Music has been a part of Jacob’s life since the start. Though it was not until age 5 that he began his studies on viola. He is from Hurst, Texas where he began studying viola through the Suzuki program. Jacob took part in youth orchestras, viola ensembles, and performed at events such as the American Viola Society Festival at Oberlin and Suzuki Association of the Americas in Minneapolis through the HEB ISD Suzuki program. In his youth, he studied with Susan Pugh, Catherine Forbes, and Amy Tomlinson. Jacob was also a part of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra for multiple years and attended TMEA All-State. In 2022, Jacob completed his undergraduate degree in viola performance under full scholarship at Texas Christian University studying under the direction of Dr. Misha Galaganov. Currently, Jacob is pursuing a graduate degree in viola performance at Texas Christian University with an assistantship under the direction of Dr. Misha Galaganov. Jacob maintains a studio of violinists and violists, frequently performs with various quartets, and is a part of local symphonies. He has also had the opportunity to perform concerts with the Music for Food initiative as well as work with and learn from renowned artists such as Matthew Lipman, The Rolston Quartet, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Paul Silverthorne, and Rumen Cvetkov. Jacob also volunteers for the Through the Staff organization and teaches lessons to students who otherwise could not afford lessons. This organization is very meaningful to me, and it is a privilege to take part in their mission. Recently, Jacob has been hired as faculty for chamber music festivals and has taught masterclasses over orchestral repertoire and solo repertoire. Jacob is also a recent Virtu Foundation scholar, performing on a viola on loan from the organization. The viola is of late 19th or early 20th century French origin bearing a facsimile label of Nestor Audinot dated 1890. Jacob has recently organized fundraising concerts, enjoys discovering new music for the viola and has arranged/transposed music for viola. He recently began exploring different areas of music: different instruments, producing electronic music, exploring different styles of viola playing, like jazz, and is growing to have an even more spiritual connection with music. For more information about Jacob: https://jacobburk.squarespace.com/