Matthew Owens is a Rochester native who has played the violin since the third grade. He has had a deep appreciation especially for stringed instruments since childhood, and passionately studied the violin both in school and with private teachers all throughout his youth. He was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Eastman String Fellowship Orchestra and the Eastman Youth Chamber Soloists in high school, serving as concertmaster for the Eastman groups. He has played with several professional groups as an adult including the Hastings Chamber Players and Gibbs & Main, along with being an active community musician playing for various local events and providing the string parts for some local singer-songwriters as they record their debut albums. He spent some time in Arizona for his first round of college initially pursuing a degree in Kinesiology, while still keeping the violin close and playing in a school quartet as a music minor. After returning home and teaching some students privately for some time, he decided to return to college again at the local Roberts Wesleyan University for his degree in Violin Performance, where he currently serves as the Principal Second Violin in the Roberts Symphony Orchestra. As a teacher, his most important goal is to show students how to find their most authentic voice and the most natural and efficient technique in their playing, incorporating principles of personal psychology with deep-rooted body awareness and unstrained biomechanics. He is intensely committed to discovering the unique learning style of every individual student and providing a personalized teaching method for each one, carefully tailored to their personality and how they process information. He believes learning to play music is an essential activity for inner harmony that profoundly nourishes anyone’s path in life, providing the opportunity to combine the skill of mental precision with heartfelt expression and self-discovery.