Bringing world-class artists to Charleston’s center stage
The College of Charleston's International Piano Series (IPS) is Charleston's longest running, season-long program with a pure focus on piano. IPS plays a distinctive role in the lives of students and the community by implementing excellence in the arts and education and cultivating piano music appreciation.
Performers range from young professionals emerging onto the world stage to seasoned artists with long-established careers.
Gold medalist at the San Antonio International Piano Competition and Professor of Piano at Yale School of Music, Wei-Yi Yang "has received worldwide acclaim for his captivating performances and imaginative programming"
"Wei-Yi Yang is a unique artist with an entirely original approach to the piano and to thinking about the music he performs. I know that his concert will be captivating and his masterclass is sure to keep our students on their toes - his lessons always kept me on mine!" - Tom Hicks, Artistic Director of IPS
“sensational” - New York Times
“spontaneous, yet logical, lyrical, and technical” - Hartford Courant
This performance is generously supported by the Remington Master Artist Series.
Richard Goode is one of the finest pianists in the world. Few can match his unfailingly beautiful tone, effortless technical command, interpretive insight and total emotional commitment to the music he plays." He is particularly renowned for interpretations of Beethoven and has been "hailed for music-making of tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness."
"It is an absolute privilege to be able to invite an artist like Richard Goode to the College of Charleston. He has always been one of my greatest inspirations and his recordings are consistently the first and last I would go to for Beethoven and the ones I recommend to my students. This is one not to be missed!" - Tom Hicks, Artistic Director of IPS
“It is virtually impossible to walk away from one of Mr. Goode’s recitals without the sense of having gained some new insight...into the works he played" - The New York Times
“Richard Goode is one of the finest pianists in the world. Few can match his unfailingly beautiful tone, effortless technical command, interpretive insight and total emotional commitment to the music he plays” - The Washington Post
Drew Petersen created a splash in Charleston when he filled in at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for two dazzling performances of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto this season. Audiences will be excited to hear from this artist again in the more intimate piano recital setting. He is an Opus 3 artist, a recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the 2017 American Pianists Award.
"Audiences at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra were captivated with this virtuosos playing after he filled in at short notice for Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. Hear him in the historic setting of Sottile Theatre playing a program filled with virtuosity andintimacy" - Tom Hicks, Artistic Director of IPS
“he feels the music, he can make it come alive again, make you touched by it... That's what is unusual” - Lukas Foss
As the winner of the 2020 NY Concert Artist Worldwide Debut Auditions and the 2019 Astral Artist National Competition in Philadelphia, Christopher Goodpasture has given recitals in the world’s most important halls and festivals. Goodpasture is currently teaching at the Interlochen Arts Academy, one of the most prestigious schools for gifted high school students in the country.
"Christopher Goodpasture is a rising star, winning major competitions and performing on the most significant world stages with regularity. Don't miss the chance to hear him here in Charleston. " - Tom Hicks, Artistic Director of IPS
“Played with rhetorical grandeur, romantic warmth, and surefire technique” - Dallas Morning News
“depth of artistry and sublime musical sensitivity” - Toronto Concert Review
Tickets & Support
Your season subscription or tickets to individual concerts support the series as a patron.
SEASON TICKETS are $120 for adults and $25 for CofC students, faculty, and staff.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS are $38 for adults and $10 for CofC students, faculty, and staff.
Need help? The George Street Box Office is open (Tue.-Fri., 10a.m.-4p.m.) to help you navigate the online system or to take your order by phone 843.953.GSBO (4726) or in person at the Sottile Theatre (44 George St.) Tickets are available from July 1, 2025 with early access and complimentary season tickets available for eligible donors.
Each year, we stage concerts for pianists hailing from the United States and around the world. While on campus, guest artists offer masterclasses in which students perform and receive critique. These masterclasses are open to the public.
These performers are role models to our students and a source of cultural enrichment for our community. The concerts take place in our historic Sottile Theatre.
Funded entirely by donations and ticket sales, proceeds from ticket sales and donations ensure the longevity of the program and support educational opportunities for our students.
Patrons of the International Piano Series not only enjoy world-class concerts and meeting artists from around the world, their generosity has a direct impact on piano students at the College of Charleston School of the Arts and our community. For more information email Tom Hicks, IPS Director.
Mail your check made out to International Piano Series to:
Attn: Tom Hicks Music Department College of Charleston 66 George St. Charleston, SC 29424
The series is entirely self-supporting and is reliant on ticket sales and philanthropy. It is nested within the music department, School of the Arts, and the College of Charleston, which is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) state university.
INTERNATIONAL PIANO SERIES PATRON LEVELS
Concerto: $10,000 and above · All benefits of sonata, plus · Opportunity to sponsor a specific concert or artist
Sonata: $5,000-$9,999 · All benefits of Ballade, plus · Invitation to a private dinner with the Director of IPS and Chair of the Music Department
Ballade: $2,500-$4,999 · All benefits of Waltz, plus Invitation to a private dinner with the Director of IPS
Waltz: $1,000-$2,499 · All benefits of Etude, plus two extra complimentary season tickets
Etude: $500-$999 · All benefits of Nocturne, plus · Invitation to special season preview in spring · Two complimentary season tickets
Nocturne: $300-$499 · All benefits of Prelude, plus · Invited to post-concert receptions with guest artists and faculty · Reserved seating at IPS concerts with early access to reservations
Prelude: $200-$300 · Recognition on the International Piano Series website and in the program
CORPORATE LEVELS
Platinum: $10,000 and above · All benefits of Gold, plus · Full-page advertisement in all four concert booklets · 5 additional (20) complimentary tickets for your team or clients to each concert
Diamond: $7,500 and above · All benefits of Gold, plus · Half-page advertisement in all four concert booklets · 5 additional (15) complimentary tickets for your team or clients to each concert
Gold: $5,000 and above · All benefits of Silver, plus · Opportunity to sponsor a specific concert or artist · Verbal acknowledgement during the sponsored concert · 4 additional (10) complimentary tickets for your team or clients to each concert
Silver: $2,500 and above · All benefits of Bronze, plus · Logo included in the program booklet at all four concerts · 2 additional (6) complimentary tickets for your team or clients to each concert
Bronze: $1,000 and above · Recognition on the International Piano Series website and in the program · 4 complimentary tickets for your team or clients to each concert
CURRENT PATRON SUPPORTERS:
Legacy Gift: William Tate
Sonata: Herzman-Fishman Fund Carol H. Fishman Remington Master Artist Fund
Ballade: Polly and George Kosko
Waltz: Barbara and Jeremy Gilbert Mary Anne and Robert Grenfell Bettsy and Tom Mosimann Kristin Wise
Etude: Richard Land Susan and Jan Mashman Susan and Michael Master Dean Emeritus Valerie B. Morris Evelynn Putnam Joe Malecki, Jr. and Bea Smith Dale and Gary Tasker
Nocturne: Georgia Bell Yvonne D. Evans Anne F. Lewis Janice and Jay Messeroff Ying Mei
Prelude: Doug and Lorna Barker Charlene and Karl Bunch Marianne and Richard Buta Tina M. Rogonia William Notz
