Lois Finkel, a New Yorker by birth, has called Rhode Island home since 1986. She began her early violin studies at the Third Street Music School Settlement House in New York City. Upon earning a degree from Cornell University in classics, Lois moved to Milwaukee for graduate studies with Abram Loft. Ms. Finkel later completed her Masters of Music degree in performance, from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Currently, Lois is a faculty member at Brown University where she teaches violin and coaches chamber music. She also teaches and is head of Chamber Music at the Music School of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. Performing as Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Rhode Island Philharmonic and regularly with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Boston Cantata Singers Orchestras rounds out an active playing career for Lois. A passion of hers is holding chamber music workshops in the Ocean State for amateur, chamber music enthusiasts.

As a founding member of the Charleston String Quartet, Lois toured extensively and enjoyed coachings from members of the Fine Arts Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet, and the Cleveland Quartet. Over the years, she has performed in the Aspen Music Festival, the Round Top Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, and the Bowdoin Summer Festival.

For the past 22 summers she has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, WY. There, she enjoys making great music and venturing out for as many fantastic hikes as time permits.