Violist Ann Marie Brink has performed in solo and chamber music recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Aspen Music Festival, Library of Congress, Severance Hall, Rockport Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Chamber Music Chicago, and the Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival, and has been a featured soloist with the Dallas Symphony. An avid chamber musician, Ms.
Renee Skerik serves as Instructor of Viola and Chamber Music, and Chair of Strings at the Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan. She performs regularly with her string colleagues, Tina Xu, Ara Sarkissian and Patrick Owen, in the Interlochen String Quartet and serves as Principal Violist of the Traverse City Symphony.
Timothy Deighton is professor of viola at Penn State, where he teaches viola, chamber music, viola literature and pedagogy, orchestral excerpts classes, and directs the Penn State Viola Ensemble.
American violist Caroline Coade is a passionate educator who was named Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD) in 2016. A San Diego native, Ms. Coade began taking Suzuki violin lessons at age 6 and switched to the viola at age 14. She graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy (MI) and went on to receive a bachelor of music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory, an artist diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music, and a master of music degree from The Juilliard School. Her principal teachers include Karen Tuttle, Joyce Robbins, Jeffrey Irvine, David Takeno, David Holland, and Eugene Becker.
Michael Strauss served as principal violist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for 20 years and has taught at prominent schools of music including Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music. His love for the intimate concert setting has led to performances, live broadcasts, and festivals across North America, Europe, and Asia as well as several critically acclaimed recordings including Mozart’s complete viola quintets with the Fine Arts Quartet and the debut recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Sonata.
Daniel Sweaney has performed and recorded in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has taught at the University of Alabama, the Orford Arts Centre, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. He is currently on the faculty at the University of South Carolina.
Basil Vendryes has been Principal Violist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra since 1993. He is a former member of the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Rochester Philharmonic orchestras. He currently serves on the faculties of the Lamont School of Music of the University of Denver, the Quartet Program at SUNY Fredonia, Interharmony International Music Festival in Italy and the Music and More Summerfest in Trebinje, Bosnia.
In 1997 violist Lembi Veskimets was appointed to the Cleveland Orchestra, an orchestra long considered among the handful of the world's greatest symphonic ensembles.
Roger Myers enjoys an impressive record of performing and teaching both here and abroad. He has traveled widely presenting critically acclaimed concerts and master classes in countries on four continents including Austria, Norway, Scotland, China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico.
Susan Dubois was the sole viola winner of Artists International's 23rd Annual Auditions and was presented in her solo New York recital debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. Dubois has extensive experience as a chamber musician, performing and coaching throughout the Australia, South America and the United States. A former viola teaching assistant for Karen Tuttle at Juilliard, she is currently professor of viola at the University of North Texas in Denton.
