 James Holland began his cello studies at the age of
nine in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida. He earned a
Bachelor of Music Degree in cello performance from the
University of Alabama, where he studied with Carlton McCreery,
and a Master of Music degree in the same discipline from the
Eastman School of Music, where he served as a teaching
assistant to Pamela Frame. His summer studies at the Brevard
Music Center, the ENCORE School for Strings, the Quartet
Program, and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival gave him the
opportunity to learn from such cellists as Orlando Cole,
Eleonore Schoenfeld, Timothy Eddy, and Stephen Geber.
Additionally, Holland's education includes master class
performances for Janos Starker, Joseph Silverstein, Lynn
Harrell, Gary Hoffman, and Philip Setzer of the Emerson String
Quartet, among others.
Upon completion of his Master's degree, Holland was invited to
become a member of the Miami-based New World Symphony, where
for two years he performed, toured, and recorded under the
baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. Afterward, he returned to
Alabama for two years of doctoral study. In 1996, he
successfully auditioned to become Principal Cellist of the
Charleston Symphony Orchestra and cellist of the Charleston
Symphony String Quartet, a position he held until 2007. During
his years in Charleston, Holland was a frequent soloist with
the CSO, performing works for cello and orchestra by Bruch,
Richard Strauss, Haydn, Elgar, Schumann, and Shostakovich. He
was also an active chamber musician - besides his activity
with the CSO String Quartet he also was cellist for the
Charleston Chamber Players, an oboe-flute-cello trio that
performed numerous recitals and commissioned new works by
South Carolina's finest composers. Holland was also a featured
performer in the Spotlight Chamber Music Series of the Piccolo
Spoleto Festival. His other significant performing credentials
include a tour of Japan with the University of Alabama Piano
Trio as well as principal cellist stints with the Spoleto
Festival Orchestras of the US and Italy and the Music at
Penn's Woods orchestra in State College, PA. In 2002, Holland
was invited to perform with the Orchestra of the Californias,
a chamber orchestra assembled by the Mainly Mozart Festival
and comprising many of the country's top orchestral musicians,
for a two-week tour of California and Mexico. He has held the
position of Principal Cellist for the Breckenridge Music
Festival, a summer chamber music and orchestra festival under
the direction of Gerhardt Zimmermann, since 1998. For many years Holland has been an active and enthusiastic cello teacher and chamber music coach. During his years in Charleston he maintained a small private teaching studio. His students have been leading musicians in the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra and have earned high seatings in the South Carolina All-State Orchestras. They have won state MTNA competitions, earned full scholarships to the Brevard Music Center through the SC Federation of Music Clubs competition, and performed in state-wide master classes for Steven Doane and David Ying. Holland has served as guest faculty for the Tennessee Valley Music Festival in Huntsville, AL, and the String Summitt workshop in Cullman, AL. In June 2006 he came full circle, serving as guest faculty at the Cannon Music Camp on the campus of Appalachian State University, which is also the first camp Holland ever attended as a student in 1984. He recently relocated to the West side of Albuquerque, NM with his wife Megan Holland and is the Santa Fe Symphony's new Assistant Principal Cellist. Click here to visit their studio website. |