Donna Lorenzo

Donna Lorenzo is widely known as a violist and teacher. She is a versatile performer and
has played extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in numerous major venues
throughout the world. She was a member, principal viola, and viola d’amore soloist with the
well-known Italian chamber group, I Solisti Veneti and with the Orchestra da Camera di
Veneto. With these groups she toured extensively and internationally as a chamber
musician and soloist and made recordings for Musical Heritage, Erato, Sony and Fone
labels. She has also played as guest principal violist with the Orchestra della Fenice in
Venice and the Orchestra di Bologna, Italy.
In the US she has performed solo and chamber music concerts in the Western New York
area and was the violist in various string quartets including the Litton Quartet in
Pittsburgh. She performs annually at the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival and with the Ars
Nova Musicians. Donna is a former member of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and plays
as a substitute violist in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
In addition to performing and teaching, Donna is also the music director of the Ars Nova
Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo.
Donna has a Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, a master’s degree and
Professional Studies Certificate from the Juilliard School of Music where she was a student of
Lillian Fuchs and the Juilliard Quartet, and a Music Education degree from Houghton
University. At the Eastman School she was the teaching assistant for violist John Graham
and was awarded the prestigious Eastman Prize for excellence in studio teaching. As a
Juilliard student she spent many summers at the Aspen Music Festival where she was
awarded a fellowship contract.
Donna is also a New York State certified teacher. She taught viola for the Eastman School of
Music, University of Rochester, and was the violin and viola teacher at Houghton University.
She has taught in public schools, various string workshops, and has an extensive private
studio. When not performing and teaching, Donna enjoys outside activities of any type,
organic gardening, and spending time with her family.