SHERYL STAPLES

Violinist Sheryl Staples is delighted to be joining the Center Stage Strings faculty in 2026! Ms. Staples currently teaches at The Juilliard School and Juilliard Pre-College and she is passionate about nurturing serious young violinists as well as those who are working toward beginning their professional careers.

Ms. Staples was appointed Principal Associate Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic in 1998 and subsequently made her solo debut with the orchestra in 1999 performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, led by Kurt Masur. She has since been featured in numerous concerto performances with the Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Jaap van Zweden, Alan Gilbert, Jeffrey Kahane, and Kent Nagano. In addition, she has performed nationwide as soloist with more than 45 orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and Richmond Symphony.

The New York Times wrote that “she is a perceptive musician, who plays with great rhythmic integrity and a lucid sense of phrase structure...she draws a wonderful array of vibrant and luminous colors...interpretive honesty and unmannered elegance.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer praised her “aristocratic artistry coupled with violinistic mastery...pinpoint accuracy and daring that took the breath away.”

Prior to joining the New York Philharmonic, Ms. Staples served as Associate Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1996-1998. She developed her love for ensemble work at an early age and was leading professional orchestras in Southern California before finishing studies. At the age of 24, she was appointed Concertmaster of the Pacific Symphony while balancing a varied career consisting of solo and chamber music appearances, teaching and recording work.

Ms. Staples has performed chamber music nationwide and abroad with many of the greatest artists of our time such as Yefim Bronfman and Emanuel Ax. She has been a featured artist at Strings Music Festival, La Jolla SummerFest and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival among others, and has been a teaching artist at Sarasota, Aspen, and Festival Hill at Round Top music festivals.

Pedagogy has been a consistent and important focus for Ms. Staples throughout her career. In this role, she has enjoyed long term affiliations with The Juilliard School as well as Manhattan School of Music, working with students ranging in age from 7-25.

Ms. Staples is originally from Southern California where her primary teacher was Robert Lipsett and ensemble mentor was Heiichiro Ohyama. She attended the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, the Colburn School, and the USC Thornton School of Music.