CCM names Nick Photinos as new Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music

UC College-Conservatory of Music Interim Dean Jonathan Kregor has announced the addition of Nick Photinos to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. A four-time Grammy Award-winning cellist as well as a CCM alumnus (AD Strings, '00), Photinos begins his new role as CCM’s Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar on Aug. 15, 2023.

Photinos will carry the title of Ohio Eminent Scholar under the auspices of an initiative intended to attract individuals to Ohio who have achieved national and international prominence. The Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music position at CCM was previously held by Professor Emeritus James Tocco, an internationally acclaimed pianist who served on the college’s faculty from 1991-2021.

"Throughout its history, CCM has been privileged to count some of the world's most distinguished chamber musicians among its faculty and alumni," said Kregor. "Esteemed artists like James Tocco, the LaSalle Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet and Percussion Group Cincinnati—to name but a few—helped to cement CCM's reputation on the international stage in the 20th century, and now contemporary ensembles like the Ariel Quartet along with numerous other faculty artists are carrying those traditions into bold new directions at our college. With this in mind, it is especially fitting that CCM's first new Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music in more than 30 years is a performer and master teacher with ties to the CCM family. Nick Photinos' illustrious career is a 'proof-of-concept' for what can be achieved with a truly immersive and supportive performing arts education."

"I am incredibly excited and honored to return to CCM as Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music, the position previously held by James Tocco," said Photinos. "James was crucial to the early years of Eighth Blackbird, the ensemble I co-founded in 1996 and was with for 24 years: after our formation at Oberlin Conservatory as undergrads, we were lucky enough to meet James as Shouse artists at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. James, along with [longtime CCM faculty member and LaSalle Quartet founding member] Henry Meyer, encouraged us to enroll in CCM's Artist Diploma in Chamber Music program. The members of Eighth Blackbird spent three years at CCM beginning in 1997, studying with James, Henry, [Percussion Group Cincinnati co-founder] Allen Otte, [Tokyo String Quartet member] Peter Oundjian, [LaSalle Quartet member] Lee Fiser and many others, honing not just our craft but our lives as chamber musicians: rehearsing every weekday, having business meetings, working with composition, dance, and drama departments, curating concerts, entering competitions, and beginning to tour, all with the help and encouragement of the faculty. Eighth Blackbird formed at Oberlin, but we became professionals at CCM.”

In his new role as Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar, Photinos will be responsible for overseeing, developing and participating in chamber music opportunities at CCM. His areas of focus as Eminent Scholar at CCM will include chamber music coaching, curriculum, concerts, competitions and community partnerships. Photinos will also develop, teach and promote CCM courses and programs in entrepreneurship, innovation and professional development.

Photinos recently gave solo debuts in Australia, Romania and Canada, as well as solo and chamber concerts throughout the United States. He has performed across nine US states and returned as a soloist to the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, where he has taught since 2007. In 2019 he reached millions of listeners on "Live from Here" with Chris Thile and on Netflix's original movie The Two Popes.

Photinos’ recordings span the Cedille, Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Greenleaf and Naxos labels. He recorded for Wilco on their Grammy-nominated album The Whole Love, and with Autumn Defense on their album Once Around. His debut solo album, Petits Artéfacts, deemed "a bold solo debut from one of the most notable artists in contemporary music today" by PopMatters, was released on the New Amsterdam label in 2017. The album features first recordings of the most acclaimed names in new music (David Lang, Bryce Dessner, David T. Little, Andrew Norman) as well as a younger generation of groundbreaking composers (Pascal Le Boeuf, Molly Joyce, Florent Ghys, Angelica Negrón).

The Ohio Board of Regents (now known as the Ohio Department of Higher Education) initially awarded the prestigious Eminent Scholar grant to CCM in 1988, which was used to endow a position in Chamber Music. At that time, CCM was the first arts program in the State of Ohio to be awarded such a distinction.

Chamber Music was originally selected as the ideal program for an Ohio Eminent Scholar at CCM due to its cross-disciplinary potential. CCM's Eminent Scholar in Chamber Music is intended to serve as an artistic catalyst, bringing musicians and other performers from a wide variety of disciplines into an ensemble, thereby providing a common ground for aesthetic interaction.

The Ohio Eminent Scholar must be a new hire to Ohio universities or colleges, and may not be currently employed within the state of Ohio. Photinos' appointment follows an extensive international search.

"I want to recognize the exemplary work of our search committee, which was chaired by Michelle Conda and also included David Berry, Alexandra 'Sasha' Kazovsky, Kristin Lee, Aik Khai Pung, Michael Unger and Pavel Vinnitsky," said Kregor. "We are excited to see the kinds of transformative experiences that Nick will bring to our current and future students."

"It gives me great joy to continue the legacy of excellence that James Tocco created, and to build upon it to help the next generation of musicians," said Photinos. "I look forward to working side-by-side with CCM's immensely talented faculty, including the Ariel String Quartet and many others, to create a chamber music program that reflects and grows that excellence, and helps CCM students to create careers that redefine the field, just as it did with Eighth Blackbird."

Featured image at top: Nick Photinos leads a master class at the National University of Music Bucharest. Photo/Andy Hudson