Violin and violist Denise Carter has been a devoted educator and performer since 1993. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio) where she was a Presidential Chamber Music scholarship recipient and Concerto Competition winner.
Ms. Carter spent 1997-2000 in Japan where she played with the Yokkaichi Symphony, Tokyo Mitaka Philharmonia and the Nagano Philharmonic. Upon return to the United States she spent several years as an arts administrator at New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Longy School of Music Community Programs and the Oregon Symphony.
Ms. Carter was a presenter at the 2013 American String Teachers National Conference and was the first recipient of the Massachusetts ASTA chapter’s special project grant where she built a music library and performance opportunities for young viola players.
From the years 2017-2023, Ms. Carter founded the Miami Valley Symphony Youth Strings program (Dayton, Ohio). Over the course of seven years, the program grew from 25 to 125 students. The thriving program has received local honors and will present on the national stage at the 2024 National Orchestra Festival. Ms. Carter has been given an honorary chair with the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra for these groundbreaking achievements. Ms. Carter performed in the violin and viola sections with the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra from 2014-2024.
A life-long learner of music, Ms. Carter participated in the Berklee College of Music Global String Intensive (2018) where she studied gypsy jazz with Jason Anick, theory and improvisation with David Wallace and performed in the Arabic orchestra under the direction of Simone Shaheen.
In 2019, Ms. Carter was accepted to participate in the Starling-Delay Symposium for advanced violin pedagogy at the Juilliard School where she attended masterclasses, performances and workshops with world-renowned artists.