PROFILE OF EVELINA CHAO, MUSICIAN

Presently Assistant Principal Viola of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and teacher and coach, Evelina Chao is widely sought after as a chamber musician performer, chamber music coach, private studio teacher, master class clinician and coach for pedagogy instruction.

A graduate of The Juilliard School in 1972 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin performance, Chao was awarded a teaching fellowship with her principal teacher, Dorothy DeLay. Chao also studied with Ivan Galamian, Samuel Kissel, William Lincer, and received chamber music coaching with members of the Juilliard, Galimir, and Lenox Quartets. In 1973 she was invited to become first violinist of the Amici Quartet, artists-in-residence at Colgate University and Hamilton-Kirkland Colleges in Clinton, New York. The Amici Quartet performed in the United States and Europe and spent the summer of 1974 in London, England studying with Norbert Brainin, first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet.
Awarded a Master’s Degree in Music from the State University of New York in Binghamton, New York, Chao left the Amici Quartet to join the Indianapolis Symphony, where she performed as section first violin and Acting Concertmaster. In 1980 she won the audition for the position of viola with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, where she was subsequently awarded the title of Assistant Principal by Music Director Pinchas Zukerman.

Chao has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony, Arlington Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared as recitalist at the Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C. and throughout New York. As a chamber musician she has performed with Pinchas Zukerman, Jaime Laredo, Joseph Silverstein, Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, The Fine Arts Quartet, the Penderecki Quartet, and the Pacifica Quartet. Festival appearances include The Aspen Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains, Cactus Pear Festival and the Bach, Dancing and Dynamite Festival. She has recorded the Schulhof Concertino and the Tschaikovsky Souvenir de Florence on the Russian Disc Label.

Currently Director of Music for Students for the Madeline Island Music Camp, Chao is a passionate teacher and advocate of young musicians. As chamber music coach and teacher at Madeline Island, (www.music-camp.org) Chao believes in teaching the joy of music through the thorough exploration and understanding of the composer’s intent as well as the practice and attainment of the skills in bow and left-hand technique. Her teaching philosophy is based on the firm belief that each student is a unique individual for whom the fulfillment of technique and musical expression requires a flexible approach based on sound fundamentals. Chao’s teaching approach is founded on 35 years of experience working with students who have gone on to study at Juilliard, Indiana University, The Eastman School of Music, The New England Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Michigan University at Ann Arbor.

Chao also believes in the support and ongoing education of those teaching string playing. For the past five years she has served as a professional coach for the Pedagogy Class at the Summer String Academy at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, under the Directorship of Mimi Zweig. Chao’s purpose there is to help teachers process their learning and integrate their findings with their existing studio experience at home.

EVELINA CHAO IS AVAILABLE FOR:

• Guesting as violist with chamber music ensembles

• Coaching chamber music ranging from groups of young musicians 13 yrs. old to conservatory level to amateur adults.

• giving master classes in solo violin and viola repertoire or chamber music performance

• coaching preparation for orchestra auditions

• private lessons

• coaching teachers in the areas of studio management, personal and professional development, balancing lifestyle.

Experienced and comfortable in the university, conservatory, intermediate or high school environment or private home, with small groups ranging from two or three to larger groups of twenty or more, Evelina Chao will coach repertoire ranging from the standard classical solo, sonata and concerto repertoire for violin and viola, and chamber music including the 6 Haydn (beruhmte)Mozart Quartets, Beethoven Op. 18, 59, 74, 95, 127, 130 Quartets, Bartok 1,2,4,5 Quartets, Debussy and Ravel, Smetana, Dvorak Op. 151 and “American,” 3 Brahms Quartets, Shostakovich Nos. 3,6,8,10, etc.

Please contact for availability, fees, more information.