Symphonic Honors Initiative Program

SHIP

The Symphonic Honors Initiative Program (SHIP) is an outreach program designed to provide orchestral experience for the exceptionally talented high school and middle school string players primarily in Coles County in addition to the surrounding counties. I invite these students to perform in concert performances with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra. I see this as an occasion to provide your child professional orchestral experience as a way of preparing them for future orchestral opportunities and the over-all college orchestral experience.

SHIP and now SHIP Jr. participate in the ESO orchestral rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-4:50pm. SHIP also meets at 6PM on Wednesday Evenings right before ESO rehearses. At 7 PM they combine in a full rehearsal with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra. The Symphonic Honors Students will be finished with rehearsals no later then 9 PM (with the exception of dress rehearsals which will be from 7-10PM).  After which, The Eastern Symphony Chamber Orchestra will continue to rehearsal until 10 PM. SHIP Jr. will be excused around 8:00/8:15.

If you feel that you would like your child to participate and would like to be considered for the program please feel free to contact me. Thank you for supporting and having such an invested interest in the artistic growth of your child!

Sincerely,

Richard Robert Rossi
Director of Orchestral & Choral Activities
217-581-3111
rrrossi@eiu.edu

 

SHIP Faculty

Sharilyn Spicknall, Violin

Spicknall

Sharilyn Spicknall (Sharry) is a freelance musician. A violinist, violist, pianist, she enjoys and sustains a longtime and active career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording studio artist, collaborative pianist, orchestral musician, adjudicator, and teacher/coach/clinician.

Sharry is first violinist of the Downstate (IL) and Indiana State University string quartets, section first violinist of the Evansville Philharmonic (IN) and the Danville Symphony (IL), as well as a substitute in many other orchestras in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky.

Mrs. Spicknall's academic affiliations have included teaching positions at Indiana State University, Purdue and DePauw Universities, as well as Saint Mary of the Woods College, after teaching for over a decade in Indiana public schools. Sharry has been a member of the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic (Bloomington, IN) string faculty since 1990. She is honored to be part of the SHIP faculty and concertmaster of the Eastern Symphony Orchestra.

email: SharSpick@aol.com

 

Terry Coulton, Violin

CoultonViolinist Terry Coulton is a native of Seattle Washington. She received a bachelor's degree in violin performance from Fort Wright College in Spokane Washington, where she was a student of Sr. Xavier Courvoisier. She holds a Master of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Notre Dame, having studied with Adrian Bryttan, and chamber music with Karen Buranskas and William Cerny. She has performed as a member of the Spokane Symphony, Elkhart Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Prairie Ensemble, and Eastern Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Coulton is a member of Downstate Strings chamber ensemble, and was the second violinist in the LeVeck String quartet. She maintains a private violin studio at her home in Charleston, Illinois.

email: Terrycoulton@hotmail.com



Megan Goff, Viola

GoffViolist Megan Goff was raised on a farm along with her 7 brothers and sisters in East Central Illinois. She was awarded a full scholarship to attend the University of Illinois, where she earned a bachelor's degree in viola performance. She has studied viola with Mr. Rudolf Haken, Mr. Thomas LeVeck, and Dr. Kathreen Ryan. Chamber music coaches include Dr. Peter Schafer and members of Pacifica String Quartet. She has studied piano with Dr. Meg Gray and Dr. David Hobbs. She has played in the University of Illinois Symphony, as well as Sinfonia da Camera. She currently performs and has traveled with Eden String Quartet, a group formed with her sisters in 2001. In addition to performing, Megan has kept up a growing studio of piano, violin, and viola students for the past 13 years. She resides in Oakland, Illinois, with her husband and three young children.

email: goffandfamily@yahoo.com



Ka-Wai Yu, Cello

Ka-Wai YuKa-Wai Yu is the Instructor of Cello at Eastern Illinois University. Originally from Hong Kong, Dr. Yu is active as a recitalist, chamber musician, and music educator. He has taught in Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Allerton String Chamber Music Symposium, and the University of Georgia Youth Music Camp. He has performed in the American Bach Soloists Academy, Aspen Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Orford Arts Centre, Toronto Summer Music Academy, and Vancouver Early Music Festival. He is Principal Cellist of the Eastern Symphony Orchestra and member of the chamber orchestra Sinfonia da Camera. 

Dr. Yu obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance from Indiana University, a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Diploma in Cello Performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, United Kingdom. His mentors have included Brandon Vamos, Helga Winold, Csaba Onczay, David Starkweather, Anthony Elliott, and Ming-Yuen Cheung.

email: yukawai@gmail.com or kyu@eiu.edu

 

 

Eric Schatz, Double Bass

Ka-Wai YuEric Schatz has been a member of the Terre Haute musical scene for over a decade.  After finishing his Bachelors in Music Education from Indiana State he chose to pursue a Masters in Bass Performance.  Since graduation he has served as the director of the band and orchestra program for Chauncey Rose Middle School as well as the director of the jazz program for Terre Haute South High School. He has had the honor of studying with Donovan Stokes, Todd Gallagher, John Spicknall, Rodney Whitaker, Rufus Reid, Bill Grimes, and Jeff Campbell.

email: els@vigoschools.org