Violinist Madison Ryan recently graduated from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music as a Fellow of the Henry Mancini Institute, where she studied with Charles Castleman. During her time at Frost, she was mentored by a number of other major musical figures, including Gerard Schwarz, Jodi Levitz, and Karen Lord-Powell. She has previously studied at the University of Wyoming with John Fadial and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with David Neely.
Ryan is best known for her work in forwarding the accessibility and diversity of classical music, as exemplified by her recently-published dissertation, “Expanding the Repertoire: A Presentation of Violin Concertos Composed by Women.” This spearheaded her Expanding the Repertoire Initiative, which strives to catalog, promote, and perform works by historically marginalized groups. Through this initiative, Ryan has regionally premiered several works by women composers and developed a series of community recitals intended to showcase composers and musicians local to the Miami area.
Ryan’s solo commitments have led her to be named the 2023-2024 Alba Rosa Viëtor Fellow at the Frost School of Music. In this role, she had the distinction of giving the regional premiere of Alba Rosa Viëtor’s Sonata for Violin and Piano with the intention of recording and releasing the piece in late 2024. As a chamber musician, Ryan is a founding member of Duo Vizcaya, a violin and percussion duo based out of Miami that specializes in the performance of contemporary works. She currently teaches a studio of up-and-coming violinists through the Frost Preparatory Program.