Marissa Keener

Marissa Keener is a professional violinist and a registered Suzuki violin teacher currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

At the age of five, Marissa began studying Suzuki violin with Kathy Hart in Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds a Masters of Music Degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from East Carolina University, where she studied with Hye-Jin Kim and Joanne Bath and was a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She was selected to participate in the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival’s Next Generation Concert series and the Next Gen on the Road concerts. Marissa earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Honors, Magna Cum Laude from Miami University of Ohio, studying with Dr. Harvey Thurmer. At Miami, she performed in many small chamber ensembles, the Miami University Collegiate Chorale, and the Miami University Symphony Orchestra, where she served as the Associate Concertmaster.

Marissa is registered for Every Child Can! and Violin Books 1-10 with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has completed training with Suzuki Teacher Trainers Joanne Bath, Edward Kreitman, and Liz Arbus. In 2013, she began her Alexander Technique Teacher Training at the Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies program, under the direction of Robin Gilmore. She has also studied with Bill Conable, Bob Lada, Dale Beaver, Meade Andrews, Glenna Batson, Sarah Barker, Carol Chung, and Diana Bradley.

During past summers, Marissa has studied at the Meadowmount School of Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Sewanee Summer Music Festival under the tutelage of Gerardo Ribeiro, Janet Sung, and Harvey Thurmer.

Marissa has taught at several public school Suzuki outreach programs in Greenville and Bath, North Carolina, and has also taught at the Third Street Community Center, the Oak Ridge Summer Conservatory, and the Knoxville Symphony Strings Camp. 

Currently, Marissa is the Suzuki Coordinator at the Community School of the Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has a special interest in teaching children with disabilities and applying the Alexander Technique in private and group violin lessons. She also serves as the Principal Second Violinist in the Union Symphony Orchestra. In her spare time, Marissa enjoys baking with lots of chocolate, reading a variety of books and novels, swimming, hiking, and biking.

Visit Marissa’s website here.