Newberry College Department of Music

08/29/2026

Please join us for the Esther Jennings Baughman Memorial Concert Series featuring:

Alison Branham, soprano
Katherine Branham, flute
Wanda Neese, piano

Sunday, August 30 at 4:00 PM
First United Methodist Church
109 W. College Street
Winnsboro, SC

This event is free and open to the public.

08/24/2026

Dr. Sarah Masterson will present a faculty piano recital on Wednesday, August 26th at 7PM in the Alumni Music Center West Memorial Recital Hall. She will perform pieces by Gershwin, Harris, Price, Bonds, and Chee.
This event is free and open to the public.

08/19/2026

Congratulations to alumni Timothy Lawson (‘12) for having his band selected to perform at the SCMEA conference!

Congrats! You have been selected by audition to perform as a featured ensemble for the SC Music Educators Association’s 2027 conference in Columbia, SC. This is an incredible accomplishment and I look forward to sharing this momentous experience with each of you!

-Mr. Lawson

08/14/2026

Newberry College Department of Music welcomes our new instructor of flute, Dr. Ziqing Guan.

Dr. Ziqing Guan is currently an Adjunct Flute Instructor at Newberry College and a Wm. S. Haynes Flute Young Artist. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from the University of South Carolina in 2023.
With a vibrant and multifaceted musical presence, Dr. Guan performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral flutist. She has been invited to give guest recitals at East Tennessee State University and Georgia College & State University, and has performed at major festivals and events, including the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention and the Musicartissimo Flute Master Class and Recital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In South Carolina, she has appeared with orchestras such as the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra, Aiken Symphony Orchestra, Aiken Civic Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic and Rock Hill Symphony. Since 2024, she has also served as a Flute Teaching Fellow at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Her primary teachers include Dr. Jennifer Parker-Harley, Dr. Adah Jones, and Professor Qi Yan.

In addition to her musical endeavors, Dr. Guan is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (since 2021). Her doctoral research, Injury Prevention Exercise Guidelines for Flutists, integrates her passions for music and fitness. This work highlights the role of strength training in preventing performance-related injuries and presents structured routines that combine stretching, conditioning, and injury-prevention strategies tailored for flutists, particularly those dealing with or aiming to prevent PRMDs (playing-related musculoskeletal disorders).

Dr. Guan has shared her wellness expertise through workshops and presentations at events such as the NFA Online Event Series, South Carolina Flute Society Festival, Haynes Health & Wellness Summit, and the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. In 2023, she founded the Musician Wellness Studio, a platform dedicated to promoting healthy, balanced practice habits and supporting the physical and mental well-being of musicians.

08/08/2026

Percussion camp is in full swing!

07/29/2026

We welcome Dr. Zachary Bond as our new clarinet instructor.

Dr. Zachary Bond serves as Adjunct Instructor of Music in Clarinet at Newberry College. A Class of 2012 graduate from Newberry College, Dr. Bond received his Master of Music Degree in Clarinet Performance and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of South Carolina – Columbia. He has 12 years of experience working in higher education as an educator in applied lessons, chamber music, and music lecture courses spanning music history and appreciation, world music, and orchestration and arranging.

As an educator, Dr. Bond applies a student-centered approach to help students discover what it means to be a performing artist individually and within a variety of group settings, including the classical, operatic, chamber, band, jazz, and popular. A Co-Founder and Co-Host of the Palmetto Clarinet and Saxophone Festival, Dr. Bond has provided workshops and masterclasses on a variety of topics and serves as adjudicator for the ENKOR Competition as member of the International Academy of Performing Arts and Sciences. He has also served as adjudicator for the SCMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival and the South Carolina All-State Band auditions.
As a performer, Dr. Bond appears regularly as Principal Clarinet of the Aiken Civic Orchestra, Bass and Auxiliary Clarinet with the Aiken Symphony Orchestra and has made appearances with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Lake Murray Symphony, USC Symphony, USC Wind Ensemble, Teatro Lirico d’Europa, Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet, and the New York City Ballet. He has also performed with Jesse Colin Young and the Indigo Girls. He is also a founding member of Ensemble Eclectica and member of the River Winds Clarinet Quartet.

Dr. Bond is a member of several professional organizations including the International Clarinet Association and the College Music Society. For the latter, he serves as a member of the Council on Music in General Studies developing webinars for music educators and engaging in research endeavors for publication.

Dr. Bond resides in Prosperity, South Carolina.

07/28/2026

There are exciting things happening in the Alumni Music Center as we prepare for the fall semester!

07/20/2026

We would like to welcome Ethan Bautz as our instructor of low brass.

Ethan Bautz is a low brass specialist, educator, and clinician who is proud to joining the applied faculty at Newberry College this fall. A versatile performer across classical, jazz, commercial, and musical theater settings, Bautz is committed to developing technically proficient, expressive, and well-rounded musicians.

Bautz recently earned his Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of South Carolina after completing dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Jazz Performance at East Carolina University.

As an active performer, Bautz has appeared with the North Charleston Pops Orchestra, the Savannah Bananas’ Banana Band, and most recently performed on the Charleston engagement of the Tony Award-winning Broadway national tour of MJ The Musical during its Lowcountry run. He has also performed internationally with the University of South Carolina’s Left Bank Big Band, touring Europe and appearing at the internationally renowned Vienne Jazz Festival in France and Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy.

His principal teachers include Stephen Ivany, Joanna Ross Hersey, Evan Roberson, Carroll Dashiell, and Michael Wilkinson, whose mentorship has shaped his approach to both performance and teaching.

In addition to teaching in many of South Carolina's public schools as a visiting instructor and clinician, Bautz maintains an active performing schedule throughout the Southeast as a freelance musician and clinician. His teaching philosophy emphasizes strong fundamentals, artistic expression, stylistic versatility, and a lifelong commitment to musical excellence.

07/11/2026

We are so proud of Paul!