Conor McAvinue
About
Violist, Conor McAvinue is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland studying with Choong-Jin Chang at Peabody Conservatory. Prior to Peabody, Conor received a master's degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University with James Dunham and a bachelor's degree at San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Dimitri Murrath and Jonathan Vinocour. While in Houston, Conor was a tenured member of the Houston Ballet Orchestra and additionally has performed with San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Houston Grand Opera. Over the years, Conor has been invited and participated in a variety of festivals including IMS Prussia Cove, Taos Chamber Music Festival, Avos Project, Tanglewood Music Center, Sarasota Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. He’s been fortunate to participate and learn in masterclasses with Timothy Ridout, Thomas Riebl, Milan Milisavljević, Arnold Steinhardt, and the Jerusalem String Quartet. In his free time, Conor enjoys keeping up with Formula 1 racing, reading, and indulging in Hispanic food.
Teaching Style
My teaching style will individually take on the level of any student. If you are looking to understand and work on fundamentals (beginner and intermediate), I've got a nice catalogue of excercises and ideas to get things up to speed and have you on the right track. For more advanced players, we'll take deeper dives into the music, explore your palette of colors on your instrument, and prepare for whatever performance/audition/competition you've got coming up.
Additionally for all students, we'll be doing mental training. This will include a variety of visualization and simulation excercises to help you deal with nerves or limiting beliefs in oneself. My mission is to get you to sound your best and you feel like you can tackle all musical problems. Learn ways to practice more efficient and organized while staying revitalized and excited every time your pick up your instrument. All the best!
Curriculum
Performance Success - Dr. Don Green
Credentials & Affiliations
Positions
- Houston Ballet Orchestra - Tenured section viola 2022 - 2024
- Houston Symphony Orchestra - Substitute Viola for the 2023-2024 season
- San Francisco Symphony - Substitute Viola for 2021-2022 season
- New World Symphony – Finalist Pool (1st substitute) for 2018-2020 seasons
- Canton Symphony Orchestra - 1st substitute Viola for 2018-2019 season
Auditions
- Houston Symphony Orchestra Substitute - Won (2023)
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - Semifinalist (2023)
- Houston Ballet Orchestra - Won (2022)
- Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Semifinalist (2019/2022)
Education
- Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins - Graduate Performer’s Diploma (2024-Present)
- Rice Shepherd School of Music - Masters of Music (2022-2024)
- San Francisco Conservatory of Music – Bachelor of Music (2020- 2022)
- Cleveland Institute of Music – Bachelor of Music (2017- 2019)
- Archmere Academy – High School Diploma (2013- 2017)
Applied Instructors
- Choong-Jin Chang - Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins (2024-Present)
- James Dunham - Rice Shepherd School of Music (2022-2024)
- Dimitri Murrath - San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2020- 2022)
- Jonathan Vinocour - San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2020- 2022)
- Jeffrey Irvine – Cleveland Institute of Music (2017- 2019)
Festivals/Programs
- Tanglewood Music Center Fellow (2024)
- Avos Project Masterclass Series (2023)
- IMS Prussia Cove Masterclass Seminar (2023)
- Taos Chamber Music Festival (2023)
- Sarasota Music Festival (2022)
- Bowdoin International Music Festival (2021-2022)
- Aspen Music Festival – Orchestral Viola Fellowship (2018-2020)
- New York String Orchestra Seminar “50th Year Anniversary” (2018)
- National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (2017)
- Credo Summer Music Institute (2016)
- Jacobs School of Music Summer String Academy (2015)
Competitions/Awards/Special Performances
- SFCM Lower Strings Concerto Competition - Runner Up (2022)
- CIM Concerto Competition – Honorable Mention (2018)
- Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition Finalist (2018)
- Ohio Viola Society Competition Winner (2018)
- Coastal Concerts Scholarship Winner (2017 & 2015)
- American Viola Society Ensemble Competition Winner (2016)
- Irving Ludwig Young Artists' Competition with Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra Winner (2016)
- Newark Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition Winner (2015)
- Delaware Concerto Competition for Young Musicians Winner (2014 & 2011)
- Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Kimmel Center, Curtis Institute of Music, and toured Europe and Latin America.