Violinist Dr. Lee Murray Wilkins, born in Anchorage, Alaska, holds the position of Senior Instructor of Violin and
Associate Professor of Violin and String Pedagogy at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and
performs with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra as violinist and soloist.
Dr. Wilkins’ performance career has spanned the globe as a recitalist, soloist, chamber musician and educator. He has
served as Concertmaster of many of New York City’s finest orchestras. Wilkins’ solo performances have been
described by the New York Times as “magical” and “elevated to a level of enchantment.” He is the recipient of the
Eastman School of Music’s Jack L. Frank Award for Excellence in Teaching. His former teachers include Ivan
Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Josef Gingold.
A versatile and multi-genre performer, Wilkins has performed for such diverse events as the 350th Anniversary of
Harvard University, the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, the Montreal Comedy Festival’s “Juste Pour Rire”,
Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and the PBS Film “Bach to the Future”. He has even been spotted
performing as soloist with several orchestras on the Musical Saw, Stroh (trumpet) violin and a fishing pole! Wilkins is
the creator of “Phil’har-har’monic!” a witty and comical venture into the rarified world of the Symphony Orchestra.
Founder and first violinist of the Hampshire String Quartet, Wilkins toured extensively across North America, Asia and
Europe, performing and commissioning new compositions for string quartet. These concerts culminated in a Carnegie
Hall debut, recordings with Opus One Records, Musical Heritage Society, CMS, CRI records, as well as concerts at Alice
Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, the Abraham Goodman House, the 92nd St. “YMHA” and Aldeburg, England.
In addition he became an artist in residence at the Manhattan School of Music, Columbia University and City College of
New York. Wilkins’ performances have been broadcast on WXXI, WQXR, WNYC, WFUV, KSKA, WNED, WQLN,
Bulgarian National Radio, BBC Radio, NPR’s “Performance Today”, “Morning Pro Musica” and Minnesota Public
Radio. He has been a member of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra since 1982. In 1989, he was a founder of the
Chautauqua Chamber Music Society, renowned for its creative and original performances. As a Violin soloist, Wilkins
has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Shumen, Bulgaria Philharmonic, the Erie Philharmonic, the West
Virginia Symphony, the Allegheny Symphony, the Anchorage Symphony, the New York City Symphony, the Peoria
Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, the Little Orchestra Society, the Alaska Festival of Music, The
Chautauqua Symphony, The Chautauqua Chamber Orchestra, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, the
Scranton Bach Festival Orchestra, The June in Buffalo Orchestra, the Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, the Naples
Orchestra and Chorus, the Erick Hawkins Dance Company Orchestra, I Musici de Montreal and the EPOCH Chamber
Orchestra.
As an educator, Dr. Wilkins has been a full-time Professor of Music at Mercyhurst College, Allegheny College and The
Eastman School of Music. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from Indiana University-Bloomington and
a Doctorate from SUNY-Stony Brook.
As a composer, Wilkins’ full-length comic Ballet, “The Little Mermaid” has been performed by three different Ballet
companies since 1993. The Ballet, “Aladdin” has been commissioned by the Central Illinois Ballet. In addition, Wilkins
composes and arranges educational, virtuoso and humorous pieces for soloists, symphonies orchestras, school
orchestras and chamber groups. One of his arrangements was featured in the 2000 Miss America Pageant.
As a conductor, he has conducted the Erie Philharmonic, the Chautauqua Chamber Orchestra, the Fredonia Chamber
Players, the Anchorage Festival of Music Orchestra, the Scranton Bach Festival orchestra, the Western State College
orchestra, the Allegheny Symphony, the Mercyhurst College Symphony and Ballet orchestra, the Chautauqua Regional
Youth Orchestra, the Jamestown Civic Orchestra and the Pennsylvania All-State High School Orchestra Festival.
Dr. Wilkins performs on a 1771 Ferdinand Gagliano violin made in Naples, Italy.
Please visit his website for more information. Quicktime player might be needed to listen. You
may download it here.
Listen to and watch his performances:
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005, J.S. Bach
1. Adagio 2. Fuga
Scottish Fantasy, op. 46, Max Bruch
Performed with the Shoumen Symphony Orchestra, Shoumen, Bulgaria
1. Einleitung 2. Adagio cantabile
3. Allegro 4. Andante sostenuto
5. Finale
| About Us |
| Lee Wilkins, Violin |
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Dumka for Violin, Viola and Piano by Rebecca Clarke with Lee Wilkins, Janeen Wilkins and Doleen Hood |
Romance for Violin, op. 11 by Dvorak
Brooks Quartet Click here for a performance Caution: this a large file Please be patient while the file loads. |