My name is Dana Freeman, and I've been performing and teaching violin in Orange County, California since 1986.  I offer a comprehensive education in violin performance with private lessons, recitals, master classes, chamber music coaching, theory parties, recording sessions, and concert attendance.  My students are encouraged to participate in their local and school orchestras, chamber music programs, competitions, and summer festivals.

My teaching methods are grounded in the violin pedagogy of Ivan Galamian and Dorothy Delay, while incorporating musical experiences and technical training acquired from years of international travel and study.

While I was in high school, my principal teachers were Yong Ku Ahn at the Peabody Preparatory Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, and Tiberius Klausner, a Romanian protege of Galamian.  I then entered the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands where I was surrounded by students and teachers from six continents. There were more than a dozen violin instructors on staff, all with their own personal style, but the predominant violin methods were the Franco-Belgian and the Russian schools of violin technique. My teacher, Jacques Holtman, was Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and Principal Viola of the Orchestra of the 18th Century. Since graduation, my major violinistic influences are Noumi Fischer, Joyce Robbins, Andres Cardenes, Joe Ketendjian, and Elmar Oliveira.

Playing the violin is much more than entertaining a crowd or winning an audition. Students learn vital life skills, such as confidence in public speaking, perseverance in problem solving, and time management skills. Furthermore, playing in an ensemble teaches vital teamwork skills. Mastering the violin requires not only exceptional hand-eye coordination, but also the ability to decipher complex musical notation and instructions in foreign languages. The outcome is music that can touch and transform humanity in deep and powerful ways.

I love music, and the violin is my instrument. Knowing that my students are enriching their lives with music and having rewarding experiences studying and sharing their art brings me great joy.

My mission is to guide students in developing their potential as artists, and to express themselves musically through mastery of violin technique.

Congratulations to Annie Chang for winning Honorable Mention in the American International Protege Competition. Katherine Park has been invited to perform Vieuxtemps Concerto #5 at Carnegie Hall, after wining a prize in the same competition. Derek Lee performed with the Capistrano Valley School District Honors Orchestra. Congratulations to 15 of my students who participated in the Music Teacher's Association Certificate of Merit, with special mention to Claire Jager for a perfect theory score, and to Richard Lu and Annie Chang for all Excellent ratings on technique, sight-reading, and repertoire performance.

National High School Honors Orchestra.

Katherine Park's recording of Wieniawski's d minor concerto, as well as orchestral excerpts, made a winning audition for the National High School Honors Orchestra. She's headed to Louisville, Kentucky in March for rehearsals and performances. Congratulations!