PRIVATE VIOLIN & VIOLA LESSONS, MASTERCLASSES & AUDITION COACHING

Central Florida | Online & In-Person LESSON FORMAT

Virtual lessons available worldwide.

I work with committed violinists and violists who are pursuing serious artistic development—whether that means conservatory preparation, competition repertoire, festival auditions, or advanced school orchestras. STUDENTS I WORK WITH: - Pre-college and conservatory-bound musicians -Advanced school-age students (All-State, youth orchestra leadership) -Young artists preparing for summer festivals and auditions -Dedicated adult students

my philosophy

Teaching to me means giving my students the knowledge and skills to help themselves get better each day. My end goal is for my students to become well rounded musicians and to take their knowledge from lessons and performance experiences through life.

Violinist Ilana Zaks holding a violin, standing next to a yellow and blue background.

Study with Ilana

Ilana serves on the faculty of the prestigious Boston University Tanglewood Institute and maintains an exclusive private studio in Central Florida.

Looking to take your playing to the next level? Ilana has extensive experience helping students.

Currently offering online lessons and in-person lessons for violin and viola in Central Florida

Areas of focus include:

  • Audition and competition preparation

  • Pre-college and conservatory training

  • Solo and concerto repertoire development

  • Orchestra leadership and preparation

  • Chamber music and musical communication

Improvement is built through structured guidance and consistent, focused practice.

Virtual lessons available!

BOOK A TRIAL LESSON

What people are saying

  • “[He] has made a huge amount of progress under your tutelage (just recently he was assigned the first chair of the second violins in his orchestra), and as importantly, has developed enough self-motivation that I no longer need to monitor his practicing.  Now, if only he put in the same energy at school - he's doing well but doesn't have the same passion!”

    — Parent of a private violin student

  • "Ilana gave a private lesson to one of my students on the Beethoven Romance and Mozart D Major Concerto. I watched videos from this lesson and once again, Ilana was wonderfully sensitive to the student and gave really helpful technical advice on scales, shifting tone production, and vibrato."

    — Tracy Helming, Momentum Music School

I have studied with some of the best teachers in the world and am eager to pass this knowledge and love of music to my students!

Past teachers

  • Donald Weilerstein

  • Itzhak Perlman

  • Li Lin

  • David Kim

  • Merry Peckham

  • Ian Swensen

  • Frank Huang

  • Alexander Velinzon

  • Ani Kavafian

  • Jorga Fleezanis

  • Hankus Netsky

  • Erin Keefe

  • Kim Kashkashian

Past chamber music coaches

  • Merry Peckham

  • Astrid Shween

  • Boris Berman

  • The (original) Cleveland Quartet and Borromeo Quartet

  • Raphael Merlin- Quattro Ebene

  • The Juilliard String Quartet

  • The Emerson Quartet

Inquire about private lessons

Violinist Ilana Zaks wearing a colorful, patterned sleeveless dress, smiling, and holding a violin extended toward the camera in an outdoor setting.