Coastal Georgia President to join GIYO students for recital
By Lauren McDonald lmcdonald@thebrunswicknews.com
The sounds of Gabriel Fauré’s Elegy, Op. 24, floated through the rehearsal space, as members of the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra continued their preparations for their upcoming fundraising concert.
They were seated in a half circle around their conductor, Jorge Peña, who led them through the piece and sprinkled critiques and encouragements during pauses in the music.
Sitting quietly in the back, Michelle Johnston waited patiently to take her seat at the empty piano up front.
Johnston, who serves as president of College of Coastal Georgia, will be among the guest musicians who will join GIYO during its recital, titled “A Romantic Evening,” at 4 p.m. Sunday at Forbes Farm, 2610 Lawrence Road on St. Simons.
The concert will raise funds for GIYO’s summer programming, which includes two week-long camps. The first camp serves beginning musicians, and the second helps more advanced musicians prepare for the new season and takes place annually at the college.
Fundraising concerts like the one that will take place Sunday, along with donations from the community and GIYO sponsors, make the summer camps affordable for all students to participate, said Lucie Tracy, lessons coordinator for GIYO.
“There are instruments available, and the camp is heavily subsidized,” she said. “The objective is to make music accessible to everybody regardless of economic background.”
Along with Johnston, guest performers at the concert will include Peña on viola, Jin Kim on cello and Gabriela Peña-Kim playing the violin.
Johnston began her career as a music professor and performer, and she completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance.
Johnston said she is not only thrilled but also honored to perform with GIYO’s musicians.
“My background is in piano performance, that’s what I studied in college, and I always wanted to be a teacher and to be a music teacher,” she said. “I was a music professor, and I taught students for years.
“For me, it’s a thrill to be able to perform with these students. I love the educational process, especially with music, and love to see these young musicians learning about great composers and compositions.”
Kim has performed as a soloist with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, Korean National Orchestra, In Chun Symphony Orchestra and Korean Youth Symphony. Peña-Kim has played two seasons with the Jacksonville Symphony and played with the LA Philharmonic as part of the Resident Fellow program since 2019. She recently won a position with the Pacific Symphony and has begun playing with them for the current season. Jim Bishop, a longtime GIYO supporter, will return as a guest conductor during this Sunday’s performance. He encouraged the community to come out.
“This is a great opportunity for somebody on a Sunday afternoon to not just enjoy a performance by young musicians who are so talented but also to contribute to their futures,” he said.
The recital will include a catered reception. Attendees are asked to make a $125 per person donation in advance at goldenislesyouthorchestra.org/donations-or-fees.
Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published in The Brunswick News.