Rita Porfiris

• Deild: Víóla
• Starfsheiti: staðgengill leiðara

American violist RITA PORFIRIS has performed worldwide as a chamber musician, orches-tral musician, and as a soloist.

 Currently the Co-Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony, and on leave as Professor of Viola at The Hartt School, she also taught at New York University, the University of Hou-ston Moores 'School of Music, Florida International Univer-sity, and the Harlem School for the Arts in New York. She has given master classes across the U.S., United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, South and Central America.

 Ms. Porfiris is a member of the Miller-Porfiris Duo and Quar-tetES. She was the recipient of Austria's Prix Mercure, a prize winner in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Primrose International Viola Competition, and a lau-reate of the Paolo Borciani International Quartet Competi-tion.

 As a long tenured member of the Houston Symphony and a guest of the Indianapolis, Chi-cago, and other symphonies, she worked under Leonard Bernstein, Sergiu Celibidache, Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, Claudio Abbaddo, and Christoph Eschenbach. Equally at home in a wide variety of genres, Rita has shared the stage with Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Bernadette Peters, Lyle Lovett, Rod Stewart, and Tony Bennett.

 The Baltimore Sun declared "Rita Porfiris proved an ideal soloist, as much for her richness of tone and impeccable articulation as for the warmth and subtlety of her phrasing."

 Rita's transcriptions have been enjoyed worldwide. Gramophone Magazine called her tran-scription of Gliere's Eight Pieces Op. 39, "satisfying" and "sung with beautiful warmth." American Record Guide declared the duo's 4th album, "Threaded Sky"“ in the top ten of all albums I've reviewed.” On the production side, her video work for classical concerts has been favorably reviewed by the Guardian and the UK based "Arts Desk", getting "five stars for originality and execution."

 She received her BM and MM, from The Juilliard School.