Bio

Violinist and violist Liz Mandic-Nowac is a vibrant performing and recording artist, dynamic educator, and dedicated advocate for community engagement through the arts. Based in New York City, she is an active freelancer and multi-genre instrumentalist who regularly performs with a wide range of ensembles and serves as a designated substitute musician on Broadway’s productions of The Outsiders and The Book of Mormon.

From Sunbury, Ohio, her performance career has taken her across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia in collaboration with renowned artists, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Glen Dicterow, Pinchas Zukerman, Alisa Weilerstein, James Galway, Olga Kern, Jeff Beal, Billy Childs, Lenny White, Ray Angry, the Guarneri String Quartet, Susan Graham, Denyce Graves, and many others. She was also the violinist of the resident piano quartet aboard the MSS Eurodam, presenting more than 400 live performances to global audiences during a five-month contract.

As a teaching artist, Liz is deeply committed to music education and community engagement as a way to cultivate unity, empathy, and creative agency She currently serves as the program manager of the Morse Teaching Artist Fellowship at The Juilliard School, empowering college students to engage with NYC communities, students, and educators through meaningful, collaborative music-making and culturally responsive teaching. Her accessible and inclusive philosophy to teaching reflects her belief that artistic expression is a human right—one that can foster lifelong musicianship, self-confidence, and meaningful social-emotional connections. Her approach starts with meeting students where they are, celebrating small milestones, setting achievable goals, transforming challenges into creative problem-solving opportunities, and nurturing each student’s unique voice and interests. 

Liz holds a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Music Education from The Ohio State University. She has had the great privilege of learning from her mentors: Peter Winograd, Joey Corpus, Dr. Kia Hui Tan, Dr. Robert Gillespie, Leonid Polonsky, Lee Joiner, Gregory Fulkerson, and Roger Stieg. She began her violin study at 4 years old, and the viola at 13 years old. 

Outside of her musical career, Liz is an environmentalist and former National Park Service ranger, having worked in both Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks—experiences that continue to shape and inspire her artistic perspective.

Teaching Info

Over 15 years of teaching experience.

• students ages 3-90 years old, beginner to advanced
• includes instruction in:
  • private lessons
  • group class
  • early childhood and elementary general music classes
  • middle and high school orchestra direction
  • chamber music coaching
  • audition prep
  • state solo and ensemble tutoring
  • Royal Conservatory testing prep
  • teacher training

My teaching philosophy centers around cultivating human expression and creative-agency free from performance anxiety and physical stress. My goal is guide each student to assess themselves, so they are confident to explore their instrument and practice efficiently. I curate each student’s arc of learning according to their personal goals/interests and arrive to each lesson prepared with a individualized plan.

Lessons with me are a welcoming, joyful space where students feel supported and comfortable to try new ideas while developing strong technique, music literacy, and composition skills. Through the process of learning how to play an instrument, my students grow in self-confidence, discipline, perseverance, and grit.