Mara Gallagher – Violin

Mara Gallagher started her violin studies at age five as a Suzuki student. As a teenager, she was a three-time winner of the La Crosse Youth Symphony Concerto Competition and a finalist in the Minnesota Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. While there, Mara played with the Notre Dame Chamber Orchestra, the Undergraduate String Quartet, and the South Bend Symphony. Her teachers have included Mark Bjork and Laura Klugherz. She has played chamber music at the Blossom Music Festival and has participated in summer seminars at the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, and the Eastman School of Music. Mara freelances in the Chicago area. Currently, she performs with the New Philharmonic and the DuPage Opera Theatre while maintaining a private violin studio at her home in Naperville.