Lara Hicks

Lara Hicks is a dedicated violin instructor and performer, teaching at MacPhail’s Minneapolis and Chanhassen locations. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and German at the University of Redlands in California and her Master of Music in String Pedagogy from the University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Vincent Fritelli and was advised by renowned string pedagogue Phyllis Young.

Lara is an accomplished teacher. She coached and instructed at the United States Military Academy at West Point and was the director of the Music Skills Classes and Pre-School Suzuki Program for the University of Texas String Project, all while continuing her own private studio. Lara’s teaching experience also includes Austin Lyric Opera School, Austin Chamber Music Center, and Suzuki on the Island in both private and group instruction capacities.

Her extensive performance and recording experience include twenty-three years of Broadway performances including The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Kinky Boots, and Something Rotten to name a few. She has also performed with U-2, Kanye West, Late Night with Conen O’Brien, David Byrne on tour, The Dixie Chicks, Andrea Bocelli, Liza Minnelli, Willie Nelson, and Natalie Cole amongst many others. Her concert experience includes the likes of Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera, Naumberg Symphony Orchestra, New York Pops and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Lara can also be heard playing on the Grammy Award Winning soundtrack of the Dixie Chicks entitled Home, as well as the soundtracks of Walking Life and Spy Kids II. Locally, Lara is a member of the Duluth Symphony for the 2023-24 season.