Patrick Clifford

Patrick Clifford, a concert violinist by trade has had a varied and distinguished career as a performer, professor/teacher, administrator, and business owner.
Patrick was principal second violin with the National Chamber Players, and has performed with the Naples Philharmonic, the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra, Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Knoxville Symphony. His performing and teaching have taken him throughout the United States, South and Central America, and China. Mr. Clifford held the position of assistant professor of violin and viola at Palm Beach Atlantic University from 2000 to 2025, where his position included being first violinist in Quartetto Stringendo, the quartet-in-residence at the university, the founder/director of the Preparatory Department, founder/director of Stringendo School For Strings and the concertmaster of the Palm Beach Atlantic Symphony. For five years he was the Coordinator of the String Division and for three years he held the position of Chair of the Department of Music.
In 2000 Mr. Clifford founded the Stringendo School for Strings, a school of music that seeks to develop exceptional string players from ages 3 through 18. Mr. Clifford is the author of the Stringendo School for Strings Method, a method which emphasizes knowing all aspects of violin playing for the purpose of mastering the instrument. Over his forty-year teaching career Mr. Clifford has had the distinct privilege of watching his students succeed and flourish in the field of music as solo and chamber musicians, orchestral musicians, and highly successful teachers. Mr. Clifford is a frequent clinician at conferences, judge for competitions, and has given masterclasses and string sectionals throughout the United States, South and Central America, and China. Mr. Clifford was secretary for the Florida chapter of the American String Teachers Association from 2002 to 2004. In 2003 he initiated and instituted the American String Teachers Association Certificate Program in the state of Florida. In 2025 Patrick established Casa Stringendo Inc., an enterprise headquartered in South Florida that entails performing, teaching, and a boutique fine string instrument shop.
A native of Michigan, Mr. Clifford began his violin studies at age six. Many of his formative years were spent studying at the University of Michigan School of Music with Robert Culver. His summer studies include Interlochen International Music Camp, Meadowmount School for Strings, and Encore School for Strings. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and his Master of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Miami. His teachers include Daniel Majeske, Stephen Majeske, David Cerone, David Updegraff and Glenn Basham. Mr. Clifford performs on a violin previously in the collection of Mischa Mischakoff bearing the name Matteo Goffriller 1720. Patrick resides in Atlantis, Florida with his violinist wife Belen. They have two grown children: Nathan, a professional violinist and Joanna, a professional ballerina.