Lizzie Burns
Lizzie Burns is a bassist and educator with a passion for discovery and sharing the love of music. As a specialist in small ensemble playing, she enjoys performing in settings from chamber orchestras and continuo sections, to rhythm sections and new music ensembles. She loves working with composers to bring new works to life, as well as championing the modern solo repertoire that shines a spotlight on the unique qualities the bass encompasses as a solo instrument.
One of Lizzie’s favorite parts of a life in music is drawing abundant inspiration from the amazing colleagues and ensembles she works with. She feels fortunate to frequently perform with the International Contemporary Ensemble, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, The Knights, New Orchestra of Washington, New York City Ballet Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, and Decoda. Burns plays with Jon Batise of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” with whom she has also recorded. She is grateful to have spent 5 years at the Yellow Barn festival in Vermont, which played an instrumental role developing her understanding of chamber music and finding her voice in contemporary repertoire.
Though she always loved music as a child, it took Lizzie many tries to find the right instrument. It was the guitar that her got passionate about pursuing music, which led her to the electric bass as she played in bands throughout her youth. The bass is the connective tissue in an ensemble and the role that made her fall in love with the instrument. In high school, playing in the rhythm section for musicals was extremely formative in teaching her that role and responsibility. She continues to work in theater today and has played on Broadway and the American Repertory Theater in productions such as “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812” and “Moby Dick”.
Lizzie is an alum of Ensemble Connect: A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and The Weill Music Institute in Partnership with The New York City Department of Education. Along with the performance opportunities and professional development afforded in the fellowship, she was given formative Teaching Artist training while partnered with the Celia Cruz Bronx High School for Music. In her weekly school visits the students taught her how critical music is for young people, and she took great joy in developing creative and engaging ways for them to express themselves and cultivate musical skills. She has taught masterclasses, coachings, group lessons, and individual instruction for the Bronx Arts Ensemble and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, as well as community music schools in Brooklyn. She has worked with students one on one since college when her teacher entrusted her to tutor the younger students in the studio. She loves teaching private lessons and gives each lesson all the attention and energy she has, just as her teachers did for her.
Lizzie holds Bachelor’s degrees in both and Performance and Music Theory from the New England Conservatory of Music, and pursed graduate studies at Boston University. Her primary teachers include Don Palma and Ed Barker, to whom she is eternally grateful.