Elizabeth Adams

Violin

Elizabeth Adams, violin, has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe as violinist, violist, and pianist; in settings from solo to chamber music to orchestra. Since moving to Washington, Elizabeth has been in demand as a versatile performer, teacher, adjudicator, and clinician. As a freelance orchestral musician she performs regularly with the Richmond, Annapolis and Maryland Symphonies, Virginia and Baltimore Operas, Washington Concert Opera, the New Orchestra of Washington, and the National Philharmonic. More recently she has been accompanying and training young violinists and violists, because as a string player herself, she has a highly specialized knowledge of the literature.

Recent performance highlights include the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Mason Symphony Orchestra; Ravel’s Tzigane and Stravinsky’s l’Histoire du soldat at National Music Festival; Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire at Catholic University’s International Piano Series; recitals at the Church of the Epiphany and University of Maryland, and chamber concerts with Kassia Music at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and the Resonance chamber music series in Chestertown.

She holds both a Master of Music in violin and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian studies from Yale. She has studied violin and pedagogy extensively in both Russia and North America and holds a doctorate in violin from l’Université de Montréal. Elizabeth has studied chamber music with members of the Borodin, Tokyo, and Colorado String Quartets. Her primary teachers include Ani Kavafian, Ricardo Cyncynates, Mikhail Gantvarg and Vladimir Landsman.

Elizabeth has taught at the McGill Conservatory in Montréal, the Levine School in Washington, Neighborhood Music School in New Haven and Orfeo Festival in Italy. Upon completing her DMA, she joined the faculty of the George Mason University School of Music as professor of violin. At Mason she taught violin, viola, pedagogy, and coached chamber music, and served as head of strings.

She is currently on the faculty of the Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore and has a boutique private teaching studio. She coaches sectionals for the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras (of which she is an alumna) and is the pianist for their Music Buddies mentorship program. Her students are regular prizewinners in competitions and have been accepted everywhere from the Montreal Conservatoire to Harvard, Brown, Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Maryland. Elizabeth is pleased to be returning as a mentor at National Music Festival.