Iris Wei
Department Co-Chair: Strings; Faculty: Violin
Education:
Roosevelt University, BA, Violin Performance
Bio:
An active educator, Iris Wei maintains a violin studio of over forty students ages ranging from 3 to 79, teaches group classes, and coaches chamber music and orchestra sectionals in the Chicagoland area.
Iris serves as faculty and String Department Co-Chair at the Merit School of Music. Also a pianist, Iris switched her main focus to violin after being accepted as a scholarship student at Roosevelt University’s College of Performing Arts and has had the privilege of furthering her pedagogical studies with Michele George, Nancy Jackson, Ed Kreitman, Ann Montzka-Smelser, and Tom Wermuth. Iris has enjoyed performing with groups such as the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
A great source of pride comes from guiding students to become happy and healthy human beings—high-level musicians who are kind, know how to deal with adversity, and excel at whatever endeavors they pursue. Iris enjoys mentoring and working with musicians through programs like the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a pathway for talented musicians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and the Academy, a pipeline dedicated into building young people who can lead themselves, their families and their communities. Outside of her work in music, Iris is an avid runner and cat mom to two rambunctious siamese cats that keep her on her toes.
