Violin, Voice, Piano
Skyler Blair is an actively performing violinist and soprano with a passion for teaching. She earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and Music Theory from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a minor in Cognitive Science and Vocal Performance. While there, she studied violin under renowned pedagogues Ilya Kaler and Joan Kwuon and voice under Dina Kuznetsova.
Skyler has experience teaching piano, voice and violin to artists of all levels, from young beginners to her very own colleagues at CIM. She has received training in book 1 Suzuki violin and the Suzuki pedagogy philosophy from Ed Kreitman of the Naperville Suzuki School. She also teaches students abroad through her own online private studio, with students heralding from various states in the U.S., South America, and the Middle East. Skyler specializes in teaching virtuoso violin technique, tackling the works of Heinrich Ernst and Niccolo Paganini in her own performances, and sharing her knowledge through her social media platform.
Skyler has been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras. Recently, she performed Poème by Chausson with the North Florida Symphony Orchestra (NFSO) in February of 2021. Also with the NFSO, she performed Brahms Violin Concerto as the winner of the John Leatherwood Concerto Competition. She performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Ocala Symphony Orchestra in their 2019 concert series. She served for three years as the Concertmaster of the Alachua County Youth Orchestra, and has since performed as Concertmaster and Principle Second in the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and the Roundtop Festival Orchestra. In 2020, she progressed through the state and division levels of the Music Teachers National Association’s competition, placing second at the National Finals division.