EMILY YAFFE

ICMS Director Emily Yaffe believes that all students have the capacity to evolve into musicians, and she is committed to working together with them and their families to achieve their musical goals. Emily founded the ICMS in 2011 while searching for her American family’s place in Basel, and ultimately combined her interests of music, language, and community to form the school's mission.

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Emily was born in Fairfax, Virginia (USA), and grew up in Connecticut, in a family of music educators. She received her Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School and came to Basel shortly thereafter to study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. While in the U.S., Emily performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center. As an educator, Emily’s teaching has taken her through the Hartt School Community Division, New York City’s Lucy Moses School, and Harlem’s Opus 118.

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Emily brings her unique experience to ICMS. She began teaching violin lessons in her living room and currently leads the school with over 100 students in multiple locations. A trained Suzuki violin and Early Childhood Education teacher, Emily believes in every student’s infinite capacity to learn. Emily lives in Basel with her husband, also a musician and teacher, and their two children. At ICMS, she teaches violin, viola, and Suzuki Early Childhood Education.