IBO Musicians


Noted for programs “vividly realized,” Janelle Davis has a heart for music and performance that inspires thought, beauty, and connection. Her lifelong relationship with the violin has been nurtured by her musical heroes, mentors, and colleagues, and she values sharing her rich experience with audiences.

Janelle has been performing with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra since 2007, and is an avid chamber musician, leader, soloist and player with ensembles throughout the Midwest and southeastern United States including the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra (NCBO), Mallarmé Music, Mountainside Baroque, Raleigh Camerata, and Bach Collegium Fort Wayne. She has recorded for Cedille Records, IU Press, Heartland Baroque, and Naxos, and has been heard in programs for NPR, PBS television, and live on Chicago’s WFMT classical radio. Janelle has given concerts in China, Europe, Canada, the U.K, and was recently featured with NCBO at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

A devoted educator, Janelle teaches preschool through adult learners in her home studio, and is on faculty at Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte, NC) where she teaches applied lessons, and directs the long-running Baroque Ensemble. At Central Piedmont, Janelle has the rewarding position of developing the musical talents and interests of amateur players along-side advanced high-school, and young college students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. She has introduced many new players to the viola da gamba and to the field of historical performance.

Janelle studied baroque violin with Cynthia Roberts and Stanley Ritchie, and performance practice with Lyle Nordstrom. She holds a Doctor of Music degree in Early Music from Indiana University specializing in music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Her doctoral research included a study of the violin concertos of Samuel Wesley, his Methodist roots, and his contributions to the early Bach revival in England.