Carla Kountoupes, violinist, is a member of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, and Piazzolla da Camera Piano Trio. She has toured and performed professionally with orchestras and chamber ensembles in Central America, Taiwan, Germany, and all over the United States, including as a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco and the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra. She was a featured musician in The Symphony’s 2020 and 2021 Virtual Concert Series.

Carla enjoys performing and recording many genres in addition to classical, including Latin/world, alt-rock/pop, and jazz. A dedicated music educator, Carla holds a Master of Music degree in Music Teaching. She has taught private violin lessons to children and adults for more than 20 years and is currently on the faculty at the New Mexico School for the Arts. Carla is also the director of the orchestra program at the Mandela International Magnet School in Santa Fe.

Carla was awarded Music Teacher of the Year in 2016 by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) of New Mexico, and received the Santa Fe Public Schools’ 2017 Teachers Who Inspire Award. She is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory (Violin Performance) and Oberlin College (English Literature).

Inherited from her grandfather, Carla’s violin was made in the 1740s.