To those who have known me a while, it comes as no surprise that music is an integral part of my life. I've played one instrument or another for over twenty years now. I started out with violin and voice, and in high school, I was in Madrigals and the Granite Youth Symphony Orchestra. After high school, I switched my focus to the viola (it fit me better - I have large hands), majoring in Music Performance at the University of Utah, playing with the Utah Philharmonia and singing in the University Concert Chorale. After I left the U, I joined the Salt Lake Symphony and performed with them until mid-2000 (the picture at the top of this page was taken at the Vienna Ball, one of SLSO's annual concerts). I also was substitute player with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra in Northeastern Iowa (a PAYING gig, woohoo!) when I lived in the Midwest. I'm looking for a group now, but might have to travel to Raleigh to find one. People constantly tell viola jokes in an attempt to rile me up, but I tell them just as often myself, holding to the thought that viola players are more entitled to tell viola jokes than any other member of the orchestra. =) However, to anyone who seriously attempts to belittle my choice of musical specialization, I have only this to say (with thanks to Ralph Aldrich):

Eat out thy heart, O Cello proud, And Violin, go don thy shroud. Pray Saint Cecilia's mercy mild Forgive thy up and downbows wild, For she in sacred restitution, Bless'd VIOLA'S contribution, Paying IT the compliment Of genius' favoured instrument. Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak, Britten, All for orchestras have written. Hear, O Man, and earth rejoice. . . VIOLA played they all - BY CHOICE!

so there. =)

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~ art is long, but life is short ~