Charlene Hess started playing violin at the young of age 5 when the Suzuki method was first being introduced to American string pedagogy. As she furthered her instruction, she studied at the University of Nebraska with Arnold Schatz, a former student of Ivan Galamian. After high school she went on to study violin as a career and graduated with a B.A. in Violin Performance from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN and later received a Masters in Violin Performance from the University of Minnesota having studied with world-renowned teachers, Roland and Almita Vamos. She has since performed in the Twin Cities for almost 25 years, free-lancing in a variety of settings with chamber orchestras, string quartets, duos, as well as solo violin. She has performed in parts of Europe and throughout the United States during her career and played in churches and concert halls as well as venues for weddings, receptions, and studio recordings. She also works at North Central University in Minneapolis, MN where she teaches private violin and viola and coaches the string ensemble. She is very grateful to have had music as a career while also being able to have a family. She and her husband live in the city of Minneapolis with their 3 daughters and dog, Percy.
