Assistant Professor of Music, Elisabeth Small has taught violin at Belmont University School of Music for 35 years. She developed and shepherded the String Department as Coordinator of Strings for seventeen years, until 2020.
Ms. Small received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied violin with Dorothy DeLay and chamber music with Felix Galimir. From 2004-2019 she served as Artistic Director at Belmont’s summer String Crossings Camp for high school students. She continues to teach at String Crossings Camp, which offers classical, jazz, rock and bluegrass styles. Ms. Small has taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, Tennessee Technological University, and Tennessee State University. Her clinics and workshops for American String Teachers Association National Conferences, Tennessee American String Teachers Association and the Tennessee Music Education Association have focused on developing methodology to manage musculoskeletal injury through tension-free playing. She has presented master classes at the Dresden Hochschule für Musik in Germany, and in China at the Tianjin Conservatory, the Nanjing Culture and Arts Center, and the Guangzhou Xinghai conservatory. Ms. Small continues to lead clinics and master classes for middle school and high school students as well as master classes at the college level. She has served as Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and her appearances as soloist with orchestra have included the National, Atlanta and Nashville Symphony Orchestras. As a recitalist she has performed in major cities in the United States, Canada and Germany. Most recently she and her husband, Carl Marsh, have performed a stylistically blended program, “Bach & the Blues” in London and Geneva. Founder of Belmont’s resident faculty chamber ensemble, Belmont Camerata, she served as Artistic Director for 32 years until 2020. Chamber music performances include the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Symphony Space in NYC, the Lincoln Center Institute, the Aspen, Teton, Banff festivals, and Belmont Camerata at the 2012 Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
Ms. Small’s recording of duo works by Loewe and Röntgen with pianist Alan Mandel can be heard on the Premiere Records label and her performances on public radio have been broadcast throughout the United States. As a professional session player in Nashville for over 35 years, she has had the opportunity to be part of recording projects for country and pop legends, jingles and soundtracks. Ms Small served as a past president of Tennessee American String Teachers Association. Her former students are members of professional orchestras and string quartets and hold teaching positions from elementary through the university level. They have achieved distinction in the commercial music industry, including Grammy and CMA Musician of the Year awards, and demonstrate stylistic versatility on stages worldwide.
Contact: email Elisabeth Small