Royce Lassley
Violin Instructor
Royce Daniel Lassley, violinist and instructor, continues to impress audiences with seasoned, inspired performances since he began violin lessons at the late age of 13 with Elaine Clyatt. Within three years of starting violin lessons, Royce received a full-scholarship to Credo Chamber Music Festival at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he attended for two years. Within four years, he was accepted to Aspen Music Festival on scholarship, but attended Interlochen Summer Festival as a distinguished Emerson Scholar (only one scholar is chosen from each state).
While at Interlochen, Royce was concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra. With the Orchestra, he performed the world preview performance of Chris Thile’s Mandolin Concerto. Lassley’s quartet was also the first group to win both Interlochen chamber competitions in one summer. During the same year, Lassley was 1st place winner of the Anderson Concerto Competition, performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole with the Hutchinson Symphony Orchestra.
Royce began his undergraduate studies at the Lamont School of Music, where he studied with Yumi Hwang-Williams. He then studied in Vienna, Austria as a Cherrington Global Scholar with Polish concert violinist Barbara Górzyńska. Following a brief “educational intermission” to serve a mission trip in Germany, Royce completed his Bachelor of Music degree at Brigham Young University, where he studied with Dr. LeeAnn Morgan and Monte Belknap.
Royce has since received a Master of Music degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. There, he was a Henry Mancini Institute Fellow and studied with Bettina Mussumeli, Charles Castleman, and Scott Flavin. He was also concertmaster under Maestro Gerard Schwarz – who also personally invited him to be one of 12 Adult Fellows at Eastern Music Festival. Lassley plans to pursue an Artist Diploma at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, for further study with Bettina Mussumeli and Charles Castleman.
Lassley has had supplemental instruction from teachers such as the late Stephen Clapp (former dean of Juilliard), William Preucil (former concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra), Susanna Perry Gilmore, Marilyn McDonald, and Peter Slowik. Royce has also appeared in masterclasses with Rachel Barton-Pine, Scott Yoo, Milan Vitek, Cheryl Benedict, and chamber music with the Ahn Trio and David Ying. He continues to have instruction from many of the greatest teachers and performers in the U.S. and abroad.
Currently, Royce is a violin faculty member of the Miami, FL after-school Community Arts Program (CAP), he also maintains a private studio in Miami. He performs as a violin section member with Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Symphony, South Florida’s top professional orchestra. Royce has also performed with such artists as José Feliciano, Kirk Whalum (saxophonist for Whitney Houston), David Archuleta, Romanza, Kevin Olusola (from Pentatonix), Chris Thile, and the Ahn Trio, among many others.
Royce Lassley is a two-time grant recipient of the Koch Cultural Trust Foundation. He has also been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Visit www.roycelassley.com.