Caroline Fairchild

Californian violinist Caroline Fairchild was born into a musical family, and began her formal lessons on the violin at the age of six. She was a member of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Association from 2003 to 2012 and successfully auditioned to be a concertmaster of the SYS’s prestigious Premier Orchestra for their 2011/2012 season. During her time with the SYS she participated in their 2007 tour to Finland, Estonia and Russia.  

Caroline decided to leave America to pursue her Bachelor of Music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in Cardiff, Wales, where she was awarded a scholarship. During her time at the RWCMD she studied with Lucy Gould and Darragh Morgan, graduating in 2017 with First Class Honours.  Caroline continued her studies in the United Kingdom at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the tutelage of Yair Kless. She received her Masters of Music, graduating with Distinction in 2019. 

Throughout her studies, Caroline has performed in masterclasses for Daniel Phillips, Rachel Podger, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Henning Krauggerud, Gary Levinson, Mauricio Fuks, Ning Feng and The Emerson String Quartet. 

In 2011, Caroline was the winner of the Paradise Symphony Concerto Competition, which gave her the opportunity to perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Paradise Symphony. In 2019 she was a finalist in the annual RNCM Concerto Competition, performing Szymanowski’s 1st Violin Concerto. Other prizes Caroline has been awarded are the RWCMD Bridgewood and Neitzert Bach Prize and the RWCMD McGreenery Chamber Prize. 

Along with being a classically trained musician, Caroline has a passion for music across multiple genres. She has worked alongside multiple ensembles, performing folk, bluegrass, indie, pop, rock and more.  Her most recent collaborations include the musical groups ‘The Lolos,’ ‘Sunday Iris,’ ‘Smokey The Groove,’ and ‘Low Flying Birds.’ Caroline’s main musical project is Heirloom, a Northern California based band that performs a vast amount of genres, including Jazz, Rock, Country, Folk and more. As a founding member she devotes much of her time to the development and promotion of ‘Heirloom.’ 

Caroline is also an experienced Violin and Viola teacher, having had pupils since her teenage years. She welcomes students of all ages and abilities.