Detroit-based violinist and violist Magnolia Rohrer (they/them/she/her) specializes in new and experimental chamber music.  Magnolia is the violinist of Hub New Music, a quartet described as “a prime mover of piping hot 21st century repertoire” (the Washington Post) dedicated to commissioning and touring new chamber works. Magnolia is also the violinist and violist in Virago, a Michigan-based quartet that explores the liminal space of improvised chamber music through deep listening practices, commissioning projects and inter-arts collaborations. Other current projects include Violet Booleans: a violin + live-processing electronics duo with Derek Worthington, Willis/Rohrer: an improvising violin + bass duo with Ben Willis, a violin/viola duo with Madeline Warner, and a solo project with fixed media exploring microtonal polyphony.

A seasoned string quartet player, Rohrer is a current member of the Kalkaska String Quartet with whom they frequently perform around metro Detroit, and a former member of Converge with whom they received the Rosseels String Quartet Fellowship for their work premiering new works. Magnolia has premiered chamber works by Tyshawn Sorey, Angélica Negrón, Nico Muhly, Donnacha Dennehey, Jessica Meyer, Daniel Thomas Davis, James Díaz, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, and many others. Rohrer has recently performed at the 2023 MATA Festival in Brooklyn, New Music Detroit’s new music marathon Strange Beautiful Music, the Seattle Symphony’s Octave 9 Series, the Riot Ensemble Festival in London, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music, the Ann Arbor Summer festival, the University Musical Society’s Parable Path A2Ypsi Series, the Taos Chamber Music Group, University of South Carolina’s Southern Exposure Series, and the Third Place Concert Series. Recent residencies include Indiana University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Brown University, University of Michigan, and University of Southern California.

Magnolia has given concerto performances with the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan, the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, the University of Michigan Symphony Band, the Rowan University Wind Ensemble and the California State University Fullerton Wind Symphony. A regular member of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Magnolia has performed with the Detroit Opera Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra, and the Ann Arbor Symphony. Magnolia has made concertmaster appearances with the Michigan Philharmonic and the University of Michigan Campus Philharmonic Orchestra. 

As an educator, Magnolia has trained in the Suzuki method and is influenced by the pedagogies of Mimi Zweig, Mark Mutter, Marilyn O’Boyle, Blair Milton, Danielle Belen, and Ed Sarath. Magnolia has taught through the Sphinx Organization, Crescendo Detroit, the Crowden Music Center in Berkeley, CA, the Ann Arbor Public Schools camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Àkójọpò Music Festival, The People’s Music School in Chicago, and the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra summer workshop. Magnolia has led improvisation workshops in Detroit, Flint, Ypsilanti and Interlochen.

Magnolia earned their masters degree at the University of Michigan studying with Danielle Belen and Caroline Coade, and holds a bachelors degree from Northwestern University where they studied with Blair Milton.  Magnolia grew up in New Mexico and California and is now embracing life as a Michigander. In their free time, Magnolia enjoys baking sourdough bread, the ever expanding Star Wars universe, and spending time with their eight siblings.