Chantel Davis
Suzuki Violin
Violinist Chantel Charis received their Bachelor of Music and Performer’s Certificate in violin performance from Northern Illinois University, under the guidance of Mathias Tacke of the Vermeer Quartet. They were the winner of the NIU concerto competition, and went on to receive a Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where they studied with Cordula Merks (concertmaster of SF Ballet) and Kay Stern (concertmaster of SF Opera). Chantel is currently a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in violin performance as first violinist of the graduate string quartet in residence, the Rabin String Quartet, and serves as a Teaching Assistant for String Fundamentals and UW’s All-University Strings ensemble. In Spring of 2026 Chantel will be exchanging their role in the Rabin Quartet with the Dissertator Fellowship, funding their research endeavors in the final semester of their doctorate.
In 2024, Chantel and Seattle-based pianist Alex Fang made their debut as Duo Penseur, touring North America as a classical duo. They performed recitals in cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, Madison, as well as throughout the Midwest. Performances included opening for the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center's 140th season (Rockford, IL), a performance at Studio A Cafe at WNIJ (DeKalb, IL), Old First Concerts (San Francisco, CA), Book Nook and Java Shop (Montague, MI), and opening for the Stoughton Opera House's annual Music Appreciation Series (Stoughton, WI). Duo Penseur is committed to fusing famous classical works with pieces not included in the popular canon, raising underrepresented voices up to the same pedestal as those they are paired with.
A certified Suzuki violin instructor and active member of the SAA, Chantel teaches a thriving private studio at the Music Academy in Rockford, IL. In addition to their regular teaching schedule, Chantel has also traveled as a guest clinician, most recently at the Willamette Violin Academy in Eugene, OR, and as a member of the Rabin String Quartet at the Chapel Hill Chamber Music Workshop in North Carolina. Additional guest teaching has included a chamber coach for the Advanced String Quartet Workshop. They are currently a lead teacher at the Connections Program at Constance Lane Elementary in Rockford, IL where they teach beginning violin to a diverse population of children, many of whom face generational poverty.
Outside the practice room, Chantel enjoys writing and recording their own music as well as spending time outdoors.