ABOUT

Annie Donato is a passionate and versatile violinist who places an importance on relationship-building through music. She began her professional musical career at the Jordan College of the Arts at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, where she studied privately with Laurence Shapiro and served as concertmaster of the symphony orchestra for two years.  

 

Since receiving a double Bachelor’s degree in violin performance and English literary theory, Annie has been an active substitute musician for several orchestras in Indiana. This includes Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, and others.  Annie also has a one-year contract with the Danville Symphony Orchestra in Illinois for the 2025-2026 season. In addition to performing, Annie is an educator and has joined the teaching faculty of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, a program of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, where she maintains a private teaching studio and leads sectionals. She is also a teaching artist with the Butler Community Arts School.

 

Annie has received additional artistic training and performance opportunities at Bear Valley Music Festival in northern California, where she served as a member of the second violin section, and Brevard Music Center, where she studied privately with Timothy Lees.  She has participated in masterclasses with Julian Rhee, the Pacifica Quartet, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, among others. Annie has also worked under the baton of esteemed conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Teddy Abrams, and Mei-Ann Chen.

 

Annie had her orchestral solo debut in 2019 after receiving the second place Conductor’s Award in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition. She was also a finalist in the 2023 Butler University Concerto Competition. In addition to solo-playing, Annie is experienced in orchestral playing as well as pit work.  While she served as the Butler Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster from 2022-2024, she was also hired in the same leadership role for the Butler Ballet Orchestra, playing major works including Swan Lake, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, among others. An advocate for embracing new music, she has premiered and recorded several contemporary works including pieces for solo violin, string quartet, and works for dance collaborations. 

 

While completing her undergraduate studies, Annie received numerous scholarships and awards, including the Jackson Wiley Scholarship, Paul Duckwall Memorial Scholarship, Mary Frances Newhouse Roush Award, among others. She is also a member of several academic and music honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Kappa Lambda.

 

While not playing the violin, Annie enjoys cooking for friends and family, hiking, and reading works about music, psychology, and 20th-century fiction.