Long Bay Symphony Youth Programs

Long Bay Youth String Ensemble

Our newest youth program, the Long Bay Youth String Ensemble, is a second youth orchestra offering within the Long Bay Symphony organization specific for string players. This program is directed by Mr. Chad Hammer, Orchestra Director at Ten Oaks Middle School and fellow Long Bay Symphony musician.

How to Participate

The Long Bay Youth String Ensemble is open to all student string players with two or more years of experience on their instrument. New students are welcome to join each semester! Auditions are NOT required for participation; however, students must make a commitment to attend rehearsals and maintain a positive attitude towards learning.

A strong focus will be placed on technique, string repertoire, musicianship, peer mentoring, and ensemble performance skills. The group will perform a free public concert at the end of each semester.

Tuition is paid by semester and fees may vary slightly depending on the number of weeks per semester. Tuition is waived for paid members of LBYS. A limited number of full or partial scholarships are available based on need. Tuition is $90 per semester.

We encourage all interested students to contact LBYSE manager Deanne Renshaw for more information at [email protected].

Click Here to Register

Practices & Schedules

All practices will take place at the MBHS Music & Arts Center (3302 Robert Grissom Pkwy, Myrtle Beach, SC) on Sunday afternoons from 3-5PM. A new practice schedule will be available Fall 2025.

Chad Hammer

Youth String Ensemble Director

Chad Hammer (cellist) is a musician and educator living in Sunset Beach, NC, who performs and teaches throughout the region. Originally from Greensboro, NC, he has been fortunate enough to live, learn, and work in a wide variety of places all over the country.

Chad received his Bachelors in Music Performance from the University of Nevada-Reno and his Masters in Music Performance from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York. He has held teaching positions in New York City, Portland, OR, and is currently the Orchestra Director at Ten Oaks Middle School in Myrtle Beach, SC and Cello Instructor at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

Professionally he has recorded with a wide range of artists and also released two albums with his own band, Lucinda Black Bear. Chad has performed with artists from all genres including Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Itzhak Perlman, and Luciano Pavarotti.

He is currently a cellist with the Long Bay Symphony, the Coastal Chamber Players, and performs regularly throughout the region.

Deanne Renshaw

Youth String Ensemble Manager

A former student of legendary oboist Ray Still, Deanne Renshaw earned her MM and BM in Oboe Performance from Northwestern University before moving to the Carolinas in 1999. An active freelance musician, Ms. Renshaw is a founding member of the Carolina Philharmonic in Pinehurst, NC, and has held the principal oboe chair since its inception in 2009, performing in Carnegie Hall twice during that time. Ms. Renshaw has played and recorded with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and was also a founding partner of the Carolina International Orchestra, a dynamic multi-cultural touring organization featuring orchestral musicians from the United States and China. She has performed as the principal oboist for the Amman Symphony Orchestra in Jordan, the International Symphony Orchestra in Israel, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (NC), the North Carolina Master Chorale, Opera Carolina, and the Florence Symphony Orchestra (SC). Closer to home, she can be seen performing both oboe and English Horn regularly with the Long Bay Symphony.

Recognized for her “lovely, winning English Horn solo” by the Classical Voice of North Carolina in 2009 and more recently highlighted in 2023, Ms. Renshaw was invited by Ray Still to perform in 2007 on his last public recital of his lengthy and reputable career. In addition to teaching in the music department at Coastal Carolina University, Ms. Renshaw is currently the Orchestra Director and Piano Instructor at Black Water Middle School in Conway and Orchestra Manager for both the Carolina Philharmonic and the Long Bay Youth String Ensemble, after serving on the music faculties of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Methodist University (NC), and Olivet Nazarene University (IL). Ms. Renshaw currently resides in Myrtle Beach, SC.