Karen Strittmatter Galvin
Programs
College Orchestral Institute
High School Orchestral Institute
Karen Strittmatter Galvin is the Assistant Concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony, which she joined in 2007. She has been featured numerous times as soloist with the NC Symphony, notably showcasing contemporary solo violin repertoire including Nico Muhly’s Seeing is Believing, Prince of Clouds by Anna Clyne, and Echorus by Phillip Glass. Ms. Galvin has also performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and performed and toured internationally with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Galvin is the founder and curator of New Music Raleigh, a cutting-edge ensemble dedicated to performing the works of living composers. In 2019, Ms. Galvin became a member of the Artist Faculty of Brevard Music Center where she teaches talented high school and college students, specializing in orchestral literature and audition preparation.
Committed to the arts in her community, Ms. Galvin has taught at the University of North Carolina and maintains an active private teaching studio. She is sought out as a collaborator and studio musician, performing and recording with groups including Broken Social Scene and The Mountain Goats. Ms. Galvin has performed during past summers with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, served as Associate Concertmaster of the Colorado Music Festival, and was a featured musician with Jackson Hole Chamber Music.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ms. Galvin began her musical training at the age of five after seeing the violin for the first time while watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with Carolyn Huebl and Cyrus Forough, and a Masters Degree from the University of Maryland where she studied with Elisabeth Adkins and the members of the Guarneri String Quartet.