Colin Wheatley

Viola

Colin has been teaching violin and viola to students of all ages for 15 years and is thrilled to be teaching in Maine. He is currently the Orchestra Director for the Waterville Public Schools. Colin previously taught at East Lyme Middle School in Connecticut and the Rhode Island Philharmonic School. A native of Bellingham Washington, Colin earned his BM in Viola Performance at Oberlin Conservatory studying with Peter Slowik, his MM in Viola Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he was a student of Atar Arad, and his graduate degree in teaching from Oberlin Conservatory. An avid chamber musician, Colin plays with Halcyon String Quartet and has performed for members of the Emerson, Pacifica, Cleveland, Concord, and Takas quartets and for Yo Yo Ma. He has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Robert Spano, Menahem Pressler, and Jeremy Denk. Colin’s teaching is influenced by his work with Mimi Zweig at the Indiana University String Academy, Suzuki Teacher training, and the many musical and pedagogical mentors that have shaped his approach to sharing music with young people. When not performing and teaching, Colin enjoys spending time outdoors, running marathons, beekeeping, cooking, and traveling.