Rebecca Zapen

Rebecca has taught violin privately for the past 17 years, and has served as a violin instructor and orchestra co-director at Eckerd College, in St, Petersburg, Florida, since 2017.

She often utilizes the Suzuki Violin School method books and Essential Elements for Strings. Ms. Zapen incorporates traditional classical music repertoire, and is open to the various genres her students may be interested in — anything from blues to pop to fiddle.

While valuing her classical foundation, she has also played in diverse genres for the past 20 years.  She served as a per service violinist in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Illinois Symphony Orchestra, in chamber ensembles, and with groups of various genres from jazz to indie rock to klezmer. 

Ms. Zapen is the third generation in her musical family tree, carrying on a tradition that has covered the spectrum from professional symphony musicians to performers of jazz and pop.  She studied violin from the age of 3, is a Phi Beta Kappa alumna of Florida State University where she graduated magma cum laude with music and biology degrees, and has released four albums of original folk and jazz music.