Faculty String Quartet
Dr. In-Hong Cha, leader
In-Hong Cha, Associate Professor of Music at Wright State University, teaches applied violin, serves as director of orchestral studies, coordinator of strings and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Cha holds a D.M.A. in orchestral conducting from the University of South Carolina, an M.A. in violin performance from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and an Artist Diploma in Strings from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cha performs and conducts actively throughout the United States and abroad including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Korea and Japan. Dr. Cha was former concertmaster of the Daejon City Symphony Orchestra, Korea and served as music director and conductor of the Amabile Chamber Orchestra. The KBS and SBS TV, Korea produced a documentary drama on his life called ‘Human Victory’ and it was telecast throughout the country. His autobiography, ‘Beautiful Man and Beautiful Success’, was published in Korea and it became a best seller. Dr. Cha’s appearance on the “Hour of Power” with Dr. Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral has been televised to a worldwide audience. In June 2006, he appeared as a guest conductor for the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia during White Night Festival and the performance was recorded on CD and it has been released by SONY/BMG, Seoul. Most recently, the President Award of the most distinguished Korean in foreign country was given to him by Korean government.
Tom Sobieski has had a diverse training in the areas of orchestral music, chamber music and opera. His orchestral experience includes orchestras such as the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra of Virginia, and the Dayton Philharmonic. Tom now sits as concertmaster of the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in summer programs such as CCM’s Music-X, a modern music festival, the Grandin Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and the Opera Theater of Lucca, performing opera and chamber music in Lucca, Italy. He has had coaching in chamber music from Lee Fiser, Awadagin Pratt, James Tocco, Peter Oundjian and Henry Meier, amongst others. Recently, Tom has appeared as soloist with the CCM Percussion Ensemble and given the local premiere of Penderecki’s Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano. He has devoted much time to the study and performance of modern works. Tom Sobieski has earned a Bachelors of Music and a Masters of Music from the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music, where he has studied principally with Dr. Won-Bin Yim. He is currently finishing an Artist’s Diploma in performance, also from CCM.
Franklin Cox received B.M. degrees in cello and composition from Indiana University, as well as composition degrees from Columbia University (M.A.), and the University of California, San Diego (PhD). He studied cello with Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Peter Wiley, and composition with Fred Lerdahl, Brian Ferneyhough, and Harvey Sollberger. Dr. Cox has received numerous fellowships, prizes, and commissions from leading institutions and festivals of new music, including the 1992 Kranichsteiner Prize (highest award) from the Darmstadt Festival for both composition and cello performance. Since 1993, he has presented a solo recital entitled “The New Cello,” focusing on original new works for the cello, more than 100 times throughout Europe and North America. In January 2006 he formed the duo C-squared with flautist Lisa Cella. Together they have commissioned numerous new works from composers and have performed throughout the United States and in Mexico. In 2002 he began teaching on the faculty of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and in 2007 he joined the faculty of Wright State University. He is co-editor of the international book series, New Music and Aesthetics in the 21st Century. His works are published by Rugginenti Editions and Sylvia Smith Publications, and they can be heard on Rusty Classica, Neuma Records, Solitude Edition, and Centaur Records.
