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 A native of Arizona, Linc Smelser began his cello studies at the age of ten with Marguerite Rork. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Arizona where he studied with Gordon Epperson. He received his Master's Degree and Performer's Certificate in Cello Performance and Pedagogy at Northern Illinois University where he studied with renowned cellist and pedagogue Raya Garbousova. Advanced study included work with cellists Marc Johnson, Heinrich Schiff, the Vermeer Quartet, and pianists Richard Faith and Jerome Lowenthal. Mr. Smelser has appeared as a cello soloist with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Fox River Valley Symphony, the Illinois Valley Symphony, and the Rockford Symphony. He has also appeared twice in recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series in Chicago, which is broadcast live over 44 stations across the United States. He has won several awards including first prize of the National Society of Arts and Letters Chapter Competition, top prize of the National Federation of Music Clubs Regional Competition, and most recently, first prize of the International Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Competition. He is also the recipient of the 2003 Altrusa Award. Mr. Smelser begins his fifth full year as Music Director of the Kishwaukee Symphony and as a member of the KSO Board. He has been a member of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra cello section for fifteen years and he has been a frequent substitute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for ten years. Mr. Smelser is in his third year as professor of cello at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. He is currently a faculty member in the NIU Music Department, teaches private cello lessons, and is conductor of the NIU Youth Sinfonia and Symphonette with the Northern Illinois University Community School of the Arts. He has guest conducted the Rockford Area Youth Symphony Orchestra and the NIU Philharmonic, and is pianist/accompanist for the NIU Suzuki program. |