Callie Knight Hammond received her Bachelor of Music Performance in violin from
Columbus State University in 2003 and a Masters in Teaching with a focus on Reading
and English/Language Arts from LaGrange College in 2012. Ms. Hammond’s formal
introduction to violin was with Peg Neuen, who was a light of inspiration for so many
young string players in the state of Georgia. Ms. Hammond later studied with Kerren
Berz and Dr. Wei Kang Zhou. At Columbus State University, she studied under Patricio
Cobos and Manuel Diaz.
As a performing musician, Ms. Hammond has played with the Columbus Symphony
Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Auburn Symphony, and Montgomery
Symphony Orchestra. She is the assistant concertmaster of the LaGrange Symphony
Orchestra, where she was featured as a soloist in 2008, performing Bruch’s Violin
Concerto in D Minor, and again in 20 “Summer” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. As a
chamber player, Ms. Hammond performs regularly with cellist, Tessa Scanlon, and
pianist, Ashley Hawkins, in the Tea Ollie Trio. From 2016-2019, Ms. Hammond played
fiddle with local band Front Porch Collective. In the fall of 2019, Ms. Hammond became
the music director at First Presbyterian Church of LaGrange where she directs the choir
and mentors the direction of the children’s choir.
As an educator, Ms. Hammond has focused on inspiring and teaching beginning
violinists, from ages 4 to 70, in both the group and private lesson settings. Within the
LaGrange Symphony Orchestra’s educational realm, she is the Artistic Director of the
Strings Attached program, a cohort between the Troup County School System and the
LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, providing group violin and cello instruction at local
elementary schools for students in 3rd-5th grade. In 2016, Ms. Hammond began Sprouts,
the LSO’s youngest group lesson program which is designed for violinists in
Kindergarten - 2nd grade. In addition to teaching in the Strings Attached and Sprouts
programs, Ms. Hammond directs the LaGrange Symphony Youth Orchestra’s String
Ensemble, providing young string players with their first chamber music experience. Ms.
Hammond’s primary focus in String Ensemble is to deepen student knowledge and
application of the foundational principles of performing in any ensemble as it pertains to
rehearsal and performance preparation, rehearsal and performance etiquette, and a true
understanding of the conductor and players’ roles. In all of her teaching, Ms. Hammond
strives to provide her students with experiences within multiple genres and styles of
music.
