Naomi Southard began her violin studies at age five. She is pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music in Violin Performance at Pacific Lutheran University and studies under Dr. Svend Ronning. Naomi is currently concertmaster of the PLU Symphony Orchestra and teaches private violin lessons at Tacoma Christian Music Academy and Capella Music Academy. She has also served as concertmaster in the PLU opera pit. Naomi has attended the Tateuchi Institute of Music where she studied under members of the San Francisco Symphony (2019). This past summer, she attended Meadowmount School of Music in Upstate New York where she studied with Dr. I-Hao Lee, professor at Juilliard and DePaul (2022). Last year, Naomi was voted by the PLU faculty and awarded the Mu Phi Epsilon scholarship. She was also named the 2022-2023 Music Department Presser Scholar based on a nomination and vote of the Music Faculty. This award entails that the recipient shows a high level of academic and musical accomplishment and embodies the qualities of leadership and citizenship. 

Naomi is currently auditioning for graduate schools, as she plans to obtain her Masters in Music Performance. Her professional goals are to maintain a private violin studio and perform in an orchestra, ballet pit, and opera pit.