Mr. Czarkowski is the wonderfully eccentric conductor of the GHP Orchestra and the head of Strings Faculty. While filling these positions he also teaches small groups of String Quartets, Piano Chamber Music, and he also teaches a Music Theory class. As a teacher, Mr. Czarkowski pushes his students to always be full of energy, something he constantly models with his energetic and easy going style on the podium, and to accomplish their goals through lots of hard work! When asked if he enjoys teaching at GHP, he replied, "I LOVE IT!! Especially my THEORY CLASS!!" This summer, the culminating activity of the GHP Orchestra is performance. The students have had many many concerts this summer, but the two major works that the group has tackled are Death and Transfiguration by Richard Strauss and The Planets by Gustav Holst.

When not organizing string chamber music in Valdosta for GHP, Mr. Czarkowski fills his time as the Music Director of Youth Orchestra Fairfax. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Cello from the Mannes College of Music and he also earned his Master of Music in Cello/Conducting. Mr. Czarkowski also holds an Artist Diploma from Catholic University.

Mr. Czarkowski, if he were to attend GHP today, would choose to be a a string major or a fitness major. He tells his students each and every day, the same few key phrases. "Use Your Brain!! COUNT!!" He also said, when asked what was the most annoying thing to him, "Bow Musically! MUSICALLY!! LISTEN!!" It would seem Mr. Czarkowski likes things to be pleasing to the ear, "musical", to borrow his word. At home, Mr. Czarkowski takes things easy. He listens to Beethoven String Quartets and catches up on his favorite light reading: Mahler Scores. Mr. Czarkowski is a terrific instructor who actually enjoys teaching and molding young musicians into something great.

In this picture, Mr. Czarkowski can be seen on the left with guest soloist Mr. Peter Seminovs. He came to GHP as a guest speaker and soloist with the GHP String majors. On Monday the 10th, Mr. Seminovs gave a master class, and students were able to have a "private" lesson with him, working on solo pieces. Some of the brass majors also attended this master class.

This week Canadian Violinist Peter Seminovs will come to GHP to perform and present master classes to our music students. Peter began concertizing at the age of five. His studies led him to the Mannes College of Music in New York City under the tutelage of renowned pedagogue Sally Thomas. There he was a full-scholarship student in the post-graduate Professional Studies program. While studying in the United States, Peter had the opportunity to work with such distinguished artists as Sergei Babayan, Cho-Liang Lin, Pamela Frank, Martin Beaver, Peter Oundjian, Todd Phillips and members of the Orford, Orion and St. Lawrence String Quartets. In 2000, Peter graduated with honors from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance. While he was a student in Toronto, Peter studied with Atis Bankas and Yaakov Geringas.

As an avid chamber musician, Peter has appeared at such venues as the German Consulate in New York, the Polish Embassy in New York, the Ford Center for Performing Arts in Toronto, Columbia University, the City University of New York and the New School University. Peter has participated in such chamber music festivals as "The Schumanns and Their Circle" in New York, the Muskoka Lakes Chamber Music Festival in northern Ontario, the Canadian Chamber Music Academy and the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival presented in Niagara on the Lake.

As an orchestral player, Peter recently won the First Violin Position chair of the Toronto Symphony. In April 2005, Peter toured Slovenia, Austria, and Germany on the Utah Symphony's European Tour with maestro Keith Lockhart. In August, he will be performing as guest artist and faculty member at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival/International School for Musical Arts in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.