Rose Armbrust Griffin

Violist Rose Armbrust Griffin received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, Artist Diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music and Masters of Music from Indiana University.  During her time at The Curtis Institute of Music she held the James and Betty Materese Annual Fellowship. Most notably, Rose was awarded a Performers Certificate at the conclusion of her Masters for  “recognition of her outstanding musical performance”.  Her teachers include Heidi Castleman, Hsin-Yung Huang, Roberto Diaz, Michael Tree and Atar Arad.

Rose has performed as soloist with the Bogota Symphony Orchestra, Woodstock’s Mozart Festival Orchestra, The Curtis Chamber Orchestra and the Indiana University’s Chamber Orchestra.  Composer Johnathan Graybill’s  “Viola Concerto”, was written for and premiered by Rose along side the Ball State University Orchestra.   Rose was awarded first prize in the Chicago Viola Society and Rembrandt Chamber Players Competitions and was a prizewinner at The Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

As an active chamber musician, Rose has collaborated with renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank, Vadim Gluzman and Peter Wiley.  Her chamber music performances include concerts at The Kennedy Center, Avery Fischer Hall, Music from Angelfire, Zankel Hall, Ravinia’s Steans Institute and The Musica Bella Concert Series.  Rose also served as the violist of The Kuttner Quartet, the quartet in residence at Indiana University. She has been a guest artist at The North Shore Music and the Kingston Chamber Music Festivals.  Currently, she is an active member of the International Chamber Artists and The Jupiter Chamber Players.

Rose has served as principal violist of The Haddonfield Symphony and as guest principal/assistant principal of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.  Other orchestral performances include Firebird Chamber Orchestra and Woodstock Mozart Festival.  Rose is currently a member of The Ars Viva Orchestra and The Lake Forest Symphony.

Rose’s passion is music education.  During her time at Indiana University, she was awarded the merit-based Viola Associate Instructorship.  She has been a guest lecturer at Fort Hays University (KS) and Northern Illinois University.  She is currently the viola instructor at Wheaton College and serves as the Chamber Music Coordinator. Because of her love of teaching and chamber music, Rose fills her weekends with coaching chamber music at Midwest Young Artists.

Rose has recorded for Albany Records.  She plays on a 1989 Marten Cornelissen that was borrowed during her time at Curtis and subsequently purchased after she realized she couldn’t live without it.