Erin Zehngut joined the first violin section of the North Carolina Symphony in 2016. Before moving to North Carolina, she was a fellow at the New World Symphony under Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. During her fellowship, she appeared as Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin, performed in a variety of chamber music projects, and was active in the symphony’s Community Engagement programs. Highlights of her time there include coaching for the Academia Filarmónica de Medellín in Colombia and appearing as the U.S. representative for a concert commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Nuclear Research Institute CERN in Switzerland. She has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra and performed and toured internationally with the Minnesota Orchestra. During the 2020/21 season, she performed Philip Glass’ Echorus with the North Carolina Symphony.
In addition to her orchestral pursuits, Zehngut is an active chamber musician and teacher in the Triangle area. She performs as a member of the Aurora Musicalis String Quartet and maintains a small private teaching studio. She has spent several summers serving on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro. Outside of the NC area, she has spent summers performing with the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival, and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta. She has also appeared as a soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra.
Zehngut holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Aaron Berofsky, and a master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Stephen Rose.