Rita Porfiris, Viola

Violist Rita Porfiris has performed in major concert halls across the globe as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist. Currently Co-Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony, she is a former member of the Houston Symphony, and played with the Chicago Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and RSO Berlin among others, working with conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Sergiu Celibidache, Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, Claudio Abbado, and Christoph Eschenbach. Ms. Porfiris is a member of the Miller-Porfiris Duo and QuartetES. She received Austria’s Prix Mercure, was a prize winner in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Primrose International Viola Competition, and a laureate of the Paolo Borciani International Quartet Competition. A committed educator, she was formerly Professor of Viola, Chair of Strings and Chair of Chamber Music at The Hartt School as well as on faculty at New York University, University of Houston Moores’ School of Music, Florida International University, and the Harlem School for the Arts in New York. She has given master classes, lectures and clinics worldwide. Ms. Porfiris received her BM and MM in Viola Performance from The Juilliard School. Teachers and mentors included William Lincer, Paul Doktor, Norbert Brainin, and Harvey Shapiro. www.ritaporfiris.com 

Upcoming Concerts: Silent Movie Shorts May 28, 2025
Bach & Beethoven May 29, 2025
Appalachian Spring June 8, 2025