Music Faculty Member Named SCMTA 2019 Teacher of the Year

Robin Zemp, pianist, is a faculty member in the College of Charleston Department of Music.

College of Charleston music faculty member Robin Zemp was selected to receive the 2019 South Carolina Music Teachers Association (SCMTA) “Teacher of the Year” award in recognition of his years of dedication and service to his colleagues, his profession and the piano students of the state of South Carolina. The honor is presented annually to a member of SCMTA.

Specific award criteria includes sustained excellence and achievement in teaching (a commitment to the personal and musical development of students and the promotion of music education throughout the state), professional development (ethical and professional behavior and a commitment to musical/artistic growth) and service (active involvement in the organization and in the local/state teaching community, as well as a leadership and advancement of music education at the local/state level).

Zemp has been an active member of SCMTA since 1976, when he began teaching piano in Camden, South Carolina. He has served in many capacities with the SCMTA, including as president, vice president for conferences, vice president for programs, scholarship chair and Achievement Day co-chair. He has served on the SCMTA Board in various capacities since 1980. He continues to serve the organization in various ways, including as a member of the State Auditions Committee. In 2006, he received the association’s Distinguished Service Award. In March 2011, he was honored by the Music Teachers National Association as an MTNA Foundation Fellow for making significant contributions to the music world and the music teaching profession.

A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Zemp made his New York debut as a pianist at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1984 to both public and critical acclaim. The New York Times praised his “intriguing coloristic effects” and “strong, firm and secure” playing. That same year he was awarded the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Performing Arts Fellowship. In constant demand as both a soloist and ensemble player, he performs over 30 different programs each season.

Since 1986, Zemp has operated a successful studio in Charleston, and has become an integral part of the musical life and culture of Charleston, performing numerous times at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival as well as with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Ballet Theatre and Robert Ivey Ballet. For 13 years he directed the Piccolo Spoleto Musica da Camera Series.

In 1994, he joined the College of Charleston Department of Music, teaching piano and vocal coaching. His students have won awards and scholarships given by the Charleston Music Teachers Association, Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, Charleston Music Study Club and Piccolo Spoleto Rising Stars Concert Series. They have been state winners in the SCMTA Pre-College Auditions and the MTNA Performance Competitions.