Naima S. Burrs
NAIMA BURRS, M.M., is a violinist and conductor from Richmond, VA. Burrs studied at the University of Northern Iowa where she received a Master of Music degree in violin performance while serving as a Graduate Assistant during her studies. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University(VCU). Naima was featured as a guest on the National Public Radio show "With Good Reason", where she discussed her upbringing and career, and performed works celebrating the contributions of African American composers and musicians. Burrs was one of four conductors chosen to participate in the 2021 Wintergreen Music Festival, as a Summit Conductor, where she worked with master teachers James Ross and Erin Freeman. In July of 2022, Burrs was selected as a participant in the Conducting Academy of the Domaine Forget International Music Festival (Québec, Canada), where she studied with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera House.
Burrs has performed as a section violinist with many ensembles including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra as well as serving as principal second violin with Opera on the James and as concertmaster of Summer Garden Opera. Burrs is the Director of Orchestral Activities at Virginia State University (Petersburg, VA). She has also served on the faculty at Longwood University (Farmville, VA) and Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden Sydney, VA). Naima is a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree (D.M.A.) candidate in instrumental conducting at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.