North Carolina's Eastern Music Festival Welcomes New Faculty 

Classical guitarist JIJI and pianist Santiago Rodriguez will join as faculty artists for the festival’s 2022 season

Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Eastern Music Festival (EMF) is a classical music festival and summer educational program for all orchestral instruments. In 2022, it will celebrate its 61st season. 

EMF’s faculty artists return every summer to guide students in over 65 performances and events over the five-week summer season — this year to be held from June 25 to July 30, 2022.

Joining both Jason Vieaux and Kami Rowan on the classical guitar faculty, JIJI will be part of leading the two-week Classical Guitar Summit. 

JIJI is currently an assistant guitar professor at Arizona State University. Her recent performances took place in venues such as Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall, Moss Arts Center, Green Music Center, National Art Gallery, National Sawdust, Miller Theater, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and Purdue Convocations. The Washington Post described JIJI as “one of the 21 composers/performers who sound like tomorrow.”

Rodriguez will join artists William Wolfram and Marika Bournaki in facilitating EMF’s five-week piano program. Rodriguez will also be a featured artist with the Eastern Festival Orchestra during the program.

With a 35-year performing career, Rodriguez served on the piano faculty and was Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland since 1980 and University of Miami’s Frost School of Music from 2009. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the University of Texas-Austin, studying with Adele Marcus and William Race respectively. 

“It is a rare yet wonderful opportunity for EMF to add new faculty artists to our roster,” said Chris Williams, EMF’s executive director. “We are fortunate to have many dedicated faculty with years of service to EMF, but it is equally exciting when we have an opportunity to add new, excellent teaching artists.”

The 2022 EMF will take place at North Carolina’s Guilford College. 

Open to young artists between the ages of 14 and 23, the upcoming EMF's application deadline is February 22, 2022.

For more information and to apply, click here.