About Dr. Rubin
A life given
to the instrument
Doctor of Musical Arts, performer, and pedagogue of forty years. From conservatory stages across four continents to a teaching studio in Valencia — a single conviction has carried through: that any student, properly taught, can go further than they imagine.
Dr. Vera Rubin began her musical education at the Saint Petersburg school for gifted children, graduating with honors in 1978. After a master’s degree with honors from the Gnessin Academy in Moscow, she performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the Soviet Union before emigrating in 1990.
Her performing career continued as concertmaster of the Yad Harif Chamber Orchestra in Jerusalem and assistant concertmaster of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She has also led chamber ensembles in Jerusalem, Wellington, and Boston. At Boston University, she completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in both contemporary violin and viola performance and early music performance.
"In-person is always best. Even across a language barrier, two musicians in one room understand each other — that is something a screen cannot replace."
Teaching philosophy
Dr. Rubin teaches the whole musician: posture and bow arm, yes, but also listening, phrasing, and the long patience that real artistry requires. Her work includes tone production, virtuosic bow technique, left-hand relaxation, and the relationship between a player and their instrument.
Performance & pedagogy
She has held teaching posts at New England Conservatory, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Victoria University of Wellington, and the Gnessin Institute, alongside private studios in Moscow, Jerusalem, Wellington, Boston, and Valencia. Her students have earned competition prizes, scholarships, and orchestral positions around the world.
Credentials
Education, appointments & honours
Doctor of Musical Arts, Boston University
Full scholarship doctoral study in contemporary violin and viola performance and early music performance.
New England Conservatory faculty
Violin and viola instructor in Preparatory and Continuing Education, alongside a private international studio.
Orchestral & chamber career
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Yad Harif Chamber Orchestra, Handel and Haydn Society, and chamber ensembles across four decades.
Students in major orchestras
Student alumni include musicians in Jerusalem, Adelaide, Auckland, New Zealand, Charleston, Colorado, Concertgebouw, and Valencia orchestras.
No barrier to learning
Lessons in your language
In-person students who speak neither Spanish nor English are welcomed all the same — Dr. Rubin teaches with live phone translation, so the language of instruction is never an obstacle. The music does most of the talking.
Study with Dr. Rubin
In person in Valencia or online anywhere in the world. Tell her where you are and where you'd like to go.