Bio

Dr. Elizabeth (Lizzy) Donovan is an active teacher and performer. Lizzy completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Oregon in August of 2021, studying with Steve Pologe. In the final year of her doctoral degree, she completed her lecture document focusing on beginner chamber music pedagogy, titled "A Coach’s Guide to Leopold Jansa’s String Quartet No. 1, Op. 51 ". 

​Lizzy is currently a faculty member at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, where she teaches individual cello lessons as well as Music Cultures of the World. Lizzy also runs her own studio in Portland and Eugene, Oregon, offering private cello instruction for students ages 4 and up. A significant portion of Lizzy's hands-on teacher training was provided by the University of Oregon Community Music Institute, where she served on the faculty for four years, teaching individual cello lessons, group cello lessons, and Music Mind Games. She also coached chamber music through the University of Oregon’s Chamber Players program, which inspired her lecture document. Lizzy studied Suzuki Cello under Dr. Melissa Kraut and is a registered Suzuki Cello Teacher.

Lizzy completed her Bachelors of Music at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. During her time there, she was a substitute cellist for the Altoona, Williamsport, and Nittany Valley Symphonies as well as the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra. Upon completion of her Bachelors, Lizzy moved to Tallahassee, FL to pursue a Masters of Music at Florida State University, where she was a teaching assistant to Greg Sauer. While living in Florida, Lizzy performed with Sinfonia Gulf Coast, the Northwest Florida Symphony, the Ocala Symphony, and the Panama City Pops! Orchestra. She also substituted with the Macon, Valdosta, and Albany Symphonies of Georgia. College summers were spent at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in beautiful Burlington, VT.

She greatly enjoys collaborating across a variety of genres with artists of all sorts. Most recently, Lizzy collaborated with Broadway singer and YouTuber Evynne Hollens on a recording and music video from the artist’s original musical (still being written) “Milagro”. She can also be heard on PNW artist Stephan Nance’s album “Look at the Harlequins!” and on Naxos’s Ern0 Dohnányi’s Symphony No. 2 and Two Songs for Baritone recording with the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra.

​Her free time is spent hanging out with her cat, Beta and partner, Otmar, who plays the trombone. She greatly enjoys running long distances, indoor and outdoor rock climbing, trying to take care of way too many plants, and enjoying all of the outdoor places, food, and beer that Oregon has to offer.