Deborah Buck, Violin

Violinist Deborah Buck has been hailed by The Strad for her “surpassing degree of imagination and vibrant sound.” Renowned for her versatility and artistry, she maintains a dynamic career as a soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster, educator, and artistic director.

Recent performance highlights include recitals at BargeMusic (NYC) with pianists Orli Shaham and Orion Weiss, as well as appearances with series such as GatherNYC, Lyrica Chamber Music (NJ), Reflections in Music (NYC), the Telluride Chamber Music Festival (CO), Sands Point: Four Seasons of Music (NY), and Small Spaces/Orchestra Lumos (CT). Most recently, Buck was invited to serve as guest concertmaster for the Kalamazoo Symphony (MI) in a performance with Yo-Yo Ma, following a collaboration with him the previous week with Orchestra Lumos.

In October 2025, Buck will be featured on a new Avie Records release showcasing music by composer Bruce Wolosoff. Her commitment to new music includes the 2019 world premieres of two works written for her: DeBut for solo violin by John Harbison and Fantasia on Beethoven’s Spring Sonata by Bruce Adolphe. She is also currently recording "September", a newly commissioned piece by Curtis Stewart, part of his 24 American Caprices.

From 2002 to 2019, Buck was a member of the renowned Lark Quartet, acclaimed for its boundary-pushing commissions that redefined the possibilities of the traditional string quartet. The ensemble’s discography features works by prominent American composers such as Jennifer Higdon, John Harbison, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Paul Moravec, with recordings released on labels including Endeavor, Koch, and Bridge Records.

As a soloist, she made her Lincoln Center concerto debut in 1997 with the Little Orchestra Society of Lincoln Center (NY) and has since performed with Orchestra Lumos (formerly Stamford Symphony), Princeton Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, and Brooklyn Philharmonic, among others. Recital appearances include The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), Dame Myra Hess Series (Chicago), and Bargemusic (NYC), with live broadcasts on Los Angeles radio stations WFMT and KKGO. Buck’s versatility also extends to film and television, where her playing is featured in the violin solos for Turner Classic Movies’ restored silent film The Scarlet Letter.

Appointed by Music Director Michael Stern in 2022, Buck is currently the tenured Concertmaster of Orchestra Lumos. She has also served as the tenured concertmaster for the Brooklyn Philharmonic (2008–2013), the Los Angeles Opera Guild Orchestra, and St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra (CA), and has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Phoenix, Kalamazoo, West Virginia, and Youngstown Symphony Orchestras. She has also toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra.

A dedicated educator, Buck spent more than a decade on the faculty of the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music, where she served as Head of Strings and Chamber Music and Assistant Professor of Violin. Since 2011, she has been Co-Executive Director and Artistic Advisor of Kinhaven (VT). She serves on the faculty of John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University (NJ).