Playing with "live-wire splendor" (The New York Times) violinist, Hanna Hurwitz, is a musician who equally enjoys performing classics of the repertoire as well as new music of our time. She is currently a member of two Chicago-based new music ensembles, Grossman Ensemble and Ensemble Dal Niente. She appears on numerous portrait albums of notable modern composers, an album of chamber music of the 1920-30s, and even a companion CD for a widely used music theory textbook.
Hanna also serves as co-founder and violinist of Zohn Collective, an ensemble interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and the creation of new music. The group has released studio recordings under the labels of Oberlin Music, Albany Records, and New Focus Records, and has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Ditson Fund, and New Music USA.
Hanna also enjoys an active and varied teaching career. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of String Studies at Denison University. Her recent guest teaching engagements have included residencies and workshops at Conservatorio G.B. Martini, University of Ljubljana, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Lawrence University, University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt University, among others.
Previously, Hanna held positions at Northern Kentucky University and the University at Buffalo. She served as Teaching Assistant to Charles Castleman at the Eastman School of Music, and taught for two years at Buffalo String Works, a non-profit organization that provides free lessons to children of refugee families. Hanna holds a Bachelor's Degree and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, a Master's Degree from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts with a minor in Performance Psychology from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester.
