Currently the Suzuki Program Director, Nora Friedman has been part of the Suzuki violin faculty at BKCM since 2011. She served as Violin Department Head from 2015-2023.
She attended Wesleyan University, where she received her B.A. in Latin American Studies, and holds a Masters in Violin Performance from Montclair State University and Brooklyn College, jointly. She has studied violin with Roberta Guaspari, Anna Pelekh, Perry Elliot, Masao Kawasaki and Weigang Li.
A violin teacher since 2002, Nora founded Suzuki-based in-school violin programs in the South Bronx and Bed Stuy and has served on the violin faculties at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, the Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College, and Opus 118 Harlem School of Music.
In addition to completing training in Suzuki Violin Core Units 1-7 & 9-10, Nora has taken numerous supplementary and enrichment courses, including Suzuki Principles in Action (SPA), Practicum, Supplemental Repertoire: Violin Books 6 – 8, Developing the Bow Arm from Pre-Twinkle through Book 10, Teaching with an Open Heart, Left Hand Pitfalls, and Establishing the Bow Arm. Her mentors include Edward Kreitman, Edmund Sprunger, Allen Lieb, Linda Fiore, Nancy Jackson, Catheryn Lee, Charles Krigbaum, Teri Einfeldt, Danny Gee Cordova, Julie Lyons-Lieberman, Amelia Gold, and Dorothy Roffman, to name a few.
Nora loves Old-Time, improvisation, and keeping the musician’s body and mind healthy. At BKCM, Nora is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees, most recently working on creating more equitable hiring practices at BKCM, and diversifying student repertoire.
Education: M.Mus. in Violin Performance, Montclair State University and Brooklyn College; B.A. in Latin American Studies, Wesleyan University
