Truluck comes home to Lake City to start concert series

LAKE CITY — Calhoun Truluck has studied and performed music in New York and several other states, but when he wanted to start a concert series, he decided to come home.

“There was no better place to bring it than to where I started,” Truluck said.

He spoke to the News & Post Friday afternoon, when he and three other musicians were rehearsing for the Madison St. Clair Young Artist Series’ premiere concert, held that evening at Lake City Presbyterian Church.

Truluck, 24, is the president and artistic director of Madison St. Clair, which he’s incorporated in Lake City.

He said he got his start in music in Lake City, where he sang in a choir led by Betty Carter. He’s a Lake City native, the son of Jim Truluck of Truluck Vineyards, he said.

Now he’s got 20 years of professional studies and 10 years of performing under his belt, according to his bio.

He’s played piano and dabbled in other instruments, but flute was the “one that really stuck” for him, he said.

He was preparing to perform solo flute music at Friday’s concert, along with pianist Jeremy Borders, violinist JoAnna Farrer and soprano Alexandra Lee.

Madison St. Clair got started when Truluck was trying to plan a concert for himself in September, he said.

“I had kind of made a scaffolding not only for myself,” but also created a format that he could build to help other artists his age, he said.

Truluck began talking with colleagues and friends from various schools, he said, and realized he had a network of talented musicians and artists looking for “stable and reliable” and frequent opportunities to perform and earn money.

The concerts will feature classical music, and Truluck said he aims to showcase a diverse roster that’s already reached at least 55 to 60 musicians.

Borders, who played piano Friday, is a native of Lugoff who also lived in Goose Creek and moved to New York City a year ago. He said he met Truluck at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, in Greenville.

“Thank the Lord for Facebook,” he said, because the social-networking site reconnected him with Truluck, who called and asked him to help promote the series.

Now he’s hoping for a “snowball effect of publicity” through the concerts, he said.

Borders said he’s building a career as a singer and actor, as well, and will appear on an upcoming TV show that will be similar to “American Idol” and hosted by country musician Toby Keith.

Truluck has spent time in much more populous areas, but he also saw the new concert series as an opportunity to bring music into smaller communities, he said.

Lee, the soprano, is originally from Los Angeles and met Truluck in New York City. Truluck said his studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey brought him to that area.

Lee said last week was her first time in South Carolina and that it’s a “definitely different lifestyle” here, but she was enjoying her experience.
She said she plans to continue performing with the series, which she hopes Truluck can bring to New York.

Truluck said he wants to do as many concerts a month as possible.

Friday was going to be his first time performing solo in a long time, he said. It had been time consuming — but in a good way — to prepare for an event where he would both host and play, he said.

“I’m more excited than anything else. … Of course, I’m going to be nervous,” he said. “It’s a new thing for me.”

ON THE WEB
For more information about Madison St. Clair Ltd., visit http://www.madisonstclair.org.