Instructor
Graham Jones
professional violinist and teacher
About me
Violinist/violist Graham Jones, a native of Chicago, Illinois is currently a violinist in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and a violin teacher in Charleston, SC. Before relocating to Charleston, he was a violin teaching artist for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra where he was a full time section violin player and taught for the ASO's Sturgis Music Academy.
Previous teaching and performing experience includes 3 years in Asia where his performances included orchestral appearances with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and, as a Baroque violinist, the Early Music Society of Hong Kong. He has also been an active freelancer, ranging from backing up K-pop singers to Messiah performances under British early music specialist, Jonathan Cohen. In the US, he has been a member of several Cleveland and Chicago based ensembles and worked under conductors including JoAnn Falletta, Jaime Laredo and Ton Koopman. Additionally, Graham is an accomplished pianist and served as a church organist in Hong Kong.
As a committed music educator, Graham has held teaching posts in the US and Asia including Interlochen Summer Arts Academy, Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department and music schools in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Chicago area. His experience includes teaching private lessons using both traditional and Suzuki methods, coaching chamber music and directing orchestras. Graham is a registered Suzuki violin teacher and additionally holds Suzuki piano teacher certification. He credits his love of teaching to his mentors Kimberly Meier-Sims, his Suzuki teacher trainer at The Cleveland Institute of Music and his mother, a pedagogy student of Paul Rolland.
Mr. Jones holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His primary instructors were David Updegraff and Linda Cerone, violin, Lisa Boyko, viola and Julie Andrijeski, Baroque violin. As a younger student prior to entering conservatory, he studied violin with Gerardo Ribeiro of Northwestern University. Graham has an extensive background in chamber music having coached under Peter Salaff, Virginia Weckstrom, Ivan Zenaty and the Cavani Quartet, appeared in the Fischoff Competition and performed with chamber groups throughout the Cleveland and Chicago areas. He has been a recipient of fellowships to summer festivals including Music Academy of the West, Meadowmount School of Music and Round Top Festival Institute where he studied with pedagogues including Zvi Zeitlin and Brian Lewis.
Mr. Jones plays a 20th century violin by Vincenzo Sannino.