DJ Cheek

DJ Cheek, viola (Greenville, SC), is principal violist for the Jacksonville Symphony. In recent seasons, he appeared as guest principal with the Indianapolis Symphony, and as a substitute with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra. DJ teaches viola and chamber music at the University of North Florida, mentored young violists at the National Music Festival, and will join the faculty of Interlochen this summer. He has appeared at Music@Menlo, the Perlman Music Program, Lucerne, Sarasota, and Olympic. DJ performed as a guest artist with the Borromeo Quartet, with Donald Weilerstein and Kim Kashkashian as part of the Music for Food series, on WGBH radio, and in the First Monday series at Jordan Hall. DJ holds a master’s degree from New England Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory, where he received the Ernest Hatch Wilkins award for academic excellence. His primary mentors are Kim Kashkashian and Peter Slowik, and he has also worked closely with violinist Itzhak Perlman, violists Jessica Bodner and Julianne Lee, cellists Laurence Lesser and Merry Peckham, and pianists Robert Levin and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein. Previous Yellow Barn musician (2016, 2012-2014)