Carrie Dennis, currently one of the principal violists of the Berlin Philharmonic (you might have seen her on the front desk for Monday’s broadcast of the BPO’s Mahler 9 with Simon Rattle), has been hired as the new principal viola of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Here’s the LAPhil’s press release:
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN AND THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCE THE APPOINTMENT OF CARRIE DENNIS AS PRINCIPAL VIOLA
Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic have announced the appointment of Carrie Dennis to the post of Principal Viola. Dennis assumes her duties in mid-September, 2008, for the start of the 2008/2009 season. She comes to Los Angeles from the Berlin Philharmonic where she has served as Principal Viola since 2006.
“We are pleased to welcome Carrie Dennis to the Los Angeles Philharmonic,†said Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. “She is clearly one of today’s most promising talents, and I look forward to working with her; she will be a terrific match for this orchestra.â€
“I am honored to be joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic and look forward to working with Esa-Pekka Salonen and all the talented musicians in the orchestra,†says Dennis. “I’ve long been an admirer of Salonen and the work he does with the Philharmonic and playing with them was a thrill. I felt a lot of support from him and the musicians around me and tremendous energy from the audience in the wonderful hall. This is a very exciting time to join this orchestra and to be in Los Angeles.â€
Carrie Dennis was born in 1977, into a musical family in Saratoga Springs, New York. At the age of 16, she began her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a violin student of Victor Danchenko. She also occasionally played the viola in chamber ensembles. Dennis received her B.A. in violin performance in 1999. Following graduation she joined the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and a year later returned to Curtis to study viola with Michael Tree and Joseph de Pasquale.
From 2002 to 2006, she served as Assistant Principal Viola with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and in 2006 she joined the Berlin Philharmonic as Principal Viola. An active chamber musician, Dennis has attended many festivals including Music from Marlboro, Music from Angelfire, Tanglewood, Bay Chamber Festival, Verbier festival, Switzerland, Moritzburg Festival, Germany and Barga Festival, Italy.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music — Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children’s programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.
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