Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion and Orchestra
Dr. Gary Auguste Robinson, Instructor
Young Artist Orchestra
Percussion I
Percussion II
Percussion III
Percussion Advanced
Winds and Brass Chamber Music
The Young Artist Orchestra, the most advanced ensemble of the four Greenville County Youth Orchestras, is comprised of the most skilled, talented, and experienced student musicians in the Upstate. It is also the Orchestra-In-Residence at Greenville’s Fine Arts Center. Though most members are high school aged, the YAO will also admit exceptional middle school musicians. Each year the orchestra performs three Young Artist Concerts at the Peace Center’s Dorothy Gunter Theatre. Repertoire includes standard orchestral masterworks as well as contemporary compositions, and in 2008-2009 will include works by Felix Mendelssohn, Jules Massenet, Edvard Grieg, Antonin Dvorak, Franz Josef Haydn, Peter and Illich Tschaikovsky. The YAO will also premier a new composition by Alex Wroten. The YAO’s additional concerts include the Winter Orchestras Concert (January) and the Spring Orchestras Concert (April). Students in YAO come from Greenville's public and private high schools, as well as home school settings. YAO is a credit-bearing course of the Fine Arts Center in advanced orchestral performance. Members of YAO receive a full unit of honors-level credit. YAO rehearses at the Fine Arts Center each Tuesday from 6:30 until 9:30.
"The technical foundation Dr. Robinson taught me has been a huge reason I have been able to win auditions for musical groups and put out my own drumset instructional video. The Fine Arts Center is a wonderful school. Young artists are very fortunate to have this institution."
Nick Campbell, professional rock drummer, Raleigh, NC
FAC/Berea HS 1991
The family of percussion instruments is huge, and you need to “live with” each instrument before you can make it sound, play, and feel the way it’s supposed to. Study the major instruments of the percussion family – snare drum, drum set, mallets, and timpani – and some of the minor ones as well – where there are plenty of instruments, the time and space to practice, and high level instruction that moves fast. You can get better at the drum set, become a more skilful member of your school percussion section, prepare for a college audition, or do all three at the Fine Arts Center!
"Some of my finest percussionists have come from the studio of Dr. Robinson at the Greenville County Fine Arts Center. These students consistently exhibit a high level of musicianship which is undoubtedly a product of good teaching and exposure to the numerous professional musicians brought to the school for workshops and concerts."
Dr. John Beckford, Professor or Percussion, Furman University
Fine Arts Center Winds & Brass Chamber Music is a class devoted to the rehearsal and development of chamber ensembles and the performance of music written or arranged for these them. It is open to accomplished, motivated, and mature musicians who can successfully contribute to the development of a chamber ensemble (or ensembles). Individual study with a private teacher and training in music theory is strongly recommended. Chamber music is a democratic process that includes a gradual discovery of the music at hand and your role within it. Though your teacher will be on hand for coaching and guidance, you will rehearse and perform without a conductor. You will be encouraged to express yourself about the music you are rehearsing and also to respond creatively to the ideas of other members. Ultimately, our goal is to give you insight into your own artistic workings, to develop the means to articulate these ideas, and then to respond creatively to the ideas of other players in the process of building a musical consensus.
The Greenville Fine Arts Center has long been a strong, thoroughly comprehensive music program which builds high level musical skills in those students fortunate enough to study with the first-rate faculty employed there. Many of my students from Greenville County have grown dramatically in their musical understanding through their studies at the Fine Arts Center.
Dr. Clifford Leaman, Professor of Saxophone, University of South Carolina
The Following pieces were performed by Dr. Robinson's Students:
Video
YouTube 1
102 Pine Knoll Drive - Greenville, SC 29609 - 864.355.2551