Cornelia L. Heard

Cornelia L. Heard is Professor of Violin and Area Chair of Strings and Harp at the Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, where she holds the Valere Blair Potter Chair. She is an active performer, educator, and artistic leader with national and international recognition in violin and chamber music.

Educational Background:

• B.A., Sarah Lawrence College
• B.M., Juilliard School
• M.M., Juilliard School

Her performance career is distinguished by extensive touring with the Blair String Quartet, appearances at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Library of Congress, and participation in prestigious festivals such as Aspen Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and international engagements in Chile, China, Ecuador, and Iceland. She has served as co-director of the chamber music program at Aspen since 2005 and has been artist-in-residence at multiple festivals.

Her research and artistic interests center on violin performance, chamber music interpretation (especially Beethoven and Bartók), and string pedagogy. She has trained numerous students who have gone on to win prizes in national and international competitions.

She has contributed to the field through service as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts' Creation and Presentation Grant Programs and as an adjudicator for major music competitions.

• Valere Blair Potter Chair

She has advised and mentored many students through masterclasses and private instruction, and while specific grant names are not listed, her NEA panel role indicates deep engagement with funding and support for artistic projects. Her leadership extends to directing the strings area at Blair and shaping curriculum and performance standards.

She performs as a core member of the Blair String Quartet and collaborates regularly in chamber music settings at festivals and concert series worldwide.