Violinist Ronald Mutchnik graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County summa cum laude, where he studied with Robert Gerle. While there, he won the Baltimore Music Club and Baltimore Musicians’ competitions. He earned his Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, studying with Joseph Gingold and continued post-graduate studies at Tel Aviv University in Israel. with Yair Kless.
He is active as an orchestral violinist, chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist and has served as Concertmaster of the Columbia Pro Cantare for over 30 years and with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra for 36 years. He has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras in Maryland, including the Columbia Orchestra and the Frederick Symphony and appeared in the film Washington Square, performing his own composition, and in concerts with Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, and was the concertmaster at Pat Sajack’s wedding in Annapolis. As a chamber musician he has appeared on many local series including Music in the Great Hall and An Die Musik.
As a teacher he has taught privately in Howard County for 40 years and taught at Towson University. He was a past president of the American String Teachers associations MD/DC Chapter, produced a music education video, “Posture and Balance: The Dynamic Duo” toured Korea coaching and performing chamber music, and is a founder of and performer with the Sundays At Three” Chamber Music Series and the founder and music director of the HCCO, the professional chamber orchestra of Howard County, Maryland. He is the 2009 winner of the MD/DC Chapter of ASTA’s String Teacher of the Year award and the Outstanding Artist Award, the “Howie” for Howard County, Maryland. Recent performances with the Bach In Baltimore Orchestra have included the Bach Double Violin Concerto with Tamara Seymour and the Violin & Oboe Concerto with Sandra Lisicky.
“Bach in Baltimore is a perfect organization to feature the music of what is arguably history’s most important composer. Without Bach, there is no Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms or so many other wonderful composers who studied and played his music and benefited immeasurably from this great master’s unique ability to communicate humanity’s deepest and most personal thoughts into sound. Bach was able to create music that unfolds logically and that creates interest in every voice in the musical texture, but at the same time, is suffused with emotion and humility in his honest and sincere search to express the perfection of the Divine. Few can equal this level of inspiration, and none have surpassed it.”
Ronald Mutchnik, Violin