Praised by South Florida Classical Review for his “clarity and zest” as a violist, Dr. Ross DeBardelaben enjoys a varied career as a performer and teacher. Dr. Ross currently resides in St. Petersburg FL where he teaches as an adjunct music instructor at the French American School of Tampa Bay, John Hopkins Middle School, Gibbs High School Pinellas County Center for the Arts, and the Pinellas Youth Symphony. Dr. DeBardelaben has performed violin for Miami Lyric Opera and viola for the South Florida Symphony and Miami Symphony. Dr. DeBardelaben has maintained a private violin and viola teaching studio in Miami since 2005. Additionally, he has taught strings at Sunset Elementary, Coral Gables Congregational Church Community Arts Program Conservatory of the Arts, Palmer Trinity School, and St. Philips Episcopal School.

Raised in Miami, Dr. DeBardelaben began viola at the age of 10. His first private teacher was former Miami Dade College distinguished faculty member Dr. Mischa Poznanski who played his beloved Stradivarius violin along with Ross in lessons. Dr. DeBardelaben commenced private viola lessons with Pamela McConnell, Professor of Viola at the University of Miami, when he was in the 8th grade and subsequently won a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music to study viola with Kathryn Plummer and chamber music with John Kochanowski.

Dr. DeBardelaben performed viola with Nashville Symphony for two seasons before joining the Graduate String Quartet at West Virginia University. He moved to New York in 2000 and became a member of the Linden Trio, the Graduate String Trio at SUNY Purchase where he studied viola with Maria Lambros and Jesse Levine.

From 2003-2005, he gained music business experience as an assistant to prominent classical music artist managers R. Douglas Sheldon and Mary Jo Connealy. Dr. DeBardelaben returned to Miami in 2005 as a doctoral student in viola performance at the University of Miami where he continued studies with Pamela McConnell.

He studied at the Aspen Music Festival (CO), Encore School for Strings (OH), Portland String Quartet Workshop (MN), Sewanee Summer Music Center (TN), Garth Newel Chamber Music Festival(VA), Magic Mountain Music Farm(NY), and the Latin American Violin Festival (Venezuela). He received additional lessons and masterclasses with Joey Corpus, Burton Kaplan, Lawrence Dutton, Heidi Castleman, Victoria Chiang, Daniel Avshalomov (American String Quartet), Kasuhide Isomura (Tokyo String Quartet), Jeffrey Irvine, and Ralph Fielding among others.

Highlights of Dr. DeBardelaben’s career include performing with the Nashville Symphony for Amy Grant Christmas Tours (20 Cities), Ray Charles for one of his last performances at the Greenbrier Hotel (2001), eight concerts with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (Unleaded Tour 1995), chamber music concerts in the south of France (Bonlieu and Mirmande), and symphony concerts for a nine city tour in China.Dr. DeBardelaben has over 19 years of violin and viola teaching experience with students from 5 years old through conservatory level and amateur adults.