Stephen Schmidt
Viola
Phone: (804) 677-2988
E-mail: sschmidt@vcu.edu
Stephen Schmidt has been a full-time violist with the Richmond Symphony since 1996, and is principal violist of the Williamsburg Sinfonia. He grew up outside of Philadelphia in Havertown, Pennsylvania and at the age of 14 started commuting to New York City on weekends to attend The Juilliard School's Pre-College program. He went on to earn Pre-College, Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. His teachers have included Roberto Diaz, Paul Neubauer, Eugene Becker, Joseph DePasquale, and Paul Doktor. He has participated in many music festivals, including Tanglewood, Spoleto (Italy), Bowdoin Chamber Music Festival, Kinhaven, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Dr. Schmidt currently teaches viola at Virginia Commonwealth University and is the Director of the Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Concerts series. That series features both concerts and masterclasses by internationally renowned chamber groups and classical instrumentalists. His summers are spent teaching and performing at the Performing Arts Institute in Pennsylvania. He is the coordinator of strings for that program and has been featured as a soloist with their orchestra in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K. 364, Alan Shulman's Theme and Variations for Viola and String Orchestra, and Bruch's Romanze Op. 85 for Viola and Orchestra. As a member of the Richmond Chamber Players, he has been able to pursue his interest in chamber music by performing numerous works each year. His wife Holly Rose is also a violist and violinist and has extended long-term apprenticeship training in the Suzuki Method. Together they enjoy teaching all ages and ranges of young string players.
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