Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the ‘Black Mozart’

(but it is truly Mozart who should be called the ‘White Saint-Georges’)

Speaker Bio

Dr. Quinton Morris enjoys a multifaceted career as a violinist, educator, entrepreneur, and filmmaker. He has performed recitals and given master classes around the world including venues at Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, The Louvre Museum, Berklee College of Music, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the University of Paris at Dauphine, Dong-Eui University (Korea), and the National Taiwan Normal University.

Dr. Morris is the inaugural Artist-Scholar-in-Residence at Classical KING, where he hosts “Unmute The Voices,” a radio show and video series celebrating the music and performances of composers and performers, who are people of color. He is the executive director and founder of Key to Change, a non-profit violin and viola studio serving South King County that focuses on creating opportunities for young musicians of color and those from underserved, lower socio-economic backgrounds. Students enrolled in the program have appeared as soloists with the Seattle Symphony and other regional symphony orchestras, and performed for Dr. Jill Biden, the First Lady of the United States.

Dr. Morris is the recipient of numerous recent awards including the Pathfinder Award from the Puget Sound Association of Phi Beta Kappa, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Outstanding Studio Teacher Award by the Washington State Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Seattle Magazine recently recognized him as a “Most Influential Educator for 2023” in their January/February issue.

Dr. Morris holds a doctorate in violin performance from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a voting member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys) and is a former co-chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. He is the Professor of Violin at Seattle University and is the second Black violinist in United States history to obtain the highest rank in academia. He resides in Seattle with his partner Dr. James Kuan and dog Ocho.