Viola with Ignacio C.

The Spanish violist, Ignacio, has developed an international career as a viola performer and teacher, in Europe, United States, China, and Russia. His collaborations include faculty chamber music recitals with members of the Music Academy of the West, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland String Quartet, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and West Virginia, Penn State, and Columbus State universities. Also, as an avid performer of new music, Ignacio has performed over-the-edge chamber music compositions such as Marcus Balter’s, Codex Seraphinianus, and premiered pieces such as Mechanics for two violas, by Sixto Franco Chordá, and Dark Bagatelles, op.23 for viola and piano, by Ximo Tarin Micó. As an orchestral violist, some of his highlights include performances as principal violist with the Music Academy of the West Symphony Orchestra, the Lancaster Symphony, the Endless Mountain Music Festival, the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, the Inter-Regional Orchestra, the Catalonia College of Music Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra. As a section violist, he has collaborated with ensembles such as West Virginia Symphony, River Cities Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, the Young Orchestra of France, and Spain, and the European Student Chamber Orchestra. Besides his performance career, he currently holds a position of Manager, Librarian, and String Coach at the Pacific Academy Foundation Orchestra, in Irvine, and string faculty at 88 Keys Music Academy, in Arcadia. Ignacio has lead masterclasses at the Monzón Conservatory of Music (Spain), the Pittsburgh Music Academy, and West Virginia University. During his doctoral studies, he held the Graduate Teaching Assitant position of Andrea Priester Houde at West Virginia University, and joined the faculty at the Viola Bootcamp at WVU, the Endless Mountain Music Festival, Inland Empire Musical Arts, Budda's Light Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Pacific Academy Foundation Orchestra, among others. He has lead viola sectionals for All-State Orchestra in Wheeling Park High School, West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, and for the Budda's Light Youth Symphony Orchestra Winter Camp. Ignacio holds a DMA degree in viola performance from West Virginia University, a Master's degree in viola performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Jeffrey Irvine, a Graduate Certificate in viola performance from the University of Southern California, as a student of Donald McInnes, and a Diploma and Undergraduate degrees in viola performance from the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC), as a student of Ashan Pillai and Enrique Santiago.