Strings Studies
The string program prepares students to be well-rounded musicians, creative teachers and accomplished performers. Music Majors, Music minors and non-major participants are all welcome in the studios. The studio atmosphere is warm and nurturing, yet each student is challenged by the repertoire and technique work that they are given in the lessons. Students are encouraged to listen to each other and offer constructive criticism in studio classes and master class settings.
String students at UM perform in the University of Montana Symphony Orchestra (UMSO), in standard Chamber ensembles, and in solo performance settings. We encourage students to form chamber ensembles with mixed instrumentation so that they experience a wide variety of repertoire and learn how to work with other kinds of instrumentalists. Our students are also very actively working with UM student composers, often premiering new works several times a year.
Some students audition for and perform with the Missoula Symphony, a community orchestra comprised of professional musicians, community members and students. Select students are awarded MSO scholarships. The MSO string scholarships are awarded to deserving students after their scholarship auditions as prospective freshman. Many of the other Montana community orchestras hire our students to be members of their orchestras.
Our students also have the opportunity to be counselors at our UM Summer Strings Camp and some qualify for Nash Pedagogy scholarships to teach students from the Missoula public schools.
Often, students from the studio are selected to perform for the Guest Artists that come to perform with the String Orchestra of the Rockies and the Missoula Symphony. Some of the more recent guests include: Andreas Cardenas; Rachel Barton Pine, Robert McDuffie, Adele Anthony, Maria Larionoff, Brett Deubner, and Phillip Ying.
Come to visit us at The University of Montana. Have a free lesson and see how The University of Montana can fit into your college plans.
Adam Collins
Lecturer of Music - Cello, Music Theory
Contact
- Office
- MUSIC 110
- Phone
- (406) 243-6880
- Fax
- (406) 243-2441
- adam.collins@umontana.edu
- Office Hours
Please email for an appointment.
- Curriculum Vitae
- View/Download CV
Personal Summary
Dr. Adam Collins enjoys an international career as a chamber and orchestral cellist. He has performed in orchestras across the United States, Canada, and Korea, having recently served as the principal cellist of l’Orchestre de la Francophonie, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and the Mobile, Pensacola, Albany, and Columbus Symphony Orchestras. As a sought-after and innovative chamber musician, Adam has performed on the Master Players Concert Series and on chamber music series at the Busan Maru International Music Festival and the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Adam’s interests in interdisciplinary collaboration and engaging new audiences are reflected in his recent endeavors such as a recording project with the Martha Graham Dance Company, an interactive chamber music recital at the University of Delaware Museum of Art, and performances of string quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich at jazz clubs and coffee houses in Tallahassee, FL. A fierce advocate of new music and music by underrepresented composers, Adam has premiered numerous works and collaborated with prominent contemporary composers such as Ellen Taafe Zwilich and Louis Andriessen.
Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Montana, Adam has taught cello, chamber music, music theory, and string methods at Florida State University and the University of Delaware as a graduate assistant. Adam completed his doctorate at Florida State University, where he studied with Professor Greg Sauer and a member of the award-winning Eppes Quartet. Adam also holds a certificate in music theory pedagogy from Florida State University. A native of Aberdeen, NC, Adam has also studied at the University of Delaware with Lawrence Stomberg and at Furman University with Christopher Hutton.
Education
DM, Florida State University
MM, Delaware University
BM, Furman University
Courses Taught
Current Music Courses:
- Music Theory I & II
- Applied Cello Lessons
- Cello Studio Class
- Literature and Pedagogy
- Low String Methods
- Enjoyment of Music Online
Current Davidson Honors College Courses:
- Ways of Knowing
- Sound
Previously Taught:
- Aural Perceptions I & II
- Introduction to Music Literature