Naomi Gjevre, D.M.

About Naomi

Naomi Gjevre has had a varied career as a performer, scholar, and pedagogue with over 20 years of experience teaching at the university level. She currently serves on the violin faculty at Sam Houston State University and is a member of the faculty ensemble, the Kolonneh Chamber Players.

As a violinist and chamber musician, Gjevre has performed on four continents and is a founding member of the Lindsayan String Quartet, which has held residencies with Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale in Texas and at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, where she was Artist in Residence under a National Endowment for the Arts grant. She was also a member of the Summit Chamber Players, performing in the United States and abroad as well as a historical recording of works by Felix Draeseke and Arnold Krug using original instruments designed by physicist Alfred Stelzner. Other performance activities include concerto soloist performances in the United States and South America.

A champion of outreach to underserved communities, Gjevre also focuses on work with the Huntsville Youth Orchestra in Texas, which caught the attention of the Powell Foundation in Houston culminating in the awarding of a significant grant in 2023 to further access to string music education in Walker County, Texas. In addition, she has done outreach in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia teaching lessons and giving master classes in programs for at-risk youth.

Principal teachers include Roland and Almita Vamos, Eliot Chapo, Karen Clarke, and Oswald Lehnert. Chamber music mentors include the Muir String Quartet and the Takács String Quartet among others.

My goal as a teacher is to help students become self-sufficient players who will have the technique and musical criteria to continue their musical trajectory. I believe in working with each student to develop their technique in a structured manner and helping them understand good strategies for practicing. I am committed to creating a nurturing atmosphere where students can grow, develop, and thrive.