Amelia Posner-Hess is a violinist from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is currently based in Rochester, New York. She earned her B.M. in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music in May 2026 and is currently pursuing an Advanced Diploma in the studio of Renée Jolles. She has served as concertmaster with the Eastman Philharmonia, Eastman Empire Film and Media Ensemble, and Eastman School Symphony Orchestra. Amelia has participated in the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Lyrica-Fest Boston, Heifetz International Music Institute, and Chautauqua Institution School of Music. Recent distinctions include the 2026 Celentano Award for Excellence in Chamber Music and finalist recognition in the North Carolina Symphony Concerto Competition.
Amelia is also committed to community engagement and collaborative music-making. She helps lead and organize a klezmer ensemble that performs throughout Upstate New York, and has participated in community-based Jewish music-making in North Carolina and Rochester for many years. Through a string quartet program at Eastman, she also currently mentors incarcerated individuals, collaborating on original compositions and performing their music alongside traditional quartet repertoire. Her musical experiences span classical performance, klezmer, film and media music, and community-based programming.