My Musical Journey with a Special Bonus Performance

Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Dona Noune received her early education at the Chatham School of Music in Manchester, England, where playing under the baton of John Eliot Gardner as concertmaster set her on a clear trajectory to becoming a professional musician.  Subsequently, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she got her Master of Music degree.  Earlier, she was also awarded the Associate of the Royal College of Music diploma.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Dona has performed in the United Kingdom as well as in the United States, particularly in New York and Ohio.  Prior to settling in the United States, she was a member of the Nürnberger Symphoniker in Germany for eight seasons.  She has also played in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (with conductor Claudio Abbado), the Chicago Sinfonietta and most recently, as first violin of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.  As part of the American Sinfonietta, she toured Germany and Austria, culminating in a performance at the Musikverein in Vienna.  She has also played in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and collaborated with many of its principal players in chamber concerts broadcast on WXXI radio, as well as playing in Carnegie Hall in New York City.

A serious and devoted proponent of education, Dona continues her teaching career from the United Kingdom and Germany as a private teacher as well as a violin instructor in the Dayton Philharmonic’s Q the Music education program, inspired by El Sistema in Venezuela.  Recently, she joined the faculty at Stivers School for the Arts.  Her interest in teaching extends to her work with the Berlitz School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has taught Arabic, English, German and French.