On the passing of William Robin Zemp III

Pianist, educator, and 1984 SCAC performing arts fellow

Official Statement from the S.C. Arts Commission

The South Carolina Arts Commission expresses its sadness after learning that William Robin Zemp III (Robin) passed late last week after a lengthy illness.

Zemp was a Peabody Conservatory trained pianist born in Camden in 1953. Before turning to piano, he was active in community theatre. The year the SCAC named him a fellow, he made his Carnegie Hall debut, earning praise from the New York Times. After a move to Charleston, he quickly became a fixture of the city’s performing arts, coordinating a music series with Piccolo Spoleto and collaborating with various performing arts organizations. He joined the College of Charleston School of the Arts’ faculty in 1994 and was director of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church there for 22 years. He was also an avid and devoted gardener who traveled across the U.S. to tour gardens.

The SCAC extends warm and sincere condolences to the surviving members of Zemp’s family with gratitude for his contributions to art and culture and arts learning in South Carolina.

Zemp’s obituary can be found here.