Lillian Klotz Foster has performed in venues throughout the United States and Central America including Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia's Academy of Music, Cleveland's Severance Hall, Panama City's Teatro Anita Villaz, the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, and "Good Morning Arizona." A native of Philadelphia, she resides in Yokohama, Japan. She is a member of the KAFY Piano Trio and a violinist with the Asia Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra. She has a Master's degree in violin performance at the Pennsylvania State University where she was a graduate assistant. At Penn State University, Mrs. Foster performed in the Philharmonic Orchestra and in the Graduate String Quartet. She also played in the first violin section of the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra. Outside of the university, she taught private and group violin classes with the State College Suzuki Program. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Mrs. Foster taught middle school orchestra in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona.
Lillian Klotz Foster began Suzuki violin at age 7, at the Academy of Children's Music (Fort Washington, PA). Her early studies took place at the Settlement Music School, and Temple Music Prep, where she was a student of Charles Parker. During high school, she was a summer participant at Interlochen Arts Camp and Luzerne Music Center. Mrs. Foster is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she studied music education and violin as a student of Andrew Jennings. During her studies at Oberlin, Klotz traveled annually to Panama City, Panama with her quartet as a guest teacher and performer in the country's annual music camp and festival. In Oberlin, she was actively involved in teaching violin in the community and served as the collegiate president for the Music Education Association of Oberlin.
In addition to classical training, Mrs. Foster began performing Klezmer music at age 12 with her father in their synagogue band "the Or Hadash Klezmaniacs," where she later served as musical director for the group's revival. She has worked with some of the world's leading Klezmer musicians at Living Tradition's KlezKamp and KlezKanada. Klezmer music has led Klotz to other non-classical experiences, collaborating for recordings with pop and rock artists, and playing an occasional tango or blues number.
Committed to growth as a teacher and educational leader, Lillian Klotz Foster is working towards a master's degree in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph's University. She has completed coursework in school finance, curriculum development, human resource management, evaluation and measurement, among others.
Lillian Klotz Foster now lives Yokohama, Japan with her son and husband. She teaches music and violin at K Space International School in Shirokanedai, Tokyo. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running and studying Japanese.