Ralph Allen, violinist and violist, has had a rich and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestra player, and teacher. He studied with Syoko Aki, Donald Weilerstein and Robert Mann; he led Bach Cantatas and Passions in Holland, played contemporary music with ensembles in Amsterdam, Germany, and Portugal; performed with The Knights and Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York; and played viola in the opera in Tel Aviv for eight years. He toured with Star Wars in concert and played with Lyle Lovett and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. He has taught Arab Israeli kids at a conservatory in Nazareth, Israel, and group classes in Harlem public schools. He currently teaches group lessons in Philadelphia public schools and privately through Settlement Music School and Temple Music Prep. With his wife, Iris Jortner, he is co-founder and producer of a chamber music series on Roosevelt Island in New York, where they have put on nearly 100 concerts in 18 years.
Summer Chamber Music Workshop Participants
“I learned how to listen, how to be helpful, and how to be accepting at Apple Hill.”
“I liked the opportunity to play chamber music with talented musicians and excellent coaches in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.”
