Marjorie Bagley

Biography

Violinist Marjorie Bagley joined the faculty at UNCG in the Fall of 2009 after teaching violin and chamber music at Ohio University in Athens, OH. She began her professional career as first violinist and founding member of the Arcata String Quartet upon graduating from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of Pinchas Zukerman. The Arcata Quartet enjoyed nearly a decade of performances around the US and Europe, including concerts in London’s Wigmore Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie, and their NYC debut in Town Hall. They can be heard in recordings on the VOX label, alongside members of the Tokyo and American Quartets. Her love of chamber music continues to this day as she performs with colleagues in NC and around the country, exploring classic and contemporary repertoire.  

Bagley is Concertmaster of the Greensboro Symphony under the direction of Christopher Dragon. This season, she performed as soloist alongside mandolin player Chris Thile, and next season brings a solo appearance in Vaughn-Williams’ classic Lark Ascending. Bagley performed as both Associate Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin in the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, OH, under the direction of Music Director David Danzmayr and Principal Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman. For two decades, Bagley performed as member of the Berkshire Bach Society with keyboardist Kenneth Cooper. 

Summers have taken Bagley to many festivals as both teacher and performer. The Arcata Quartet performed across Europe over several summers, including a concert at the Rheingau Music Festival. Her path as a teacher began at the Meadowmount Music School where she was an assistant teacher, and continued at a variety of summer chamber music festivals for high school  students across the country. For six summers, Bagley was an assistant teacher at the Perlman Music Program. She has been on faculty at the Kinhaven Music School and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the International Music Academy Plzen in the Czech Republic. Bagley was an artist teacher at the Brevard Music Festival for eleven summers where she frequently served as concertmaster.  

Professor Bagley continues to give masterclasses and performances at universities around the US. She remains fascinated by the unique qualities of each student she interacts with, looking to combine an understanding of violin technique and learning strategies to help each student move towards their potential. She also loves to perform and teach works by living composers and works that draw from a variety of musical styles.  

After growing up in Wingate, NC, she received her BM summa cum laude in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan and an MM from the Manhattan School of Music. Teachers and coaches have included Pinchas Zukerman, Josef Gingold, Patinka Kopec, Isidore Cohen, and members of the Tokyo and American String Quartets. Three decades of performances have taken her to five continents and led to many inspiring musical collaborations. She can be heard in recordings on the Equilibrium, Centaur, Albany, Summit, and VOX labels. Bagley’s time away from the violin is filled with family adventures alongside her husband, physics professor Ian Beatty, and their three children.