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Marilyn McDonald, founding member of the Castle Trio and Smithson and Axelrod Quartets, has toured worldwide, playing repertoire that runs the gamut from Baroque to contemporary. She has appeared as soloist with the Milwaukee and Omaha Symphonies, in concert at Caramoor, Utrecht, and Mostly Mozart Festivals among many others. Her recordings are heard on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Virgin Classics, Smithsonian, and Telarc.

She is professor of violin at Oberlin Conservatory and has been artist in residence at Eastman, Indiana, and Boston Universities. Known as “MM” to her students, she is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award at Oberlin. See Marilyn talk about her philosophical take on teaching here.

Marilyn enjoys keeping in touch with her former students who can be found in orchestras and chamber music groups throughout the world. She’s dreadfully proud of having won the 2009 Oberlin Valentine short story competition and finds kayaking a lot more relaxing than playing the violin.