José Carrion is the PCA Strings Director. He is originally from Loja, Ecuador, where he began his musical studies at the “Salvador Bustamante Celi” Music Conservatory. He is a former member of the Ecuador National Youth Orchestra and the Guayaquil Symphony. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a degree in String Bass Performance, where he studied with Tim Easter and Craig Butterfield. Mr. Carrión is an accomplished performer and is currently the Assistant Principal Double Bass in the South Carolina Philharmonic, and a member of the Greenville Symphony and the Spartanburg Symphony. He also serves as substitute for the Augusta Symphony and the Asheville Symphony, and performs regularly in the Columbia area. Mr. Carrión became the orchestra teacher at Ridge View High School in 2002, and transferred to Richland Northeast High School in 2005 to direct the orchestra, teach at the Palmetto Center for the Arts, and direct the Northeast Current, an allelectric string ensemble. Mr. Carrión has taught in Querétaro, Mexico, and he served as director of the “Instituto de Música, Idiomas y Otras Artes” during the summer of 2005. Mr. Carrión enjoys traveling with his wife, reading Hispanic literature, listening to ethnic music from different parts of the world, and collecting old LP’s. For a copy of his biographical sketch, click here. Tel: 803.699.6800 Ext. 79709 Email Jose