Faculty String Quartet
Dr. In-Hong Cha, leader
Dr. In-Hong Cha, Associate Professor of Music at Wright State University, teaches applied violin, serves as director of orchestral studies, coordinator of strings and conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Cha holds a D.M.A. in orchestral conducting from the University of South Carolina, an M.A. in violin performance from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and an Artist Diploma in Strings from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Cha performs and conducts actively throughout the United States and abroad including Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Taiwan, Mexico, Russia, Korea and Japan. Dr. Cha was former concertmaster of the Daejon City Symphony Orchestra, Korea and principal second violin of the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra and also served as music director and conductor of the Amabile Chamber Orchestra. His autobiography, ‘Beautiful Man and Beautiful Success’, was published in Korea and it became a best seller. Dr. Cha’s appearance on the “Hour of Power” with Dr. Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral has been televised to a worldwide audience. In June 2006, he appeared as a guest conductor for the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia during White Night Festival and the performance was recorded on CD and it has been released by SONY/BMG, Seoul.
Mr. Thomas Sobieski started playing with the Wright State University Faculty String Quartet in January of 2008. Having played in orchestras such as the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra of Virginia, and the Dayton Philharmonic, Thomas now sits as concertmaster of the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in programs such as CCM's Music-X, a modern music festival, the Grandin Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and the Opera Theater of Lucca, performing opera and chamber music in Lucca, Italy. He has appeared as soloist with the CCM Percussion Ensemble, the WSU University Orchestra, and in various recital series and programs around the Cincinnati and Dayton area. Thomas earned his BM, MM and AD from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he studied primarily with Dr. Won-Bin Yim.
Dr. Franklin Cox studied at Indiana University, Columbia University, and the University of California, San Diego (PhD, composition). His main cello teachers were Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Peter Wiley, and he studied composition with Fred Lerdahl, Brian Ferneyhough, and Harvey Sollberger. Dr. Cox has received numerous awards as both composer as cellist, including the highest awards from the Darmstadt Festival for both composition and cello performance. Since 1993 he has presented a solo recital entitled "The New Cello," focusing on original works for the cello, more than 100 times throughout Europe and North America. He is founding co-editor of the international book series, New Music and Aesthetics in the 21st Century, and is also founding co-editor of Search, an on-line/print journal focused on new music and culture. In 2008 he founded the annual American Innovators series of concerts and symposia. His works are published by Rugginenti Editions and Sylvia Smith Publications, and they can be heard on Rusty Classica, Neuma Records, Solitude Edition, and Centaur Records.
