Eastman School of Music Appoints New Professor of Violin

Violinist David Bowlin will join the school's faculty in Fall 2024

Rochester's Eastman School of Music recently announced that violinist David Bowlin will join its faculty, beginning at the opening of the 2024/25 academic year.

The first-prize winner of the Washington International Competition, Bowlin has performed as a soloist across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is highly committed to new music, and has given the premiere performances of violin concerti by Marcos Balter, Alexandra Hermentin, and Donald Crockett, among others. These premieres have taken place in venues including Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and the Aspen Music Festival.

A founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Bowlin is also a member of the Oberlin Trio and the Bowlin-Cho Duo. He has appeared with distinguished chamber players including Mitsuko Uchida, Jonathan Biss, and Jeremy Denk.

Prior to his appointment at Eastman, Bowlin was Professor of Violin and Chair of String Studies at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he was appointed in 2007. He has also held faculty positions at Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, ARIA, and the Banff Centre.

Bowlin previously studied at Oberlin, The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University, where his teachers were Pamela Frank, Ronald Copes, Philip Setzer, Ani Kavafian, and Roland and Almita Vamos.

"I am thrilled to join the Eastman School of Music's string faculty this coming fall and to become part of the thriving tradition of outstanding string and chamber music teaching there," Bowlin said. "I've had the fortune of knowing and working with a number of the faculty members for years now, and it is a tremendous honor to be invited to join the department."