Are You A Violinist or Violist?
I get asked this question quite frequently. There are people who know me only as a violinist; others have only seen me in the viola section. Some don’t know that I play with rock bands, either. So here’s a quick explanation. 🙂
The short answer: I am both. I am a string doubler.
The long answer: I started playing violin in my school program in fifth grade. By ninth grade I had joined a local youth orchestra which was not your typical youth orchestra. This group performed year-round and had many different ensembles. Because of the nature of the group, performances weren’t exactly mandatory (School obligations always came first.) As a result, there were times the ensemble needed violists, so I and a few other violinists started doubling. By the time I graduated high school, I could (and did) perform in both violin sections and the viola section, sometimes on the same concert. I even did auditions for New York’s All-State Orchestra on both violin and viola (got in on violin, for the record.)
While I majored in violin at Crane, I still played viola on occasion. Upon moving to Los Angeles, I upgraded my viola and marketed myself as a string doubler. Through a random chain of events I got my Master of Music degree in viola, though I started on violin. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The Hungry Musician (because I'm not starving yet!) 