Nana Vaughn (R) with daughter and teaching assistant Mira (L).
ABOUT
Nana 那奈 Gaskins Vaughn is a violist and violinist. A frequent substitute musician with the Baltimore Symphony, Washington National Opera, and National Symphony, she is a violist in the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra as well as assistant principal viola in the Reading Symphony. She has performed as principal viola for Opera Italiana at the Lincoln Memorial, Baltimore Choral Arts, Postclassical Ensemble, Alexandria Symphony, and was principal viola for the Richmond (IN) Symphony for fourteen seasons. In 2022, Ms. Vaughn performed in the orchestra for the Kennedy Center Honors attended by President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and other dignitaries. Among the musicians she accompanied were Stevie Wonder, Yo-Yo Ma, Billy Porter, Paul Simon, and Denyce Graves.
Currently Adjunct Applied Faculty in Viola at Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Viola at Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, Nana also has an active private home studio in Ellicott City, Maryland. Her pre-college private violin and viola students have achieved great success, having been accepted into nationally prestigious programs such as the National Youth Orchestra 2, Interlochen Viola Institute, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Junior Strings Intensive, All Eastern Orchestra, and Luzerne Music Center, as well as local groups such as Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and Howard County GT Orchestras. Students have been accepted into college music programs including Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and University of Maryland with full scholarships.
Nana is the founder of Violin2Viola, a workshop series sponsored by Shar Music, for violin players who have transitioned or would like to transition to viola. In her role, she has presented online workshops with colleagues Karin Brown and Renate Falkner, and in-person for the Baltimore Symphony Academy. Additionally, she has taught workshops at Luzerne Music Center and Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) and in 2024, she has been invited to serve on the viola faculty at the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany. Ms. Vaughn has served on several boards and committees, currently serving on the BSYO Advisory Council and the BSO Musicians Foundation Board.
Nana is currently writing a book with contributions from her fellow V2V faculty. It is tentatively titled, "Violin2Viola: A Resource Guide and Method Book." She performs on a beautiful d'amore style viola made in 1980 by Hiroshi Iizuka.
NEWS
Summer '24: Nana has been invited to serve on the viola faculty at the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany in July 2024.
OCT '23: Nana and violinist June Huang will be featured soloists with the George Mason Symphony Orchestra, performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante.
AUG '23: Nana and pianist Hui-Chuan Chen will perform a solo recital at Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant.
JUL '23: Nana will teach workshops at Tanglewood Institute and Luzerne Music Academy as part of Violin2Viola's residencies.
APR '23: Nana will teach workshop for the BSO Academy alongside colleagues Karin Brown and Renate Falkner as part of Violin2Viola's residency.
JAN '23: Nana has accepted a position as Adjunct Applied Faculty in Viola at Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University
AUG '22: Nana has accepted a position as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Viola at Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College.
Nana 那奈 Gaskins Vaughn is a violist and violinist. A frequent substitute musician with the Baltimore Symphony, Washington National Opera, and National Symphony, she is a violist in the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra as well as assistant principal viola in the Reading Symphony. She has performed as principal viola for Opera Italiana at the Lincoln Memorial, Baltimore Choral Arts, Postclassical Ensemble, Alexandria Symphony, and was principal viola for the Richmond (IN) Symphony for fourteen seasons. In 2022, Ms. Vaughn performed in the orchestra for the Kennedy Center Honors attended by President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and other dignitaries. Among the musicians she accompanied were Stevie Wonder, Yo-Yo Ma, Billy Porter, Paul Simon, and Denyce Graves.
Currently Adjunct Applied Faculty in Viola at Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Viola at Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, Nana also has an active private home studio in Ellicott City, Maryland. Her pre-college private violin and viola students have achieved great success, having been accepted into nationally prestigious programs such as the National Youth Orchestra 2, Interlochen Viola Institute, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Junior Strings Intensive, All Eastern Orchestra, and Luzerne Music Center, as well as local groups such as Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and Howard County GT Orchestras. Students have been accepted into college music programs including Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and University of Maryland with full scholarships.
Nana is the founder of Violin2Viola, a workshop series sponsored by Shar Music, for violin players who have transitioned or would like to transition to viola. In her role, she has presented online workshops with colleagues Karin Brown and Renate Falkner, and in-person for the Baltimore Symphony Academy. Additionally, she has taught workshops at Luzerne Music Center and Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) and in 2024, she has been invited to serve on the viola faculty at the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany. Ms. Vaughn has served on several boards and committees, currently serving on the BSYO Advisory Council and the BSO Musicians Foundation Board.
Nana is currently writing a book with contributions from her fellow V2V faculty. It is tentatively titled, "Violin2Viola: A Resource Guide and Method Book." She performs on a beautiful d'amore style viola made in 1980 by Hiroshi Iizuka.
NEWS
Summer '24: Nana has been invited to serve on the viola faculty at the Saarburg Music Festival in Saarburg, Germany in July 2024.
OCT '23: Nana and violinist June Huang will be featured soloists with the George Mason Symphony Orchestra, performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante.
AUG '23: Nana and pianist Hui-Chuan Chen will perform a solo recital at Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant.
JUL '23: Nana will teach workshops at Tanglewood Institute and Luzerne Music Academy as part of Violin2Viola's residencies.
APR '23: Nana will teach workshop for the BSO Academy alongside colleagues Karin Brown and Renate Falkner as part of Violin2Viola's residency.
JAN '23: Nana has accepted a position as Adjunct Applied Faculty in Viola at Dewberry Family School of Music at George Mason University
AUG '22: Nana has accepted a position as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Viola at Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College.
