Liesl Schoenberger Doty: Violinist & Crossover Artist
What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? For crossover violinist Liesl Schoenberger Doty, the answer is simple: not much.
Originally from the charming river town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Liesl’s career has taken her far beyond the banks of the Mississippi. Praised for her "magnetic presence," she has performed across North America and Europe, appearing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Weill Recital Hall, Zankel Hall, The Musikverein, The Kennedy Center, and The Kravis Center. An active soloist, she has collaborated with numerous orchestras across the United States.
As a recitalist and chamber musician, Liesl has been featured in renowned festivals and concert series, including Yellow Barn, Skaneateles Chamber Music Festival, Ottawa Chamber Fest, White Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, New Music New Haven, Chamber Music at Yale, Orford Centre d’Arts, Sommerakademie Mozarteum in Salzburg, and Ferme de Villefavard in France.
Her versatility extends beyond classical music. As a crossover artist, Liesl has released three commercial fiddle albums in collaboration with musical legends Buddy Spicher and David Grier and has performed as a guest artist at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Since 2009, she has been a featured soloist in composer and pianist Eric Genuis’ national tours.
In 2012, Liesl became a member of Boston’s Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, where she spent nearly a decade touring, recording, and collaborating with her 16 co-artistic directors. Among them was bassist Karl Doty, her favorite "Crier"—and now husband. Together, they perform regularly as a classical and crossover duo, The Dotys, while also raising their sons, Pekka and Mikko, and daughter, Anneli.
Liesl holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from Indiana University, where she studied with Mimi Zweig and Mauricio Fuks, and an Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music under the guidance of Ani Kavafian. She was a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the New England Conservatory, where she served as teaching assistant to Lucy Chapman.
A dedicated educator, Liesl has held faculty positions at Dartmouth College, the University of New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College, and Southeast Missouri State University. She is currently Associate Professor of Violin at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.
Liesl performs on a 1919 Carl Becker violin.
Photo Credit: Yoon S. Byun