Violinists: Performers and Composers (Lecture)




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Why do so many great violinists also become composers? This course will explore the fascinating legacy of violinist-composers across history, including Baroque virtuosos like Heinrich Biber, Romantic legends like Niccolò Paganini, and 20th century innovators like George Enescu and Grazyna Bacewicz. Through listening, discussing, and studying visual materials, we will examine how these artists wrote music tailored to their instruments and themselves. Taught by a professional violinist, this course offers a behind-the-strings look at how performance and composition intertwine in the hands of the same creative mind.

Your instructor: Ilana Zaks
Ilana Zaks, professional violinist, educator, and multidisciplinary artist, is First Violin with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. A graduate of the New England Conservatory and Yale School of Music, she studied under renowned violinists Donald Weilerstein and Ani Kavafian and spent nearly a decade working with Itzhak Perlman through the Perlman Music Program. Recently appointed to the Boston University Tanglewood Institute faculty, Zaks is passionate about connecting audiences to music through storytelling, performance, and dialogue.


Class Dates and Time: Mondays, April 6 through May 11
8am Pacific | 9am Mountain | 10am Central | 11am Eastern
Each session is 90 minutes. 
 
 Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Mondays via ZOOM 
  • 4/6/2026
  • 4/13/2026
  • 4/20/2026
  • 4/27/2026
  • 5/4/2026
  • 5/11/2026

Class Details

6 Session(s)
Weekly - Mon

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online 

Tuition: 

$70.00

Call 847-492-8204 to purchase Membership Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
4/6/2026 - 5/11/2026 Weekly - Mon 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM N/A, Virtual - Any Location  Map Osher Online 

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