Violin & Viola Lessons with Mari De Napoli

Los Angeles native Mari De Napoli is a multi-faceted violinist, violin and viola teacher, and entrepreneur. When she was four, she begged her parents to start violin lessons and it was history from there! She completed her pre-college studies as a merit scholarship student at The Colburn School and at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. She went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from UCLA, earning a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance with minors in Music Industry and Entrepreneurship. In June of 2023, she completed her Master’s degree at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music. She has studied under renowned teachers, such as Blair Milton, Guillaume Sutre, Varty Manouelian, and Anne Montzka-Smelser.

Presently, Mari is maintaining an active concert schedule and building her teaching studio throughout the Chicagoland area. Building relationships with students, families, and clients is the best part of her jobs! She can be found regularly performing with Northwestern’s Symphony Orchestra, North Shore Chamber Orchestra, Midtown Strings, in solo recitals, and in chamber groups around the city. She also teaches both privately and on faculty at the Oak Park School of Music. As a Suzuki-trained teacher who loves teaching students of all ages and abilities, she aims to highlight the joy that learning music brings. She believes in building a strong foundation that leads to beautiful tone, minimal pain, and long-term enjoyment.

Music has been a foundation in all facets of her life, teaching her lifelong skills such as tenacity, patience, and a love for collaboration. In her spare time, Mari is a voracious reader of fiction, an avid hiker, and a passionate houseplant mom. Mari performs on a gorgeous 1947 Giuseppe Pedrazzini violin and a 1965 Roger François Lotte bow.