Elise Meichels Parker

Violinist Elise Meichels Parker has an active freelance career as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, recording artist and studio teacher. The Star Tribune has described her playing as “soulful,” while the Pioneer Press wrote “Elise Parker wrings pure beauty from her violin.” Locally, Elise has performed with the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, Fever’s Candlelight Concerts, STRINGenius, Children’s Theatre Company, VocalEssence, LOFT recital, Ladyslipper Ensemble, American Composers Forum, An Opera Theatre, and dozens of touring popular artists, amongst others. 

Elise began violin lessons at age 6 and graduated from the Augsburg University Suzuki Talent Education program. She also graduated from all ten levels of the Suzuki Association of Minnesota Statewide Graduation. Her Suzuki training has been with several trainers including William Starr, John Kendall, Nancy Lokken, Mark Bjork, and Brian Lewis. Elise has enjoyed completing the “Suzuki Triangle,” having now been a Suzuki student, teacher, and now Suzuki parent to her children.

Since 2010, Elise has been a teacher for the Augsburg University Suzuki Talent Education Program, a nationally and internationally recognized program. She also visits dozens of Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools giving classroom demonstrations, all-school orchestral performances, and conducting high school orchestra sectionals. She has been adjunct faculty at Augsburg University since 2019. 

A native of Minneapolis, Elise earned her master’s degree from Rice University as a recipient of the Distinguished Fellowship of Violin Award with Kathleen Winkler. She has also studied privately with Vartan Manoogian, Maseo Kawasaki, Naoko Tanaka, and Nancy Lokken. Elise plays on a Gasparo da Salò composite violin, whose back and ribs were made in 1580 in Brescia, Italy. (Da Salò is sometimes credited as the co-inventor of the modern violin.)

www.augsburgsuzuki.org
www.augsburg.edu/faculty/parkerel/