Eric Berken
Instrumental Composer and Teacher

Eric Berken has been studying the violin since the age of five. His primary teachers are Wei Shu Co, Liane Bliss, Gary Kosloski, and Paul Mackerra. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance and Chemistry from Baldwin Wallace University and a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Bowling Green State University.
Mr. Berken has been a private violin and viola teacher throughout his lifetime. Many of his students have gone on to professional careers in music and have attended major international festivals and competitions. He is cofounder and past director of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio and also Conductor Laureate of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra Philharmonia in Oberlin, Ohio. Today he is the founder and director of Camerata di Magdalena which is a small conductor-less group of young musicians (ages 9 through 18) who give seven performances each season to benefit the homeless of Broward county.