Rita porfiris, viola

American violist RITA PORFIRIS  has performed worldwide as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and as a soloist.

Currently the Co-Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony, she was formerly the Professor of Viola and Chair of Chamber Music at The Hartt School. She also taught at New York University, the 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 across the U.S., United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, South and Central America.

Ms. Porfiris is a member of the Miller-Porfiris Duo and QuartetES. She was the recipient of Austria’s Prix Mercure, 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. 

As a long tenured member of the Houston Symphony and a guest of the Indianapolis, Chicago, and other symphonies, she worked under Leonard Bernstein, Sergiu Celibidache, Kurt Masur, Michael Tilson Thomas, Ricardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Christoph Eschenbach. Equally at home in a wide variety of genres, Rita has shared the stage with Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Bernadette Peters, Lyle Lovett, Rod Stewart, and Tony Bennett. 

The Baltimore Sun declared "Rita Porfiris proved an ideal soloist, as much for her richness of tone and impeccable articulation as for the warmth and subtlety of her phrasing."

Rita’s transcriptions have been enjoyed worldwide. Gramophone Magazine called her transcription of Gliere’s Eight Pieces Op. 39, "satisfying" and "sung with beautiful warmth." American Record Guide declared the duo’s 4th album, "Threaded Sky" “in the top ten of all albums I’ve reviewed.”  She is a musician or featured musician on over 100 commercial albums and television productions. On the production side, her video work for classical concerts has been favorably reviewed by the Guardian and the UK based "Arts Desk",  getting "five stars for originality and execution.” 

She received her BM and MM from The Juilliard School studying with William Lincer. other teachers and mentors include  Paul Doktor, Norbert Brainin, and Harvey Shapiro.