festival associate director, viola

Executive Director, Buffalo String Works; Radio Host, Classical 94.5 WNED.

Violist Virginia Barron is equally adept as a chamber player, orchestral musician and teacher. A native of Toronto, Canada, Virginia received her training at the University of Toronto and the Manhattan School of Music. Her major teachers include Lillian Fuchs, Kim Kashkashian and Paul Armin. As an orchestral player, Virginia has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and most recently the Toronto Symphony. Tours with the Chicago Symphony over the past 10 seasons include concerts in Berlin, South America, Lucerne, New York and Florida.

An ardent and experienced chamber musician, Virginia has been associated for many years with the Colorado College Summer Music Festival as performer, teacher and associate director.Other summer chamber music festivals include the Ravinia Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Algonquin Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival. She is also associate director of the Sweetwater Chamber Music Weekend in Owen Sound, Ontario and has recently performed with new music groups in Toronto such as New Music Concerts and Soundstreams. A dedicated teacher who has taught many pupils in her viola studio, she currently is on the faculties of the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto. Virginia lives in Buffalo, NY with cats Chuck and Percy and dog Zelda.