Jennifer Shannon

Violinist Jennifer Stephens Shannon has been a member of the National Philharmonic Orchestra for over 29 years and maintains a teaching studio in her home in College Park, MD. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Maryland and continued her graduate studies there as a founding member of the Graduate Fellowship String Quartet Program, studying with members of the Guarneri String Quartet. Ms. Shannon has served on the faculty of the DC Youth Orchestra Program, and continues to serve on the faculty of the National Philharmonic Summer String Institutes. Ms. Shannon has freelanced extensively in the Washington Metropolitan area, and has performed throughout Europe, the Far East, and the former Soviet Union as a member of the Handel Festival Orchestra and faculty member of the DC Youth Orchestra Program. In 1995, she was awarded Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Chapter of the American String Teacher’s Association. In February of 2006, she helped found the College Park Youth Orchestra and continues to serve as a member of the board and sectional coach, helping the orchestra grow over the last decade into a program comprising three string ensembles of varying levels of advancement. Besides playing the violin, one of Ms. Shannon’s greatest joys and passions is teaching, and she aspires to inspire children to love playing music as much as she does.