Barbara Salkin has been a professional cellist and teacher in the Seattle area since 1978. As a member of the Brillig String Quartet for over thirty years, she played chamber music at annual concerts, Bumbershoot, and the Out to Lunch series, among other venues. She was an integral part of musical productions as a member of the 5th Avenue Theatre Orchestra for fifteen years, as well as at the Paramount Theatre and Concerts at the Pier. Barbara also enjoyed performing locally with musical icons Ray Charles, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Bob Hope, Dionne Warwick, and Linda Ronstadt, among others—and on stages around the Northwest touring with Johnny Mathis, Liberace, and Bernadette Peters.
Barbara now teaches cello full time and has gravitated to the philosophy of the Suzuki Method over her years of teaching. She has taught cello at the Pacific Northwest School of Music since 1994; additionally, she continues to participate in annual teacher-training classes and has been a faculty member at the Oregon Suzuki Institute for 3 summers.
Barbara believes that the habits students develop through learning an instrument can be transferred to all aspects of their schoolwork and help lay the foundation to embark on any career path.