Biography
Janna Lower is Professor of Violin and Head of the Strings Area at the University of Florida. Preceding her appointment there, she was Artist Teacher of Violin at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
Dr. Lower has received accolades on three continents for her performances, with appearances throughout Europe and North and South America. She has been featured as recitalist, chamber musician, concerto soloist, as well as concertmaster and principal 2nd of orchestras and festivals. She has enjoyed a broad and diverse performing career, including world premieres, chamber music with internationally renowned musicians, concerto appearances from the far south of Chile to the far north of Canada, and tours with Andrea Bocelli in stadiums filled with 25,000 fans.
In a continuing effort to broaden her musical experience, Dr. Lower auditioned for and won a one-year appointment as concertmaster of the Charlotte (NC) Symphony Orchestra for the 2002-03 season. She led the orchestra in 68 performances as well as appeared as concerto soloist four times in their Mostly Mozart Series.
She has participated in many national and international festivals, including festivals in Brazil, Chile, St. Barthelemy, Grand Bahama, Ontario, Crested Butte and Telluride (CO), Boone (NC), Santa Fe (NM), Ventura (CA), Kansas City (MO), and Bedford Springs (PA). As a founder of the prestigious Sunflower Music Festival, she was a frequent concerto soloist and featured musician, performing with musicians from top orchestras and universities around the country during her 23-year affiliation with the festival. She also served as Assistant Artistic Director of the Buzzard's Bay Festival for 16 years, organizing the chamber music concerts as well as appearing as soloist of this highly regarded festival in Marion, MA.
During 30 years of teaching, she has influenced and inspired hundreds of students of all ages, often in masterclasses, including at such institutions as the University of Southern California, Penn State University, University of Arizona, New World School of the Arts, Duquesne University, University of South Florida, Louisiana State University, to mention just a few, as well as in Austria, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Canada.
Along with her late husband, cellist Mark Tanner, she founded the Tropikordia Foundation, dedicated to promoting string playing. The Foundation supports teaching fellowships and provides string instruments and supplies to children around the world, and in particular has collaborated with many El Sistema programs in South America, donating strings, violins and bows to needy young students in Chile, Argentina and Peru.
When she was fifteen she was accepted to the Juilliard Pre-College Division, and went on to receive both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from the Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Joseph Fuchs. For four consecutive summers she was a performer for the International Masterclasses of Nathan Milstein in Zurich. After a 2-year residency at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, touring across the country, she completed her education at the University of Michigan, where she received the Doctorate of Musical Arts, studying with Camilla Wicks.
Her recorded works include the Lou Harrison Violin Concerto on New World Records, as well as chamber works on Opus One and Capstone Records.