Elizabeth York lives in St. Paul, MN, and is sought after as a performer and teacher across the region. She currently holds the positions of Associate Concertmaster and Personnel Manager of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and is Assistant Professor of violin and viola at Gustavus Adolphus College.
York is an avid chamber musician and recitalist with interest in a wide range of musical styles, from baroque performance practice to contemporary music. Recent performance highlights include chamber music performances with Minnesota Bach Ensemble, Montana Chamber Music Summer Festival, MacPhail Spotlight Series, and Apollo Chamber Music Festival, and solo appearances with the South Dakota and Birch Creek Symphony orchestras. In Summer 2025 she will appear as soloist with the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra on their tour of Scotland and Ireland. York also plays the baroque violin; she is a member of Lyra Baroque Orchestra and appears on recordings by the Rose Ensemble and Transept.
Elizabeth is a dedicated teacher with over 15 years teaching experience, and maintains a private studio. She has taught violin at Birch Creek Symphony Session (Door County, Wisconsin) since 2013, and will serve as concertmaster for the 2025 session. She has previously served on faculty at North Dakota State University, College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, St. Cloud State University, and University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire.
In 2013 Elizabeth completed a dual Doctor of Musical Arts degree in violin and viola performance at Stony Brook University (NY). She also holds a BM from East Carolina University and MM from Stony Brook University in violin performance. Her major teachers include violinists Ara Gregorian, Soovin Kim, and Phil Setzer, and violists Dan Panner, Nicholas Cords, and Lawrence Dutton, and chamber music studies with the Emerson String Quartet.
