Lucinda E. Ali-Landing (violin)

Lucinda E. Ali-Landing, violinist and founder of the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute.

As a child, Lucinda stayed close to home, being a member of the South Side Family Chamber Orchestra, Leo C. Harris, Music Director, Gary Civic Symphony, Naomi Millender, Music Director and her own family chamber ensemble.  As a student at Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park, Lucinda played with All City Orchestra, and won the All City Division I of the Instrumental Solo Festival in 1984. She auditioned, and won a full-tuition scholarship at Northern Illinois University where she studied with Pierre Menard and the Vermeer Quartet.

Lucinda chose to pursue her professional career at DePaul School of Music in Chicago. There she blossomed with Mark Zinger, being a Fellowship student of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the DePaul Symphony Orchestra where she was the concertmaster of the Opera Orchestra at DePaul.  This afforded her the opportunity to get her Master of Music degree in violin performance on a full tuition scholarship.

At DePaul, Lucinda discovered her love for teaching children. She obtained her teacher training at the Chicago Suzuki Institute in Deerfield with Craig Timmerman, and later that same summer studied at Indiana University with MiMi Zwieg. Embracing the methods of these pioneers of teaching very young children, Lucinda started teaching at Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago with Stacia Spencer. As the Director of the Chicago Young Violinist Program at Sherwood, Lucinda inspired many parents to be excited about having musical children. Incorporating parent classes, concerts, field trips and other community activities, she laid the groundwork for what would be her life’s passion.

Currently, Mrs. Ali-Landing is in the first violin section of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta, the world’s most diverse orchestra. As part of the Chicago Sinfonietta, she is in the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra. She is a freelance artist who has performed with other artists such as Ray Charles, Barry White, Brian McKnight, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Vereen and more.

Mrs. Ali-Landing is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Chicago Music Association, and other professional organizations.