Naomi Graf Viola
Naomi Graf
VIOLA
“Is there something about the viola that develops exceptional intelligence in its executants, or is it just that when a person has exceptional intelligence the viola is taken up as a matter of course?”
Ernest Newman (1868 - 1959)
British Music Critic
About Naomi
Performer, Educator, Arts Administrator
Naomi Graf performs a wide variety of programs as a chamber musician, recital soloist and orchestral player. A graduate of The Juilliard School of Music (B.M.) and the Yale School of Music (M.M.) she enjoys freelancing in the New York Metropolitan Area. Her extensive performances have taken her to the stages of Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall (Avery Fisher Hall), Alice Tully Hall and many other prominent New York venues. She has served as the principal violist for the Connecticut Grand Opera Orchestra and most recently performs in the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Lumos and Palm Beach Symphony. She can be heard in recordings including The Complete Haydn Masses with the Trinity Choir and Rebel Baroque Orchestra on the Hanssler Classic label. Naomi Graf also has performed frequently as a chamber musician with Kol Arts Chamber Players, NEMC Faculty Concerts, HBMS Faculty Artist Series, Eastern Music Festival Chamber Players. She continues to be inspired by her studies with Lillian Fuchs, Paul Kantor, Donald McInnes, and the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets.
Naomi teaches viola to a multitude of students both privately and in groups. Many have participated in New York Conference All-State and All-Eastern Festivals and have been accepted into Major Conservatory Programs and Ivy League Schools. Naomi created and directed the Viola Club at Hoff-Barthelson Music School for twenty years (documentary video below) where she was also the Co-Director of the Chamber Music Program and private lesson teacher. Her “Viola Club” ensemble premiered “Good Working Order” by Conrad Winslow (commissioned for Viola Club) at the American Viola Society Festival in Oberlin, Ohio. In the summers, Naomi has taught at Eastern Music Festival, New England Music Camp, Westchester Suzuki Institute and the newly formed Concertium, a “consortium” of musicians specializing in chamber music.
In addition to performing and teaching, Naomi creates and administers various music programs. She is currently the Director of the Kol Arts Music and Arts Program in White Plains, NY. Naomi designed and managed the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra Educational Outreach Program, and coordinated with the American London Symphony Orchestra Foundation to create a transatlantic development strategy. She wrote the text for the “Sound of Strings” Quartet Lecture/Demonstration for the Queensborough Community College Residency Program. She envisioned and then produced the “Casual Classics” Concert Series in Ithaca, NY. Ms. Graf has served on the Boards of Music’s Recreation in Ithaca, NY and the New York Viola Society.
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching is an art. There is always a delicate balance of pushing and pulling, praise and criticism, encouragement and support. I look at the whole person in front of me and assess their needs at that moment. Sometimes my lesson plans for the day get tossed out as I see a different issue present itself. During a string quartet coaching last year, the cellist was nervous about his upcoming college auditions. We turned the class into a workshop. He practiced walking in, introducing himself and performing. The others took on the roles of adjudicators of various temperaments engaging him in conversations and asking to hear sections of his repertoire. The quartet joked that they would take the credit for his acceptance into Juilliard (he was accepted) and the next week we were back to rehearsing Dvorak with the metronome ticking.
But within that flexibility lies a solid core of structure and analysis. Building foundations through daily exercises, etudes and scales is a must. Success builds upon success and we work step by step, mastering along the way. Sometimes we make multiple copies of the music; highlighting all the shifts on one set, the string crossings on another, making it easy to practice and drill the passage and at other times the video camera is the tool. Learning the notes and rhythms is not the final goal, though. It is the launching pad from which we delve into the music. We discuss the history, the different characters, conversations and feelings in the music, and the subtleties of the shapes and colors. There is lots of energy and excitement when that connection is made. I view my role as the enabler,
providing my students with information and inspiration so that
they become their own teacher and ultimately a teacher of others.
As one student finishes up a lesson, the next arrives and friendships evolve and flourish. I would be remiss not to mention my strong belief in the importance of community within the context of teaching. Bringing students together to share and support each other will always be something I value. I’ll never forget that very shy student who was too timid to say his name the first few months of class; standing up and volunteering to perform in front of new students the next year. When I see the room filled with 20 student violists, it’s hard not to smile -
especially when they ask to play scales together! - Naomi Graf
Viola Club Documentary
What's a Viola Club? Click to find out.
Naomi Graf
String
Studio
Riverdale White Plains Scarsdale
Partner Lessons
Join your friend and learn how to play the violin or viola! This first experience in music lessons is a wonderful beginning to your musical journey.
Tuition for the 15 week semester:
30 min. class: $575 per student; 45 min. class: $825
Private Lessons, viola and violin
Offered for all ages and levels. Choose 30 minute, 45 minute or 60 minute lesson length.
Tuition for the 15 week semester:
30 min: $1,020; 45 min: $1,535; 60 min: $1,875
Alpha Chamber Music
Excite your young string player with the opportunity to play music with their peers. This class introduces the art of playing chamber music in a nurturing environment. Students should be able to read notes and rhythms and perform at an advanced beginner/intermediate level. Classes are 45 minutes in length.
Tuition for the 15 week semester:
$570 per student (45 minute classes)
Advanced Chamber Music
Viola Voce Ensemble
Small ensembles (either pre-formed or newly formed) benefit from weekly coaching. Learn new repertoire and sharpen your ensemble skills. Adult groups have the option of requesting a player/coach to complete their ensemble.
Tuition for the 15 week semester:
$660 per student (60 minute classes)
CHAMBER MUSIC/VIOLA VOCE ENSEMBLE AUDITION FORM
Link :
https://forms.gle/Wcog8npagGrSNCN77
CLASS REGISTRATION FORM
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