Ann Marie Brink is the Associate Professor of Viola at DePaul University and previously served as Associate Principal Viola of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2019. Acclaimed by Fanfare magazine for her “rich, deep-chocolate sound,” she has per-formed at many of the world's most prestigious venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Aspen Music Festival, Library of Congress, Severance Hall, Rockport Music Festi-val, Newport Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Chamber Music Chicago, and Bravo! Vail Music Festival. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. A passionate chamber musician, Ms. Brink’s performances with the Amernet String Quartet for the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center earned praise from The New York Times as "an accomplished and intelligent en-semble.” She has coached and performed in Chamber Music America residencies with the Cavani String Quartet, was twice a fellow at the Aspen Center for Advanced Quartet Studies and was invited by Isaac Stern to participate in his Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall. Her accolades include first prize in the Nakamichi Foundation Concerto Competition at the Aspen Music Festival and the Florence Allan Award at the Carmel Chamber Music Competition.
An experienced educator, Ms. Brink teaches and performs at the Roundtop and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festivals and has previously served on the faculties of Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of North Texas. She currently serves as the Treasurer of the American Viola Society.
Ms. Brink’s musical journey began at the age of ten in a public-school strings class. As a high school freshman, she became one of the youngest members of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. She went on to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy, earned her Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the prestigious William Schuman Prize—the institution’s highest graduate honor. Her principal teachers include Karen Tuttle, Heidi Castleman, and David Holland, and she has been mentored in chamber music by members of the Emerson, Juilliard, Cleveland, Orion, and Guarneri String Quartets.
Beyond music, Ms. Brink has a deep love for culinary arts, swimming, and running. She has studied traditional Irish music in County Kerry, Ireland, and attended culinary courses at the Apicius Culinary Institute in Florence, Italy. A U.S. Masters swimmer since 2001, she has twice completed the 10-mile Maui Channel Swim, the world’s only inter-island relay race. She has also run eleven marathons—including the Boston, New York, and Marine Corps Marathons, seven of which were spent chasing her husband, Greg. She still hopes to beat him in the Chicago Marathon someday.
Dedicated to community service, Ms. Brink served for over seven years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in the foster care system in Dallas, Texas.