Quinton Morris, DMA

Quinton Morris CV

Teaching Philosophy

“As an educator I strive to connect students with the art of music-making and performance, giving them the tools and support they need in order to grow as artists. Throughout my lessons, I help cultivate a spirit of confidence and innovation that will serve students in both their creative and entrepreneurial pursuits. My passion for teaching shines through in my commitment to helping students achieve success on whichever educational voyage they choose in life”.

Biography

Dr. Quinton Morris enjoys a multifaceted career as a concert violinist, chamber musician, educator, entrepreneur and filmmaker.  He performs solo concerti/recitals and chamber music and presents lectures all over the world: the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.  Notable solo concerto performances are the Seattle, Thalia, Tacoma Youth, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra and South Suburban Symphonies, Orchestra Seattle and the Everett Philharmonic.

Dr. Morris presented sold-out recitals in the renowned Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall for three consecutive seasons.  He debuted with soprano Indra Thomas and pianist Maimy Fong in January 2011.  He presented his debut solo recital with pianist Dr. Erin Chung the following year and in 2014, Dr. Morris presented his third appearance with pianist Alastair Edmonstone and hornist David Jolley.

During the 2015-2016 academic year, Dr. Morris embarked on the “BREAKTHROUGH: The Quinton Morris World Tour”, which include recitals, concertos, public lectures on entrepreneurship and master classes and community outreach projects in 22 cities on 5 continents. This radically new type of concert experience included a self-produced short film-music video based on the life and music of Chevalier de Saint-Georges that was a major component of each performance. Governor Jay Inslee awarded Dr. Morris the Washington State Governor’s Arts Award for his success with BREAKTHROUGH and the film received first prize “Diamond Award” at the European Independent Film Award Festival in Paris, the bronze award at the Global Music Awards and was premiered at New York Film Week and Las Vegas Lift-Off Film Festivals.

The recipient of numerous awards including the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Award” for esteemed leaders and entrepreneurs in Seattle, Dr. Morris received Seattle University Alumni Association’s Outstanding Academic and Arts Faculty Award, the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award, the Boston Conservatory Chamber Music Honors Competition, the Louisiana Junior Philharmonic Orchestra Young Artist’s Concerto Competition.  He received top honors and the “Distinguished” and “Audience Favorite” prizes at the Ibla International Recital Competition in Sicily, Italy in 2010. 

Founder and artistic director of The Young Eight String Octet, Dr. Morris performed chamber music recitals across the country for eleven seasons.  America’s only string octet was composed of distinguished string players that hailed from the nation’s most prestigious music schools and conservatories.  The octet performed in New York City at York College’s Distinguished Artists Chamber Music Series, The Juilliard School, Music Mondays Chamber Music Series and a host of educational school residencies and appeared at several chamber music societies and series including the Jewel Box Chamber Music Series at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, the Young Artists Afternoon Concert Series at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the Chamber Music Guild in Raleigh, University of Washington World Series and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and the University of Texas at Austin.  The Young Eight received honors for Seattle performances from the King County Executive Council and Seattle Weekly (Best New Chamber Music Group for 2005).  In 2007, it celebrated its fifth anniversary with a national Black College Tour and hosted an Emerging Composers Competition for Young Composers.  The Young Eight octet retired in 2012.

Dedicated to music education, Dr. Morris gives master classes to music students at some of the most respected music schools and institutions around the world, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (Australia), National Normal Taiwan University (Taiwan), Monash University (Australia), the Universitie de Paris, Dong-eui University (Korea), Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), Bloemendal Youth Symphony Orchestra (Port Elizabeth, South Africa), the University of Pretoria (Johannesburg, South Africa), Nevada School of the Arts (Las Vegas) and Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic.  His students have garnered top ratings at various music competitions and attend music festivals across the nation.  Dr. Morris presented talks on artist entrepreneurship at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) national conference in New York and the TEDxSeattle Conference.

Since coming to Seattle University in 2007, Dr. Morris has successfully transformed a nascent Music Division into a community of artists that serves as a center for talented music faculty and students to grow, learn and foster their music education and talent.  He wrote and designed the Bachelor of Music degree and curriculum, recruited music faculty and students and brought in professional musicians to provide guest artist performances and educational residencies.  He serves as the Director of Chamber and Instrumental Music and Associate Professor of Violin and Chamber Music.  He is the first music professor in over twenty-five years (and the second living African-American violinist in United States history) to receive tenure and promotion at Seattle University.  He is the director of Key to Change, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching middle and high school violin students in South King County.

Dr. Morris began his studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, where he studied pre-law and was a private violin student of Rachel Jordan.  He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory.  He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The University of Texas at Austin, where he studied violin and chamber music with Daniel Ching, first violinist of the Miró String Quartet.  He also studied with Lynn Chang, Irina Muresanu and Aaron Rosand, and participated in Mr. Rosand’s Violin Intensive Program for Aspiring Soloists in New York.