I joined Local 802 when I relocated to New York from Nashville, where I was a member of AFM Local 257. My musical goals in New York City are to perform with and learn from as many musicians as I can, and to share what I know with the next generation of musicians. I recently got to play with Dolly Parton on the Tonight Show. She lives up to every great word that’s said about her: she is kind, gracious and – of course – unbelievably talented! I grew up in Pennsylvania where I studied classical violin and viola with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. I earned a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in violin performance, where I studied improvisation and country music. After graduation, I moved to Nashville, where I played fiddle gigs and did recording sessions for country music and as a one-woman string section. In New York, I’ve been performing as a freelancer with many different artists. I’ve also performed in plays, and I’ve taught at nonprofits that bring professional violinists into deserving public schools, like Midori & Friends and the Noel Pointer Foundation. Music is important to me because it allows me to communicate on a different level with the audience and other musicians.
Maria Kowalski
maria.kowalski32@gmail.com