A passionate advocate for music education, Ria is a Suzuki-certified violin and viola teacher and has studied string pedagogy with Rolando Freitag, Edward Kreitman, and Mimi Zweig. Ria maintains a studio of private violin and viola students in Madison, WI and has been a guest sectional and chamber coach for youth ensembles throughout the Midwest. She is proud to have been a part of the WYSO Music Makers program since 2017.
Ria earned a Bachelor of Music from Arizona State University, where she studied with Nancy Buck, and a Master of Music degree from DePaul University where she was a student of Rami Solomonow. Additional training comes from her postgraduate study with Sally Chisholm at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a chamber and orchestral player, Ria performs regularly with a wide variety of ensembles, including the Superior String Alliance Chamber Players, and the Rockford, Quad City, and Madison Symphony Orchestras. Ria has also been a guest artist of summer festivals throughout the US and abroad, including the Tuscia Opera Festival, the Vianden Music Festival, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Midsummer’s Music Festival. She is a founding member of the Tuuli Quartet, which celebrates the music of contemporary and classical composers as a tool for community building and communication.