About the Director

A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Jeanette Kuhn had many musical opportunities growing up singing at church and beginning piano lessons in second grade.  She started playing violin at age 10 and later graduated from Dorman High School.  Jeanette performed in the Carolina Youth Symphony and the Dorman Symphony where she was selected as a winner of the concerto competition and performed the Accolay Violin Concerto with the orchestra. In high school, she even had the opportunity to perform with Grammy-award winning group Casting Crowns in concert at the Bi-lo Center in Greenville.

Mrs. Kuhn went to Anderson University where she was a Teaching Fellow and graduated with a Bachelor's in Music Education.  She studied with Joanna Mulfinger and performed with  Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Anderson University String Quartet, and the Anderson University String Ensemble, where she was the concertmistress in her junior and senior years.  She was also a featured soloist multiple times in the university's musical events First Night and President's Gala.  Jeanette was actively involved with the university's chapter of the Music Educators National Conference.

After graduation In 2013, "Miss Bates" began her teaching career In Spartanburg One at New Prospect Elementary, Inman Intermediate, and Campobello-Gramling Schools. After two years, she moved to Mabry Middle and Chapman High School, and in her fifth year of teaching began full-time at Chapman. While teaching, Jeanette earned her Master of Music Education from Bob Jones University in August of 2021.

Mrs. Kuhn performs with the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra and the Hendersonville Symphony where she is the Interim Principal Second Violin. She maintains a full private studio, teaching violin and viola lessons, and is an active member of the SC Music Educators Association, SC Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, and the National Association for Music Education.

When not playing or teaching, you can find Mrs. Kuhn spending time with her family, traveling with her husband and their dog Tchaik, or drinking a great cup of Cuban coffee.