Violinist and violist Ryan Foley developed his unique method of teaching through 15 years of experience and three college degrees in music. This method consists of a slow and fundamentally sound introduction for beginners, and rigorous and thorough lessons for intermediate and advanced players. Ryan’s method can be applied to a serious approach toward excellence, or fun, lower-stakes goals. It can also work for a combination of the two!
A violinist since age 4, Ryan has performed violin and viola at a professional level in 4 countries and two continents, and from coast to coast in the US. A graduate of SUNY-Purchase Conservatory of Music, Ryan also holds Master of Music Degrees from CU-Boulder and Colorado State University, where he performed with the Graduate Chamber Ensemble and served as Concertmaster for the University Symphony.
Ryan has won auditions for New York Youth Symphony as well as professional symphonies such as the Fort Collins Symphony and the Cheyenne Symphony. He has also performed with ensembles such as the Steamboat Springs Philharmonic, the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony, Westchester Symphony, and Estes Park Chamber Singers.
Raised in Stony Brook, NY, Ryan began studying the violin with the Suzuki method. After working to an intermediate level, he continued his studies at age 13 with Linda Sinanian at Stony Brook University, and chamber music studies with the Stony Brook University Pre-College Program. After 8 years in Colorado, he moved back east and now lives in Cromwell, CT, with his wife, Brooke, and their husky, Honey.