Welcome. I am a violist and teacher, currently in residence as a Professional Performance Certificate student at Penn State. Here you will find my calendar, teaching information, and a window into my playing—including recordings and livestreams on YouTube.
", "aboutHtml": "Nicole Felker is a violist and educator trained at three distinguished conservatories. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from Butler University under the tutelage of Richard Auldon Clark, and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from The Hartt School under Rita Porfiris. She is completing the Professional Performance Certificate in Viola Performance at Penn State University under the study of Tim Deighton, and beginning Fall 2026 she will pursue the Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola Performance at West Virginia University with Andrea Priester Houde.
During her time at Butler, Ms. Felker was part of the Butler Symphony Orchestra and the Butler Ballet Orchestra, preparing major symphonic works, concertos, and ballets. She was violist in her Butler-based quartet, performing works by Mozart, Sibelius, Shostakovich, and more. At The Hartt School, she acted as rotating principal violist within the Hartt Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she premiered several commissioned works for solo and group settings and regularly performed with her piano quintet.
Recent orchestral engagements include serving as section violist with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and appearances with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, the Nittany Valley Symphony (as substitute principal and assistant principal violist), and the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, along with the New Ground Orchestra Festival and the Penns Woods Music Festival. An advocate for new music, she has given world premieres as a soloist of Negar Gharibi's Teetery, Dangly, Blazey and Joseph Hayes's Living Memory, and her work for film and stage spans opera and ballet productions from Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni to Considering Matthew Shepard and The Nutcracker.
She has performed in solo masterclasses for Kayla Williams, Amber Archibald, Ann Rogan, Masumi Per Rostad, Amadi Azikiwe, Nicole Dival, and Tim Deighton, and in chamber masterclasses for The Aizuri Quartet, The Cassatt Quartet, Bang on a Can, and The Juilliard Quartet.
Ms. Felker was trained in violin/viola Suzuki pedagogy through Book 4 at The Hartt School under Teri Einfeldt. From this extensive training and her own experience as a teacher at Summit Studios, she has developed a teaching style that caters to the individual, exploring methods that work best for each student. She encourages learning a variety of styles—from traditional to folk—and exploring music outside the general curriculum. She served as Suzuki Coordinator at the Music Academy in State College, Pennsylvania. While in Indianapolis, she also worked with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra as an alumna and violin/viola instructor for beginning students.
", "lessonsHtml": "I offer private violin and viola lessons built on healthy posture, resonant sound, and honest musicianship—whether you are growing a young player’s curiosity or polishing repertoire for the next step.
Rates and studio policies are available at a trial lesson or by email. Use the calendar to view availability and request a time.
", "availabilityNote": "Calendar shows general teaching windows and scheduled concerts. Open slots are filled in order of inquiry; if nothing fits, email with a few preferred times." }