Peter Isaacson

Peter Isaacson, is associate professor of violin at Hardin-Simmons University and director of the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in 2006 and holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. His primary teachers have been Catherine Tait, Sally Thomas, Renato Bonicini, Stephen Clapp and Daniel Mason. During the course of his applied study, Isaacson performed in masterclasses with Peter Salaff and Jaime Laredo. His chamber studies have been with members of the Cleveland and Audubon String Quartets, Toby Appel, John Graham, André Emilianoff, Lewis Kaplan and Zvi Zeitlin.

While pursuing his D.M.A. in violin at the University of Kentucky, Isaacson developed an interest in conducting, which led to study with the director of orchestras, Robert Baldwin. Over the last decade, Isaacson has served as conductor for the Abilene Collegiate Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Faculty Chamber Orchestra at Encore/Coda, and the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra.

As an active performer, Isaacson has performed with the Abilene Chamber Players, Soundscapes, the Lenape Chamber Ensemble, Craftsbury Chamber Players and the Absolute Ensemble in New York City. He has also performed on the Musica Viva concert series, the Focus Festival, Music at Marvin, San Angelo Museum concerts and the Wednesdays at One concert series in Alice Tully Hall. His performances have been broadcast on the Woodsongs Radio Hour and WRGV Public Radio in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Isaacson has held faculty positions at Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State), Cumberland College, Camp Encore/Coda, the American Festival for the Arts in Houston, Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, and the Abilene Summer Music Festival where he serves as artistic director.

As a member of the Niles String Quartet, he was a semi-finalist at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and was selected to participate in the Audubon String Quartet Seminar at Virginia Tech. Isaacson has collaborated in performance with members of the Audubon String Quartet, Meliora Winds, Phil Ying, and folk-singer Michael Jonathan.

In 2010, Isaacson released a recording of chamber works by Josef Rheinberger for Centaur Records. During the summer of 2011, Isaacson performed concerts with the Abilene Chamber Players in London, England, at The Space, St. Georges, Bloomsbury and Southwark Cathedral. As part of a summer sabbatical, Isaacson observed master classes at the Royal College of Music and interviewed Professor Jan Repko in preparation for an article on violin pedagogy.