Performer and pedagogue, Dr. Nathan Southwick has “illuminated and enlivened” audiences and students as a solo, chamber, and symphonic musician by giving engaging and distinctive concerts and classes throughout North and Central America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. Nathan prioritizes responsive and inclusive teaching, diverse programming, and is an advocate for all types of music making, from performances of early music to premieres of contemporary works from across the globe. 

An insatiable performer, Dr. Southwick has performed as a soloist with the Utah State University (USU) Symphony, New American Philharmonic, on tour with the USU Chamber Singers throughout northern Italy, as well as multiple composer “projects” including the Mozart Project in Boulder, Colorado and the Vivaldi Project in Lubbock, Texas. As a chamber musician, Dr. Southwick performed with the Elysian Quartet (the Graduate Student String Quartet at Texas Tech University) totaling over 70 outreach concerts during his tenure with the ensemble. He was also the first violinist of the Permian Basin String Quartet’s 2018-2019 season, served as first violin of the University of North Carolina - Greensboro Graduate Student Quartet, and currently performs with the Elon Contemporary Chamber Music Ensemble. In addition to contemporary performances and premiering new works, Dr. Southwick prioritizes the other side of the classical music fringe as a performer of early music, founding the USU-based “Collegium Musicum”, now a bona fide performance practice institute. 

As a symphonic violinist, Dr. Southwick holds leadership roles in the Utah Festival Opera Orchestra (Concertmaster/Principal Second) and Western Piedmont Symphony (Principal Second). Previously, he has held leadership positions with the Lubbock Symphony (Associate Concertmaster/Principal Second), West Texas Symphony (Acting Principal Second), as well as Concertmaster with the USU Symphony, the University of Colorado-Boulder Symphony/Opera Orchestra, the Texas Tech Orchestra, and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Symphony. Additionally, he performed with the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Fayetteville Symphonies as a section player. Dr. Southwick spends his summers performing with the Utah Festival Opera, the Seven Hills Chamber Music Festival, and teaching at the Chapel Hill Chamber Music Workshop. 

In addition to performing, Dr. Southwick is an active and committed educator currently on the faculty of Ohio University where he teaches violin, string methods, as well as coaches chamber music. He has served previously on the faculties of Campbell University (teaching violin, viola, and leading the University String Ensemble), Gardner-Webb University, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Texas Tech University, and he has been a teaching assistant to three established pedagogues Annie Chalex Boyle, Marjorie Bagley, and Charles Wetherbee. Nathan’s commitment to inclusive excellence in teaching manifested in his dissertation, “An Exploration of Studio Cultures: Perspectives from Established Teachers of the Violin”, which investigated commonalities in how respected teachers cultivate a positive learning experience for members of their studios. Dr. Southwick takes pride in the communities he leads as a teacher. 

Nathan received his DMA in Violin Performance and Pedagogy from the University of North Carolina- Greensboro where he was named a Minerva Scholar, Hayes Fellow, and Moore Fellow. He earned MM degrees in Violin Pedagogy and Violin Performance, respectively, from the University of Colorado- Boulder and Texas Tech University. Nathan completed his BM 

degree in Violin Performance at Utah State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. His primary teachers have included Rebecca McFaul and the Fry Street Quartet, Charles Wetherbee and the Takacs Quartet, Annie Chalex Boyle, and Marjorie Bagley.