A Pacific Northwest native, Lindsey Strand-Polyak lives a hyphenated life to go along with her hyphenated name: divided between viola and violin; living in Whidbey Island, WA and Santa Monica, CA. In California, she serves as Artistic Director of Los Angeles Baroque, Adjunct Professor of Baroque Violin at Claremont Graduate University, and Director of the San Francisco Early Music Society’s Baroque Workshop. In Washington, she performs as Principal Violist for Seattle Baroque Orchestra and tours regionally with the Salish Sea Early Music Festival. She has performed across the West in concert and festival appearances, including Musica Angelica, Baroque Music Montana, Bach Collegium San Diego, American Bach Soloists, Pacific MusicWorks, Baroque Festival Corona del Mar, Oregon Bach Festival, and fringe concerts of Boston and Berkeley Early Music Festivals. In the non-baroque world, she has recorded for numerous film and TV scores, and performed with artists across the musical spectrum from Anne Akiko Meyers to Stevie Wonder. She holds a PhD/MM in Musicology and Violin performance from UCLA. 

 

In addition to her concert career, Dr. Strand-Polyak is a passionate educator and arts advocate, having worked with organizations including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Young Musicians Foundation, Education through Music-Los Angeles, Elemental Music, and the UCLA Mentor Outreach Program. In two decades in education and outreach, she has taught in nearly every corner of Southern California, witnessing the immense impact that arts education makes across the economic spectrum.

 

Dr. Strand-Polyak believes that historical performance and early music should be accessible to everyone, which has led to her directing community ensembles, advising organizations and undertaking artist residencies throughout the country. Guest talks and residencies have included Michigan State University, University of Southern California, University of Oregon, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, University of Richmond, Sacramento State University, Montana State University, University of Northern Colorado, and California State University-San Bernardino. In 2021-22, Dr. Strand-Polyak consulted with and designed workshops for Bitterroot Baroque in Hamilton, MT, and served as Artistic Advisor to Kensington Baroque Orchestra in San Diego. With Elisabeth LeGuin, she restarted the UCLA Early Music Ensemble in 2010, which had lain dormant for more than 20 years, and then served as its Associate Director. In 2016, she co-founded the community baroque orchestra Los Angeles Baroque (LAB). Under her Artistic Direction, LAB now offers chamber music concerts through the Los Angeles Public Library’s “LA Live” programming, two Consort Clubs serving viol players of different abilities and geographic areas, and the flagship “Big Band” Baroque Orchestra, which is back to presenting three concerts a year.

 

When not musicking, she can still be found practicing, but this time at the potter’s wheel, where she makes functional artworks. Follow her latest creations on Instagram @baroquenpottery and baroquenpottery.com.