Ms. Grace Valentine (she/her) enjoys a diverse career as a public school music educator, professional violinist and violist, private lesson instructor, and pit musician. Ms. Valentine has served as the Midwest String Orchestra Advisor since 2023, and has performed regularly in the Midwest Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras. In May 2026, she was appointed as the next Music Director of the Midwest String Orchestra. Previously, she has performed as Associate Concertmaster and Principal Viola in the Elmhurst University Orchestra, under the baton of Taka Matsunaga. While at Elmhurst, she was also an active member of the school’s treble choir, Chamber Choral, and the vocal jazz department. She is also active as a pit musician, playing musicals including Bye Bye Birdie, The Wedding Singer, and Evita in recent years. As an active musician, Ms. Valentine has performed at numerous renowned venues, including Grainger Ballroom at Symphony Center in Chicago, Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Alice Millar Chapel at Northwestern University, Peoria Civic Center, First Methodist Church in Peoria, Illinois, and the Hemmens Cultural Center.

Ms. Valentine began her violin studies at ten years old through her school district’s orchestra program and her vocal studies at six years old through a local community youth program. She continued her collegiate violin studies under the direction of Mrs. Eleanor Bartsch, Mr. Francois Henkins, and Ms. Paula Johannesen during her time at Elmhurst University. Additional noteworthy mentors include Taka Matsunaga, Terry Foster, Amy Jones, Emma Castaldi, Abigail Riccards, Amali Premawardhana, Dr. Soyoung Kee, Kathy Bernhard, and Dr. Deborah Peot, among others. Ms. Valentine holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music education with a concentration in orchestral and strings education from Elmhurst University.

As a dedicated music educator, Ms. Valentine works full-time at Woodstock CUSD200 in the northwest suburbs, teaching elementary strings and one of the district’s high school orchestra programs. In addition, she maintains a private lesson studio, teaching violin, viola, piano, and music theory around the Chicagoland suburbs. Through passion, advocacy, and support for quality and accessible music education, Ms. Valentine continues her studies and work with local organizations and initiatives to pursue this goal. Outside of musical activities, Ms. Valentine enjoys spending time outside, hiking, weightlifting, and finding the newest local coffee shop!