Caroline Rothstein

Caroline Rothstein maintains a diverse orchestral and chamber music career throughout North America. She currently plays with Chicago’s CHAI Collaborative Ensemble and serves as concertmaster of Manitoba Underground Opera in Winnipeg. She holds her master’s degree in violin performance from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where she was the recipient of the Anna Schauffler Lockwood endowed scholarship for excellence in string music. Her principal teachers and mentors include Chicago Symphony violinist Blair Milton and Milwaukee Symphony concertmaster Frank Almond. Caroline has performed in master classes for renowned violinists and pedagogues Shmuel Ashkenasi, Cyrus Forough, Paul Kantor, Gerardo Ribeiro, and Arnold Steinhardt. She studied chamber music with Marion Feldman, Jeffrey Gilliam, Charles Pikler, Mathias Tacke, Roland Vamos, and Sylvia Wang. Caroline also attended Northwestern as an undergraduate, where she concurrently earned Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees and graduated with honors in both programs.

Caroline is a devoted educator who brings a thoughtful approach to her private studio and honors the individuality of each student. Her teaching philosophy encourages a deep love of music, a mindful relationship with the instrument, and the constant pursuit of a new personal best. She served for two years as teaching assistant to Stacia Spencer before joining the faculty of the Northwestern University Music Academy for seven years, and completed additional training in Suzuki pedagogy and philosophy with Gilda Barston, Vera McCoy-Sulentic, and Oscar Soler. As an adjudicator, Caroline has served on juries for the Sejong Music Competition and ILMEA district orchestra auditions. Also an avid long-distance runner, Caroline researches the intersection of athletic and musical training, and presented on this topic at the 2018 American String Teachers Association national conference.