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Department of Strings

The Department of Strings offers a personal, supportive, and dynamic conservatory education combined with the outstanding resources and academic rigor of a top public university. The esteemed faculty champion individualized approaches to help each student fulfill their highest artistic and intellectual potential. Offering comprehensive programs including an extensive exposure to cutting-edge new music as well as an unswerving commitment to excellence in the standard repertoire, A variety of graduate and undergraduate degree programs within the department allow string players to choose a path best suited for their unique individual academic and musical goals. Through private instruction, ensemble coaching, musicianship classes, and entrepreneurial training, students learn a wide range of skills enabling them to succeed and adapt in today’s rapidly changing professional environment.

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Faculty

The Department boasts a seasoned and outstanding faculty, with a wealth of performance, teaching, and research experience. At Michigan, private study goes beyond a weekly appointment. Professors are accessible and involved mentors, deeply committed to their students’ growth as individuals as well as musicians. The faculty’s range of experience and expertise creates an incomparable in-house resource, while their commitment to teaching provides students with the foundation and real-world guidance needed to flourish in today’s musical landscape.


Eric Chin

Adjunct Clinical Instructor of Music

David Halen

Chair of Strings and Professor of Music
Violin

Yeonjin Kim

Assistant Professor (Pending Appointment – Fall 2026)
Cello, Strings

Performance Opportunities

From large ensembles in celebrated concert halls to chamber groups in intimate recital spaces, performance opportunities across all disciplines abound, with nearly 900 student performances each academic year. Whether your focus is on early, classical, or contemporary music, whether your passion is for jazz, electronic, or world music, there is an ensemble—or in many cases, multiple ensembles—to suit your interests.

smtd performance opportunities
Orchestras

Orchestras

SMTD orchestras offer numerous concerts each season, performing notable works in the symphonic repertoire as well as abundant newly commissioned works.

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Alumni Notes

More Alumni Notes
Jacob Warren (BM ’17, double bass; MM ’19, improvisation, chamber music) teaches double bass at Bowling Green State University while maintaining an active performance schedule. In October 2025, his duo Warren & Flick – with fellow alum Grant Flick (BFA ’20, jazz studies; MM ’22, improvisation) – digitally released their third album, Cormorant, and an accompanying tune book.
Kurt Melendy (MM ’20, double bass, chamber music; SM ’21, double bass) received his DMA in double bass from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2025 under Susan Cahill. His lecture recital, “Body and Bass,” explored wellness and ergonomics for bassists. He serves on the International Society of Bassists (ISB) executive board.
In late 2025, Detroit Symphony Orchestra violinist Hongyi Mo (DMA ’23, violin) released his debut recording, Métamorphoses, an all-Poulenc album featuring the Violin Sonata, a transcription of the Oboe Sonata for violin, and ten art songs reimagined for violin and piano. The album received international critical recognition, including coverage in Strings magazine and Gramophone.

Show Your Support

Any gift to SMTD helps launch the next generation of artists, scholars, educators, and entrepreneurs who challenge and inspire the world.

You can support the Department of Strings with a contribution to the Strings Enrichment Fund.

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