The Plot

The below is an informal overview of my life in music (so far…). If you would prefer to read a formal biography, please click here.

In the BEGINNING…

My parents named me Elizabeth Rose - a very elegant name but too fancy for everyday life. Everyone calls me Libby. According to my baby book, I liked cheese (still do). At two years old I started asking for a violin - probably more to imitate my older brother, who already played, rather than out of any true desire to engage with the instrument. My mom offered the cello instead, but I recognized the trap: if you play cello you have to carry it. I started my studies the way every great must have - with a violin-shaped cardboard box.

In the Family

I grew up surrounded by my family of string players - three violinists, one cellist, one double bassist, and one “switch hitter” who plays violin and viola. The house was always noisy, and practice spaces were a precious commodity. My spot was the laundry room: a space that felt completely soundproof to the person inside the room, and was laughably NOT soundproof to the people outside. Even now, I prefer practice rooms that are tiny, windowless, and surrounded by lots of hustle and bustle.

My Early education

I don’t remember much about my audition for the Juilliard Pre-College Division when I was 10. I know that I played Haydn’s C Major violin concerto and the Bartok Romanian Folk Dances. I also have a suspicion that my teacher, Shirley Givens, had to (gently) remind me to tune. Past that, I don’t even remember what I wore. But things must have gone fairly well because the next fall I started going to Juilliard every Saturday for not only lessons, but also orchestra, chamber music, ear training, music theory and more.

The College Experience

I had a lot of other interests outside of violin, but couldn’t imagine a life where I didn’t play violin on a daily basis. I decided to go to a music conservatory - first the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia for a Bachelor of Music, then back to Juilliard for a Master of Music and Artist Diploma.
I've had many wonderful teachers: Shirley Givens at the Juilliard Pre-College, then Arnold Steinhardt, Pamela Frank and Shmuel Ashkenasi at Curtis, and Sylvia Rosenberg when I returned to Juilliard. Each teacher gave me so much, and in their distinct ways each modeled a life in music full of integrity, curiosity, the highest standards, and a long-lasting love of the art form.

Building a Career

As I started to transition into the professional world, I wasn’t totally sure what my career would look like - but I knew that I wanted it to be full of chamber music. I looked for opportunities to play as much as possible, with as many different people as possible - spending summers at festivals like the Ravinia Steans Institute and Marlboro Festival, touring around Europe as a founding member of the Sheridan Piano Trio, and joining Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW) - a fellowship program of Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School that trains 21st century arts leaders - in part because it programmed a huge variety of chamber music.

A professional quartet Player

In 2016, I moved to Atlanta to become the first violinist of the Vega String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at Emory University. I loved living in Atlanta - it is an exciting and diverse city, and the Emory community is full of devoted music lovers. It did, however, take a little while for me to adjust to my new environment - I had to learn how to drive. So, I called a driving school, and went from never driving to buying a car in 5 weeks. It is a yellow car....so I can find it in the parking lot.

I stayed with the Vega Quartet for four years, and had many wonderful experiences - from making our Concertgebouw debut, to going whale watching in Alaska, to eating incredible food in Mexico….and, of course, working on some of the masterworks of the quartet repertoire. However, I decided during my third year that the next season would be my last. I told the quartet, and began preparing to move back to the East coast. Then, March 2020 happened….

The Great Pause

Current Events

I have since settled in Philadelphia, a city that I love deeply. I have many fond memories from when I was in school, and it has been a gift to re-visit favorite spots - and discover new favorites! If you visit the city, I highly recommend the art museums, in particular the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Even when I feel tired and run down, I go to these museums and find myself invigorated and moved (although sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer volume!) by the beautiful artwork! Of course, you also have to go to two organizations that were deeply influential to me as a student, and still continue to inspire: The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Some of the best music making in the world!
One of my greatest pleasures is to get an iced latte (on draft!) at La Colombe, then sit in Rittenhouse Square - sometimes alone (it is a great dog watching spot!), and sometimes with a friend.

Oh right, this is music website, not a Philadelphia tourism website. Since I re-settled on the East coast, I’ve been keeping busy with lots of chamber music. I’m thrilled to be playing with a new string trio, Trio ad Libitum, with dear friends Jordan Bak and Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin. I also travel all over the country to play chamber music, and have also been a guest concertmaster with a few orchestras, including the Princeton Symphony and Milwaukee Symphony. I am so happy to have what I always hoped for: an interesting life in music.