Taija Warbelow  |  Violin & Viola

Taija Warbelow began studying violin, viola, and chamber music in Fairbanks, Alaska under the guidance of Dr. Gail Johansen and Dr. Kathleen Butler-Hopkins. Growing up, Taija spent summers at the Encore School for Strings studying with Robert Vernon, Jeffrey Irvine, and Mark Jacobs.

She eventually went on to study with Toby Appel at the Juilliard Pre-College, and Jodi Levitz at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her chamber music education includes intensive workshops with Brentano String Quartet, Emerson String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, and Kronos Quartet.

In her final year at SFCM, Taija auditioned for and won a place in the Friction Quartet. In her 5 years with Friction, they performed twice at Carnegie Hall, worked with numerous composers including Andy Akiho and Nicole Lizée, performed and recorded internationally, and developed an educational curriculum with the San Francisco Symphony that was presented in all San Francisco School District elementary schools.​
After leaving Friction Quartet, Taija obtained a certificate in Backend Computer Programing and performed as fiddler in the acclaimed Broadway show “Come From Away” both in NYC and on the First National Tour.