Lisa Nelson is Head of the String Area at Illinois Wesleyan University, where she teaches viola and violin. As an active chamber musician, she has appeared in recitals throughout the U.S., Canada, Bulgaria, Italy, Israel, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Nelson earned a doctorate in Viola Performance from the University of Illinois and a double-degree (BM in violin performance, BA in mathematics) from St. Olaf College. She is a member of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, on the faculty of the International Chamber Music Academy in Kyustendil, Bulgaria for young talented musicians, and Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival at IWU. Her performances and presentations on chamber music, viola/violin pedagogy and literature have been given at conferences of the American String Teachers Association, American Viola Society, Music by Women International Festival, and College Music Society.