Sophie Petroski

Sophie is an active orchestral violinist and dedicated instructor with many years of experience teaching private lessons and group classes. She has performed in regional symphonies including the Battle Creek Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony, West Michigan Symphony, and Kalamazoo Symphony.

Sophie has experience teaching all ages and levels of students, from young students receiving their very first lesson to high school students preparing for college auditions. Sophie’s previous teaching experience includes employment at the Crescendo Academy of Music in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In addition to her position at the Merit School of Music, Sophie also teaches at the Oak Park School of Music and DePaul Community Music Division.

During the summer Sophie works for the Sun Valley Music Festival in Idaho as part of the Summer Music Student Institute. She has participated in summer music festivals in Italy, Mexico, and throughout the United States, including the Meadowmount School of Music in New York. In 2013, Sophie was selected to perform in a masterclass for Midori.

Sophie received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, summa cum laude, from DePaul University studying under Professor Janet Sung. She received her Master of Music in Violin Performance from Western Michigan University, where she was the violin graduate assistant of Professor Renata Knific. As a part-time faculty member at Western Michigan University, she taught Strings Methods for Education Majors.

Sophie believes in the importance of a good foundation and strong technical set-up for students. Her most important goals are seeing her students’ growth and their enjoyment of music.