Renee Skerik

Renee Skerik serves as Instructor of Viola and Chamber Music, and Chair of Strings at the Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan. She performs regularly with her string colleagues, Tina Xu, Ara Sarkissian and Patrick Owen, in the Interlochen String Quartet and serves as Principal Violist of the Traverse City Symphony. Formerly Professor of Viola at Texas Tech University School of Music and violist of the Botticelli String Quartet, she toured throughout the United States, Europe, Central America, and Brazil, including performances at the 33rd International Viola Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She has given numerous presentations and performances at the Texas Music Educators Convention, American String Teacher Association (ASTA) national conferences and American Viola Society Conventions.  Prior to her position in Texas and Interlochen Renee served as violist with the Artaria String Quartet, a Minnesota-based prizewinning quartet of the 2004 prestigious McKnight competition and recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Melliniel grant for performing artists. With this group she toured throughout the United States presenting concerts and masterclasses, and appeared on public radio and television. Renee has worked with young violists in master class settings throughout the United States, Central America and South America. Her most recent include master classes at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Recent graduates of Ms. Skeriks’ Interlochen Arts Academy viola studio are currently enrolled in major conservatories and universities including Colburn, Juilliard, Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Lawrence Conservatory, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and more. During the summers she serves on the faculties of the Interlochen Viola Institute, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, The Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute, and the Montecito International Music Festival. Previous festivals include: The Castleman Quartet Program, Bravo! Summer Chamber Music Institute, Stringwood Chamber Institute and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Past chamber music collaborations include performances with Cho-Liang Lin, Margaret Batjer, Yizhak Schotten, Janos Starker, Raphael Hillyer, Arnold Steinhardt, and Charles Castleman. Renee holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, with additional studies at Rice University and University of Minnesota.  Her principal teachers were Heidi Castleman, Yizhak Schotten, Korey Konkol and David Holland.