Mrs. Erin K. Ripka

Bio and Student/Parent Testimonials Below:

Erin Kathryn Ripka received a master’s degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the University of Minnesota and also studied violin for two years at the music conservatory in Graz, Austria. Erin completed Suzuki teacher training at the Sato Center of Suzuki Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Kimberly Meier-Sims. While a student, she was a scholarship winner in the Schubert Club strings competition in Saint Paul, Minnesota and winner of the Minnesota String and Orchestra Teacher’s Association solo competition, and was a national finalist in the MTNA string competition in Los Angeles, CA. She was also selected as the only Minnesota violinist to participate in the Viva Vivaldi! honors orchestra performance in Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in 2000.

Erin’s former teachers include Sally O’Reilly, Yair Kless and Stephen Rose. She has presented numerous professional solo and chamber music recitals as a member of the “Ripka Duo” and the “Ripka-Fleming Trio” with her husband, pianist and organist, Joseph Ripka. Her performances of sonatas by Brahms and Franck in recitals sponsored by the Schubert Club of St. Paul brought her recognition for her depth and beauty of tone and expressive lyricism. She was selected by UCLA composition professor Ian Krouse as soloist on the world premiers of his “On the Beach at Night” for solo violin, baritone voice, and winds, and his “Agnus Dei” for solo violin, English horn and winds. Erin was a member of the Texas Festival Orchestra during the summer of 2009 and has performed with the New Haven and Hartford, CT Symphonies. She was featured violin soloist with the Arizona Bach Festival in 2020, performing with noted soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg and served as concertmaster for performances of the complete Handel’s Messiah with the All Saint’s Chamber Orchestra in Phoenix.

Erin is passionate about teaching at all levels. After joining the Calvary Music School in Stonington, CT in 2011, Erin built the violin studio from three students enrolled, to thirty students in three years. Her young students participate in youth orchestras throughout southeastern CT and have won positions in the CMEA Eastern Region Honors Orchestra. As an artist performer and a registered Suzuki teacher, she is well qualified to work with a wide range of performance levels, from very young beginners to advanced young artists. Erin moved in 2017 to Phoenix, Arizona, where she was the violin instructor at All Saints’ Music School. Erin moved to Oklahoma City in 2021 when her husband was appointed Canon of Music at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. She is a member of the violin faculty at the Oklahoma Conservatory of Music where she maintains a large violin studio. She is a violinist in the Oklahoma City based “SoLuna Concert Series” and recently joined the professional chamber orchestra and vocal ensemble “Tactus”. She is also a substitute violinist with the Lawton Philharmonic and Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

You may contact Erin directly for lesson inquiries or contact the Oklahoma Conservatory of Music at 405-698-0320 (www.okconservatoryofmusic.com).

Parent/Student Testimonials:

“My daughter Athena started Suzuki violin lessons with Erin when she was 5.  Erin is great at starting young students and she is very patient with them!  Erin emphasized the importance of proper posture, position, bow grip etc. while also encouraging making a beautiful sound and having fun with playing music.  Athena is in Book 2 now and we are sorry not to have Erin in Phoenix to continue studying with!” -Leslie, (Suzuki Parent and Acting Assistant Principal Second Violinist in the Phoenix Symphony)

“My daughter Luna began lessons with Miss Erin nearly 4 years ago, at the age of 4. We knew nothing about classical music or private lessons and Erin guided us through the entire process, from picking out a violin to creating a space for our daughter to learn music. Erin’s instruction is grounded in developing a strong foundation—we constantly hear praise on Luna’s poise, posture, and discipline—while focusing on age-appropriate techniques. We were sad to see Miss Erin go—Luna asks about her several times a week—but are glad we had her at the beginning of our musical journey.” -Laura, (Suzuki Parent)

“Erin was my first violin teacher. I was a shy and quiet 8 year old when I started who was too nervous to perform. Erin was a passionate and patient teacher who built my confidence and technique and I now play regularly in a youth orchestra and string trio.” Catie, (Suzuki Violin Student)

“Erin was a wonderful teacher for my daughter for four years. She was a careful teacher who taught in a very methodical way that ensured each skill was strong before working on the next. She was also patient and made lessons fun. My daughter progressed from a brand new player to level-appropriate recitals and ensembles within a year. We will always appreciate the foundation that Erin gave our daughter.” -Michele (Suzuki Violin Parent)