Nash Ryder

Nash Ryder serves as Assistant Professor of Instruction in Violin at the University of Northern Iowa's School of Music, while concurrently holding the position of concertmaster for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. He maintains additional faculty appointments at NEMC (Snow Pond Center for the Arts) and SummerKeys in Maine.

His academic credentials include:

• Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the Eastman School of Music
• Bachelor of Music (B.M.) and Master of Music (M.M.) in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School, where he became the institution's first student to earn both undergraduate honors and an accelerated graduate degree

Dr. Ryder's artistic focus centers on advanced violin techniques across multiple performance contexts. His expertise spans solo unaccompanied works (particularly French repertoire), chamber music collaborations, and orchestral leadership. The upcoming 2024 album release of French unaccompanied violin works through Sheva Collection represents a significant contribution to violin literature.

His performance career features extensive collaborations with major artists and ensembles including Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, and conductors Michael Tilson Thomas and Alan Gilbert. International festival engagements span France's Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau, England's Lake District Music Festival, and the Sarasota Music Festival.

Dr. Ryder actively contributes to music education through his UNI violin instruction and leadership roles with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. His 2024 formation of the Mesa Duo with pianist Sean Botkin establishes a new collaborative platform for chamber music performance and recording.