ABOUT 

Freya Downey, violist, advocates for mindfulness, accessibility, and creativity in classical music through classical performance, improvisation, and composition. As a soloist, her most recent performances include a solo debut at Carnegie Hall, a solo recital entitled “All is Well,” the premiere of her improvisation-based viola concerto, a faculty recital at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and solo improvisations at the Transporter Series in Boston, MA. She began her recent project, “Project Pause” to explore meditative and connective performances which expand awareness of art music and her instrument in a format that is welcoming and accessible for all. As a chamber musician, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall alongside the Fest Quartet as the winner of Baylor University’s Semper Pro Musica Chamber Music Competition. She was also the founding violist of the Claeys Undergraduate String Quartet at the University of Oklahoma. She has held principal positions in the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, Boston University Chamber Orchestra, and Baylor University Symphony Orchestra. She has held other orchestral positions with the Boston Philharmonic, Waco Symphony Orchestra, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra. She maintains an active collaborative life, and performs solo, chamber music and with large ensembles in the Boston, MA area regularly.

As a composer, Freya’s goal is to write music for the viola that feels authentic and genuine. Her pieces combine viola and voice and solo viola and poetry – inspired by Deep Listening. Her most recent premieres and collaborations as a composer were the premiere of her Deep Listening and Improvisation inspired Viola Concerto, as well as her work with Laura Avila in the “Untie My Tongue” project where she wrote a piece inspired by poetry for viola, singer, and marimba. She incorporates graphic notation, text notation, and traditional notation to inspire creativity and flexibility in her performances. For her, a flexible musical diet and technical ability is crucial to be a musician in the modern era. Her goal is to connect people, create community, create opportunity, make art music more accessible, and provide concert experiences that inspire deep listening.

As an educator, Freya is an experienced viola, violin, composition, music theory, and Deep Listening instructor. She has maintained a robust private lesson teaching and tutoring studio for 10 years. Her priority is teaching her students the tools they need to teach themselves, she believes that we are all lifelong learners and that practice and music techniques are applicable to many different aspects of life. She approaches teaching with a student-led philosophy by adapting each lesson plan to individual students to fit their unique needs and goals. She has taught viola at the collegiate level as a teaching assistant at both Boston University in Boston, MA, and Baylor University in Waco, TX. Additionally, she has experience teaching middle school to high school age ranges in her private studio and at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, MA as the viola teaching assistant.

Freya is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Viola Performance at Boston University and holds degrees from Baylor University and the University of Oklahoma. Her primary instructors include Michelle LaCourse, Kathryn Steely, and Mark Neumann. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, fiber arts, and spending time with her dog.