Jennifer Dunne – Violinist, Violist, Pedagogue, String Improviser
Jennifer Dunne has guided the string education of hundreds of aspiring musicians in violin, viola, chamber music and string pedagogy and has performed in every major concert venue in Chicago.
Ms Dunne is an entrepreneur, pedagogue, educator, adjudicator, performer, recording artist, and eclectic-styles string improviser. She has taught at the collegiate, pre-collegiate, high school and primary school levels and is currently Professor, Collaborative Upper Strings Pedagogue at North Park University School of Music, Art, and Theatre. She is also the Violin and Viola Instructor for Whitney M. Young High School’s Orchestra Program; she served on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago coaching chamber music groups and conducting musicianship classes, and on the faculty of Trinity International University as Professor of Violin and Viola.
Ms Dunne holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from Northwestern University and served on the School of Music Academy String Faculty for 16yrs. Her eclectic styles string improvisation education began with Andrew Bird (swing and blues), Athanasios Zervas (gypsy/folk), Zach Brock (jazz and swing), and continued with Edgar Gabriel (String Groove Method), Orbert Davis (jazz), and John Moulder (jazz and blues).
Ms Dunne has recorded on dozens of sessions (many with the late great Steve Albini at Electrical Audio) and has graced the stage with the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, the Chicago Philharmonic, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Grammy-nominated band Mono (of Japan), the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra, Musica Lumina Orchestra, the Paderewski Symphony, and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra among many others. Ms. Dunne has performed with Smokey Robinson, Sarah McLaughlin, Earth Wind and Fire, Marco Antonio Solis, and the CoverGirls Violin Show. She plays regularly with her eclectic-style string band Parting Glass Trio and owns Signature Ensemble, Inc. a musical services company that provides live music performances throughout Chicagoland and string education programs at schools on the Northwest and Northside of Chicago.
(Above) at the famed Electrical Audio Recording Studio recording an Original Sound Track with the late great Steve Albini.
Ms. Dunne is passionate about string technique and music performance, and delights in sharing her knowledge with her students and exchanging musical ideas with colleagues in both classical and alternative styles music worlds. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.