Danielle Belen, professor in the Department of Strings, is the recipient of the 2025 Harold Haugh Award for excellence in studio teaching. This award is named in honor of Haugh, former professor of music and leading oratorio soloist. Belen has an extraordinary record of student success and in the spirit of this award, her musical program will celebrate the shared joy of artistry, performance, and pedagogy. Free and open to the public.

DREAMING IN DOUBLE STOPS

The title of this lecture recital reflects Professor Belen’s passionate dedication to the intersection of violin technique and elite musicianship through teaching and research. Double stops are a foundational violin technique in which two strings are bowed simultaneously, creating a rich resonance and blend of sound. While technically demanding, they can unlock freedom on the instrument and enable the highest levels of intonation and expression.

Etudes and exercises focused on double stops have existed for centuries, and etude collections from the 1800’s remain central to violin pedagogy today. This raises an intriguing question: could there be a new etude book written in the compositional language of our time?

The centerpiece of this evening will be the presentation of a multi-phase collaborative etude project between Professor Belen, her studio of SMTD violinists, and Grammy Award–winning composer Jessie Montgomery. Through performances and discussion of the creative process behind these works, the project explores what modern technical studies might look – and sound – like today.

FACULTY BIO

Professor of Violin at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in Ann Arbor, DANIELLE BELEN is already making a name for herself as a seasoned pedagogue with a strong studio of young artists. Her students have won major prizes in national and international competitions including the Menuhin, Stulberg and Klein competitions, as well as being accepted into major conservatories and universities. Alumni from her studio play in symphonies across the country, including the Colorado, Cincinnati, Detroit and San Francisco Symphonies, the LA Opera and San Francisco Ballet Orchestras, and internationally in Norway and Finland.

Winner of the 2008 Sphinx Competition, Ms. Belen has appeared as a soloist with the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco Symphonies, the Boston Pops, and the Florida and Cleveland Orchestras. Zachary Lewis from the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote "Violinist Danielle Belen... captivated every ear with an assured, impassioned performance of Ravel's 'Tzigane,' knocking off the daunting showpiece as if it were a trifle."

Ms. Belen released her debut Naxos recording of works by living composer Lawrence Dillon in 2009 to much acclaim. Soon after, she commissioned "Multiplicity", a piece by Dillon for six virtuoso violins which she premiered along with her students.

A graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, Ms. Belen joined the faculty of the Colburn School in 2008. In addition to maintaining her own violin studio, she was the teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Robert Lipsett. During that time, Ms. Belen also served as the Director of the Ed and Mari Chamber Music Institute at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.

In 2010, Ms. Belen founded Center Stage Strings, a summer camp and performance festival for gifted young musicians in central California. After gaining national attention, CSS moved to the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as part of MPulse, a summer program at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. As the Artistic Director and head of the violin faculty, she has attracted students and seasoned artists from around the world. Lynn Harrell, James Ehnes, Arnold Steinhardt, Sarah Chang, William Hagen, Rohan de Silva and Stefan Jackiw have joined to perform in support of the program.

As the winner of the 2014 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Ms. Belen performed for Justice Sonia Sotomayor and her guests at the Supreme Court in Washington DC, where she was awarded a $50,000 career grant. In turn, she used that money towards a matching campaign for Center Stage Strings, doubling the amount into $100,000 for student scholarships.

Her passion for pedagogy can be seen in her vibrant and unique teaching style, made accessible through a host of videos available to the public through her YouTube Channel and Social Media. Ms. Belen plays on a violin made in Mantua, Italy by Stefano Scarampella.