Faculty Friday with Jameson Platte

Happy Faculty Friday, everyone! Each Friday we will feature one of our many amazing faculty members at Luzerne Music Center. We asked all of our instructors to tell us a little bit about themselves, and to share their favorite things about LMC.

This week we are excited to introduce you to one of our new faculty members in 2017 - Jameson Platte! Jameson will be joining us this summer to teach cello.

Share with us some of your professional accomplishments.

Starting my professional career at 13 years old, I have been a professional cellist for most of my life. In my more than 25 years of experience, I have held the principal position in 12 orchestras, worked as a studio musician, a Broadway pit player, a soloist, a chamber musician and a teacher. I am currently the principal cellist of the Plainfield Symphony and Assistant Principal of the Allentown Symphony. I am the cellist for the Omega Trio and Duo 92, an internationally recognized cello and piano duo, as well as being the Cello professor at Skidmore College. My work as a soloist and chamber player has taken me around the world with my most recent residencies in Abu Dhabi and China and upcoming residencies in Europe and the Middle East.

I am a firm believer in diverse repertoire, and my current solo

repertoire includes everything from Vivaldi Concertos to contemporary concertos by Moravec and Quayle. I have been privileged to study with some of the greatest cellists ever, including: Mstilsav Rostropovich, Lynn Harrell, Heinrich Schiff, Anner Bylsma and Carlton McCreery. I perform on cellos by Fagnola and Amati as well as bows by Tourte and Peccatte.

What excites you about Luzerne Music Center?

I am beyond excited to begin teaching at Luzerne Music Center. I firmly believe that I would not have had a successful career in music without my experiences at various summer music festivals. I spent 12 summers as a student in music festivals, and I still draw on the skills, connections and inspiration that I received during those summers.

In addition, I have been teaching at summer festivals for the past 13 years. I am dedicated to the festival experience because I want to pass on the musical advantages and joy that I received from my student experiences. I am particularly looking forward to Luzerne because of the high level of students and faculty that the festival attracts. I have heard of and admired Luzerne for many years, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to teach there.

What can campers expect to learn while working with you this summer?

My students can expect to have a learning experience that is customized to their individual needs. Because I have studied with a wide variety of teachers playing in many contrasting styles, I have the tools to help each student find their own best individual playing, which may be quite different from my own playing. I love working with students at all levels, and I work extensively with students to help them find a relaxed and pain free playing position. It is a joy to help a student develop their own voice while still teaching them the traditional techniques that have defined our art.

See Jameson perform Shostakovich Trio Mvt. 4, Allegretto with LMC's violin instructor Michael Emery