Kimberly Sullivan is a violist and educator based in central Texas. She serves as Lecturer in Viola at the University of the Incarnate Word and performs with Harmonium of Texas, the San Antonio Philharmonic, and the Mid-Texas Symphony.
Sullivan’s orchestral career includes principal and assistant principal roles with the Arizona Philharmonic, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Sinfonietta. In addition, she has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and Concertante di Chicago, among others. Her performances have taken her to renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, as well as on international tours throughout Europe and the Canary Islands.
Her chamber music collaborations feature the ensembles Trio del Fuego, Dark Sky Quartet, Ensemble Flageolet, and Lyra String Quartet, the ensemble-in-residence at Carthage College. Sullivan has performed at music festivals, contributed to commercial recordings that highlight works by underrepresented composers, and appeared on national broadcasts, including Sunday Morning with Charles Kurault.
Sullivan’s versatility extends to studio, club, and stadium work, with live and recorded performances alongside leading pop, classical, and jazz artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Christopher Cross, David Gates, Rod Stewart, Orbert Davis with Strings Attached, Dennis DeYoung, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, and Bebe & Cece Winans.
An advocate for new music, Sullivan has premiered works by contemporary composers Augusta Read Thomas, Bruce Reiprich, Owen Davis, and Martín Pacheco. She has participated in special projects such as the “Violins of Hope,” a Holocaust remembrance initiative including the U.S. premiere of Hans Neumeyer’s D-B-S-G Duo for violin and viola; the “Voice of the Whale” program featuring music inspired by birds, insects, and whales; “Reformation 500: A Musical Commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation”; and “In Beauty We Walk,” the International Alliance for Women in Music Congress.
Her commitment to education is reflected in teaching roles at Northern Arizona University, Indiana State University, Carthage College, and in youth and community music programs such as the Music Institute of Chicago, Merit School of Music, and Chicago Sinfonietta’s Youth and the Professional. She has developed curricula in string pedagogy, mentored student teachers, and taught students of all ages using both Suzuki and traditional methods.
Sullivan is a graduate of Northwestern University and is certified in Suzuki Method teacher training. She has studied with renowned instructors (Peter Slowik, Robert Swan, William Schoen, and Jeffrey Irvine) and participated in master classes with leading violists (Edward Adelson, Heidi Castleman, Kim Kashkashian, Paul Neubauer, Jeff Scholl) and string quartets (Guarneri and Interlochen).