Esther Witherell
I am a violinist - performer, teacher, and entrepreneur
As a performer, I curate a series of sacred music concerts, collaborate in chamber ensembles, and play with local orchestras.
As a teacher, I guide my students to develop their technique and musicianship.
As an entrepreneur, I founded and direct SOL Chamber Orchestra in Tempe, AZ, an ensemble forging community connections through orchestral music.
How did I get here? Thanks for asking.
I am originally from Albany, the little-known capital of New York State. Living just three hours north of NYC had its advantages; I had access to the city culture without all the stress, traffic, or skyscraper forests. Instead, I could venture into a different kind of forest and relax in the sound of rustling leaves and flowing water, but just a twenty-minute drive brought me to a symphony orchestra concert, violin lessons, or a youth orchestra rehearsal.
I started playing the violin at age 11, after five years of begging my mom for lessons. My first teacher saturated violin-playing with creativity, helping me wrap music in lyrics, stories, and emotions. At first I thought violin would be just a hobby, but as I played with the Empire State Youth Orchestra in high school, I sensed the power of musical collaboration to unite people and realized music’s ability to communicate in a deeply meaningful way. I studied Violin Performance at Ithaca College with Susan Waterbury, graduating in 2018. I returned to my hometown for a year and taught for ESYO CHIME, a free after-school music program, while also performing with the Schenectady Symphony, Albany Symphony, and other local orchestras.
In 2019, I packed up my life in the Northeast and started graduate studies at Arizona State University with Dr. Katherine McLin, trading the green and blue of upstate New York for the red and brown of Arizona (maroon and gold here at ASU). After completing the Master of Music, I stayed on for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and graduated in 2024. Some of my accomplishments include performing a baroque violin recital series, commissioning a new five-movement violin sonata, and traveling to Europe to study Beethoven’s copyists’ manuscripts at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde archive in Vienna, Austria. In addition, in 2024 I started the non-profit Strings of Leadership, Inc. also known as SOL Chamber Orchestra, to connect communities through orchestral music.
I have been teaching violin since 2018 and currently maintain a private studio in Tempe, AZ.
D.M.A. Violin Performance, Arizona State University, 2024
M.M. Violin Performance, Arizona State University, 2021
B.M. Violin Performance, Ithaca College, 2018