Sophie Till (Violin) and Therese Milanovic (Piano) at Opera America

Despite her world-class training, British violinist Sophie Till’s search to find musical and technical answers lead to her work with Edna Golandsky and the development of the Taubman/Golandsky Approach for Strings.

Sophie is the first violinist to be appointed Associate Faculty at the Golandsky Institute. In 2013 she gave the first European symposium on the Taubman Approach with Edna Golandsky at St John’s College, Cambridge. In 2014 she gave the first Taubman/Golandsky String Workshops in Australia and Singapore where she was also performing. In 2015 she returned to Australia as keynote speaker at the National Australia String Teachers’ Conference, also giving workshops in Sydney. She recently returned from the U.K where she was invited to teach members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. It is a testament to the quality of her work that these international invitations have been at the request of the players themselves.

Sophie frequently teaches via Skype to enable players from all over the world to access her work. Sophie is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Violin at Marywood University, PA and Director of the Marywood University String Project, a program designed to train student teachers and provide affordable string education to children ages 4-18. Marywood’s String Project won the American String Teachers’ Association National String Project of the Year Award in 2010 and was recently featured in a short documentary by WVIA TV. Sophie studied with Zakhar Bron at the Royal Academy of Music and in Luebeck Germany, with Dona Lee Croft at the Royal College of Music and with Charles Treger at Umass Amherst. She was the 2004 recipient of the F. Lammot Belin Arts Scholarship and has won several Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Awards for her performance projects. Sophie has given recitals in the U.S, U.K, India, Africa, Cyprus, Europe and South America. She has recorded the complete Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas as a radio series and been featured in television recitals. Sophie is now a dual citizen of the U.K and U.S.A and resides in Up-State New York.

Therese is a passionate performer, educator, and musicians’ health advocate. After a decade of playing-related injuries, studying the Taubman Approach (USA) enabled her to resume her chosen pathway to the fullest. Therese was the first Australian to become a Taubman Instructor (2009), the focus of her PhD, and is the most experienced Taubman teacher in Australia (Master Level and Associate Faculty with the Golandsky Institute (USA). She is an advocate for musicians’ injury prevention and rehabilitation, providing access for curious interstate and international students through Skype and Coach on Demand consultations, alongside workshops, teacher training and lectures. Therese has been a Keynote Speaker for numerous national conferences including APPCA and ANZCA. She is committed to her ongoing learning and artistic development through continued study with Edna Golandsky and John Bloomfield via Skype.

As a performer, Therese loves collaborating with like-minded musicians. She has performed with Topology since 2009, including shows in the Netherlands, NYC, Belgium, and Indonesia, national tours and festivals. Chamber music is also close to her heart, presenting events to highlight lesser-known repertoire, in particular new music and music by women (see www.musestrio.com). Otherwise, Therese plays turtles and garbage trucks with her toddler and attempts (unsuccessfully) to sneak vegetables in his meals.