus (Berlin & Vienna), and Royal Albert Hall (London). In Richmond, she collaborates with the Williamsburg Symphony, Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, Opera in Williamsburg, and Charlottesville Opera. She has also recorded with Spacebomb Records and directed the Mozart Festival at Classical Revolution RVA.
Lee Philip began performing with the Richmond Symphony as a substitute in 2019. He holds performance degrees from Northwestern University and the Peabody Institute, and is an alumnus of the Pacific Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the New World Symphony. Lee has performed as a soloist with the New World Symphony as a concerto competition winner and with the York Symphony Orchestra as a Young Artist competition winner on the Karr-Koussevitzky bass. An adventurous musician, he has appeared with the Baltimore and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and has held positions with orchestras in York, Maryland, Virginia, San Francisco, Utah, AIMS Graz, Lahti, and Turku. Lee serves as an adjunct instructor of double bass at Messiah University in addition to teaching privately. His primary instrument is a late 19th-century French bass attributed to Gabriel Jacquet.
Double bassist Kimberly Parillo performs with orchestras and chamber groups at the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Cathedral, the Music Center at Strathmore, and the Smithsonian. She has also recently traveled to perform at Carnegie Hall and at the Herkulessal in Munich, Germany. She has been a section bass member of the Maryland Symphony since 2016 and frequently performs with the Richmond Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the Alexandria Symphony, and a wide variety of other groups in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. She regularly teaches for Towson University Bass Works, and coaches sectionals for the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. Kimberly is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory and George Mason University. Her primary teachers include Glenn Dewey, Ira Gold, and Paul DeNola.
SRO Central Audition Prep Workshop for Strings
Saturday, September 12, 2026 1 pm-5 pm
The VCU String Faculty will be hosting a Senior Regional Orchestra Central Audition Workshop at the VCU Black Music Center.
This event will feature workshops for each string instrument—violin, viola, cello, and bass. Workshops will cover the scales and excerpts required for the SRO Central 2026 audition. It will also feature sessions on sight-reading tactics, stage fright tips, and mock auditions (optional). Each participant will receive feedback to help prepare and practice.
Schedule:
1:00–1:10 Sign in, registration, unpack
1:15–2:30 Scales Workshop & Etude Session
break
2:40–3:50 Excerpt Session and Sight Reading Workshop
break
4:00–4:50 Stage Fright Workshop & Mock Auditions (optional)
4:50 Mock audition results, final questions
5:00 Dismissal
WORKSHOP FACULTY
Prof. Danielle Wiebe Burke, Viola
COST & REGISTRATION:
Early Bird Cost $32 if registered on or before Jul 1, 2026
Regular Cost $45 July 2, 2026 or later
LOCATION:
VCU Black Music Center
1001 Grove Ave
Richmond, VA 23220
Travel and Parking
Student Drop-Off Location is Black Music Center: 1001 Grove Ave, Richmond, VA 23220
Free street parking is available (one-hour signs are NOT in effect on weekends, except on West Ave…do not park on West Ave).
You can also park at VCU Broad St. Deck (3 blocks away, $2 per hour) at 1111 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220. Click here for a clearly labeled VCU map with the Singleton Center for the Arts and the Parking Deck.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026
9:15 AM – 5:00 PM
Singleton Center for the Arts, VCU, 922 Park Ave, Richmond, VA 23220
Develop your technique, make music with fellow violinists/violists, and enjoy performing in the Violin/Viola Ensemble at the 2025 VCU Violin Fest.
This exciting day of workshops, led by VCU Violin Professor Susanna Klein, will feature special guest artist, Carnegie Mellon Prof. Callum Smart, and VCU Violin Faculty Prof. Anna Williams and Viola Prof. Danielle Wiebe-Burke.
Violin Fest is open to intermediate and advanced violinists and violists ages 13 and up, both students and teachers, who want to broaden their artistry and be inspired.
The day will feature:
- Technique Workshops
- Masterclasses
- Stage Fright Workshop with live Heart Rate Monitor
- Efficient Practice Workshops
- Side-by-side Violin/Viola ensemble concert (with VCU violin/viola majors and VCU faculty)
Meet Our Amazing Faculty for the Day:
- Carnegie Mellon Violin Prof. and Instagram sensation Callum Smart, Instagram:@ callumsmartviolin
- VCU Violin Prof. and Practizma Practice Coach Susanna Klein, Instagram: @practizma
- VCU Violin Prof. and Neave Trio Member Anna Williams Instagram @neavetrio
- VCU Violin/Viola Prof. Danielle Wiebe Burke
Registration Information:
- $50 Early Bird (on or before Feb 7, 2025)
- $75 (Feb 8 and later, including walk-up registration)
The fee covers all workshops, pizza lunch, and a snack. REGISTER NOW!
Schedule (subject to change)
9:15-9:30 registration
9:30-10:15 Violin/Viola Ensemble Rehearsal
10:15-11:00 Empowered Practice Workshop
11:00-11:50 Technique Clinic I (Advanced Shifting Strategies for the Left Hand )
12:00-12:30 Pizza Lunch and Guest Artist FAQ (Pizza provided)
12:30-1:25 Technique Clinic II (Bow Arm Artistry)
1:30-2:20 Master Class with special guest Callum Smart
2:30-3:30 Stage Fright Workshop
3:40-4:20 Violin/Viola Ensemble Rehearsal
4:30 pm Ensemble Concert (Open to the Public)
Important Details:
- Ensemble parts will be assigned based on experience (registration includes a brief questionnaire about your abilities). There will be advanced parts and easy parts so everyone can thrive.
- Sheet music will be available via email two weeks before the event, but will also be available on-site.
- No audition required to participate in VCU Violin Fest, but participants may audition for a masterclass slot.
- 1-2 Master Class Slots will be made available by competitive audition (YouTube video must be submitted by Feb 15.
- Music stands will be provided by VCU
- Parking, directions, and additional details will be sent via email the week of the event.
- For questions about the Violin Fest, please contact Violin Prof. Susanna Klein at sbklein@vcu.edu
Please note:
- Intermediate and advanced Violin/Viola students (13 and up), teachers, and parents are welcome. We do not recommend this event for total beginners (parents do not need to pay a separate registration fee)
- Pizza lunch will be provided and is included in the registration price. If you cannot eat pizza, please make sure to bring your own lunch.
Travel and Parking
Student Drop-Off Location is Singleton Center for the Arts: 922 Park Ave, Richmond, VA 23220
Free street parking is available (one-hour signs are NOT in effect on weekends, except on West Ave…do not park on West Ave).
You can also park at VCU Broad St. Deck (3 blocks away, $2 per hour) at 1111 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220. Click here for a clearly labeled VCU map with the Singleton Center for the Arts and the Parking Deck.
Hotel Information
For those coming to Richmond for the weekend, we recommend The Hilton Graduate, within walking distance to VCU Music or The Hilton Richmond – 6 minute drive.
