About
Dr. Kim Hankins is a Violist and a Trauma-Informed RYT500 Yoga Teacher in Tucson, Arizona. They have performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Germany, Luxembourg, and Iceland.
With a passion for chamber music, Dr. Hankins has been featured as a Guest Artist and Chamber Music Faculty at Tetra Chamber Music Institute, Vianden Music Festival, and Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra’s ‘Stringmania.’ In January 2023, they were invited to perform in a chamber music recital with Dr. Katherine McLin and Steinway Artist James D’León. Over the years, Dr. Hankins has worked closely with the members of the Pacifica Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Juilliard String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, and Brooklyn Rider. Dr. Hankins was a member and co-Artistic Director of the Tetra String Quartet from 2020-2023, working to empower young musicians and cultivate musical experiences that are accessible and available to everyone in the local Phoenix community.
Dr. Hankins has been teaching and performing in conductorless ensembles since 2009. They were the viola and cello Sectional Coach at Tucson Junior Strings for two years, where they worked with 11 different conductorless orchestras and taught students ages 4-18 how to cue and lead their performances without a conductor. In 2010, Dr. Hankins was a member of the Reykjavik-based conductorless string orchestra 'Strengjasveitin Skark,' led by violist and now Icelandic Opera conductor Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason. In the Summer of 2012, Dr. Hankins had the incredible experience of working closely with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and learned their detailed approach to score study and efficient musician-led rehearsals. Dr. Hankins has also performed in conductorless chamber ensembles with St. Lawrence String Quartet and Brooklyn Rider.
As a trauma-informed RYT500, Dr. Hankins believes strongly in the power of mindfulness and meditation and how these practices can help musicians play with more ease. In the Summer of 2020, they were a guest Yoga Teacher for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute. In the Summer of 2021, they were a returning American Viola Society Festival presenter on Finding a More Ergonomic Setup and Playing With Ease. Click Here for Yoga Bio
Dr. Hankins completed a Performance Diploma in Solo Viola Repertoire with Ed Gazouleas and a Master of Music degree at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music with Masumi Per Rostad. During her final year at IU, they received additional lessons with Anne Epperson on repertoire for Viola and Piano. They performed their Master's Recital in collaboration with IU faculty Dr. Aram Arakelyan. Moving to Arizona in 2017, Dr. Hankins received a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Arizona State University with Nancy Buck. With a desire to expand the viola repertoire, Dr. Hankins transcribed and recorded DMA project on their transcriptions and recordings of Ernest Bloch's Three Suites for Solo Cello.