The Golden Age of Hollywood

American/New Zealand violinist Geneva Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart and who has been lauded for the “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC) and hailed as “clearly one to watch” (Musical America).

Named a BBC New Generation Artist (2022-24), Geneva is also the recipient of a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant. She was also Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition, the winner of the Kronberg Academy’s Prince of Hesse Prize (2021), Musical America’s New Artist of the Month (June 2021), a Performance Today Young Artist in Residence and a YCAT Concordia Artist.

In 2023, Geneva made her BBC Proms debut in the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Jaime Martin. Additional collaborations have included the BBC Symphony and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmonica de Minas Gerais, Atlanta Symphony, Kremerata Baltica, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The 2026-27 season includes returns to the Indianapolis Symphony and the Austin Symphony, as well as debuts with the Deutsches Symphonies-Orchester Berlin, SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra, South Carolina Philharmonic, and New Mexico Philharmonic.

Deeply passionate about chamber music, Geneva has had the pleasure of collaborating with prominent musicians such as Jonathan Biss, Miriam Fried, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, András Schiff, and Mitsuko Uchida. This season’s projects include Bach’s Goldberg Variations with Emma Wernig and Jay Campbell, as well as a baroque trio program with Jonathan Cohen and Jay Campbell. Geneva is a regular participant at festivals and chamber music series such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Cleveland Chamberfest, and Spoleto Festival USA.

Committed to collaborating with living composers, Geneva has premiered works by Reena Esmail, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and John Zorn. Upcoming projects include the world premiere of New Zealand composer Salina Fisher’s violin concerto, presented in collaboration with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Geneva received her Artist Diploma from New England Conservatory as the recipient of the Charlotte F. Rabb Presidential Scholarship, studying with Miriam Fried, and went on to study with Professor Mihaela Martin in the Professional Studies Program at the Kronberg Academy. Before that, she studied with Aimée Kreston at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

Geneva currently performs on a composite violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, c. 1776 generously on loan from a Charitable Trust.

All Koger Center tickets incur a $2 “Restoration Fee” per ticket. All tickets sold online or over the phone incur a sliding scale convenience fee (phone fee is lower).  You can avoid internet and phone fees by visiting the Box Office in person.

Koger Box Office:
806 Park St, Columbia, SC 29201
(Free parking spots directly in front of Box Office window on Park St.)
Phone: 803-251-2222
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 PM

$5 Student Rush tickets are available 30 minutes prior to each Capital Concert at the ticket kiosk in the lobby. Please provide valid student ID. 

Please note, all single tickets for Koger events must be bought through Koger Center. Do not buy tickets from any other vendors because they will not be honored.

The Koger Center for the Arts is located in downtown Columbia at the corner of Assembly and Greene Streets, 1051 Greene Street. Parking is available at the Discovery Garage behind the building (usually around $10), accessible off Park Street. Additional garages and street parking are located at least one block away, which is a further walk to the theater but may help you avoid the pre-concert rush.

There are excellent restaurants and hotels in the downtown and surrounding areas for every budget.

Restaurants

• 1801 Grille
• Blue Marlin Steaks & Seafood
  
• Bourbon Columbia
  
• COA Agaveria y Cochina
• Hall’s Chophouse
• Hunter-Gatherer Brewery & Ale House
  
• Kaminsky's Dessert Cafe
  
• M Vista
  
• Mr. Friendly's New Southern Cafe
  
• Motor Supply Co. Bistro
  
• Pearlz Oyster Bar
  
• Ristorante Divino
  
• Terra
  

Columbia Hotels

• Hotel Trundle
• Courtyard by Marriott
  
• Hampton Inn
• Hilton Columbia Center
  
• Inn at USC
  
• Marriott Columbia
• Sheraton Columbia Downtown

Here are a few pointers on what to expect. 

There are other ways to purchase single concert tickets through the Koger Center Box Office.

By Phone

• Charge by phone at 803.251.2222.
• Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.
• American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa accepted.
• Additional charges applicable.
• Single tickets are not available through the SC Philharmonic office.

In-Person at the Koger Center

• Located at 806 Park St., Columbia SC 29201
• Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.
• Accept cash, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa.
• No additional fees for in-person purchases.

Concert Night

• Purchase any remaining tickets at the Koger Center ticket kiosk on concert night starting one hour before each concert.

Rush Tickets are available for purchase on the day of the concert to K–12 and college students for just $7 total, including a $5 ticket price and $2 Koger Center processing fee.

Rush Tickets go on sale 30 minutes before the concert begins and are subject to seating availability.