Meet Meredith

Have you ever wondered about how our environment impacts our perspectives and life experiences?

I have lived and traveled all around the world and have always been sensitive to my natural surroundings. I need quiet access to natural beauty to work my best. My life has brought me from the tranquil foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the awe-inspiring rugged coast of Down East Maine. Many places in my life have provided me with rich opportunities to live and work as a musician.

I was lucky to grow up in the beautiful town of Charlottesville, Virginia, where my family was musical. My mother was a violin teacher, and my father was a university chemistry professor by day and an amateur pianist by night.

As a child, I remember falling asleep every night to Chopin Preludes. My father didn’t know the best way to practice, so he always made the same mistakes - but he was always improving, and I loved listening to him. My mother performed in the community orchestra, played in a string quartet, and taught music in the area for over thirty years.

I loved music from an early age, had some early successes, and eventually left the small town for New York City— to find out for myself how intense and inspiring the classical music world truly is. Living in New York was a big change for me, but I adjusted and ended up staying there learning and working— teaching and playing — for almost a decade.

While earning my Bachelor’s and then Master’s degrees at Juilliard, I was fortunate to train with some of the best and well-known mentors and musicians in the country. These included the world-renowned Dorothy DeLay, Felix Galimir, and all the inspiring members of The Juilliard String Quartet. I also had the unique opportunity to study Suzuki pedagogy with Louise Behrend at the School for Strings.

I had some unique performing opportunities- like playing in hospitals and community centers all over Manhattan through a community outreach program and touring around seven countries in Europe on the deluxe QE2 cruise ship. I have also performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls in Lincoln Center, and the Tenri Gallery in Greenwich Village- where I gave my New York recital debut at age 25.

Some find New York City’s hustle and bustle energizing. For me, it was more draining than invigorating — so even though I lived there for nine years, I always knew it would just be a chapter in my life’s journey.

After I left New York and started traveling around the country, I performed solo recitals and as a chamber musician— and performed as a member with many professional orchestras such as The Saint Louis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and The Delaware Symphony. I also held leadership positions in ballet orchestras and opera orchestras. I especially loved playing the “supporting” roles to these larger productions— where the spotlight was on the singers or dancers.

Entrepreneurial by nature, I founded two professional quartets and, once I learned how to run a non-profit, I launched two separate and successful chamber concert series. All the while, I was running my own teaching studio and have enjoyed teaching students of all ages and levels over the past 25 years.

I live and work in Delaware and Maine, have three children, and am married to an orchestral conductor, who I met while we were both students at Juilliard. I still enjoy performing and am passionate about education. I get outside as much as possible and love to bike and hike during summers on the Maine coast.