Dr. S. Eric Hawk is the jack-of-all-trades. He teaches piano, violin, viola, ukulele, guitar, composition, theory and aural skills at Hawk Music Academy. Orchestra is his area of expertise, so he’s had experience in all musical areas.

 

In 2021, the Hawks created the Symphony Orchestra of North Georgia (SONG), a non-profit community organization, with three ensembles to provide opportunities for youths through adults. Dawn serves as the President, Executive Director, and Education Coordinator, while Eric serves as the Music Director. HMA students have the opportunity to join YouthSONG, a youth orchestra for intermediate through advanced students and Youth Discovery Strings, a youth program for beginner strings.

 

From 2014 through 2021, Dr. Hawk served as the Music Director of the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra and the Alpharetta Youth Symphony Orchestra, which he co-founded with Dawn. Formerly, he was the director of the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra Philharmonia for 5 years, has served as adjunct faculty as an orchestra director at Agnes Scott College, and taught orchestra and general music to elementary through high school students at Fulton Science Academy Private School.

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Dr. Hawk’s musical career began in early high school as a guitarist and vocalist in an alternative rock band. He enjoyed writing original compositions for any stringed instrument that he could find. After joining a youth symphony as a violist, he soon began premiering his own orchestral works. This led to a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition from the University of Central Florida, and a deeper appreciation for the classical arts.

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During his undergraduate studies, he took interest in orchestral conducting. While studying viola in Austria, he met maestro Wes Kenney from Colorado State University. For the next two years, he served as CSU’s first, assistant conductor and studied opera, completing a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting.

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There, he met his future wife Dawn Dalangin. He also taught private strings lessons at her school, the Amadeus Piano Academy. They both decided to pursue doctorates together, receiving full assistantships, at the University of Georgia. Dr. Hawk became the Assistant Conductor of UGA's orchestras during his four years of coursework. Returning full circle, he completed a music composition minor (equivalent to the Master's track) and premiered his first symphony as a part of his final degree recital. He received a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting in 2015.

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Dr. Hawk continues to write solo, chamber, orchestral, and ballet works for various occasions. He enjoys building the musical arts in the community; he plays in the GA Philharmonic viola section, performs with the Georgia Musicale Group on various string instruments, and serves on the Alpharetta Symphony board of directors. Researching, reviving, and performing lesser performed orchestral masterworks remains of his biggest passions.

 

Eric loves his baby, Lilu, five labradors, and films.

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