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Bridget Callahan, Viola
Violist Bridget Callahan began her musical study at the age of ten in her public school orchestra program in Portland, Oregon. While in Oregon, she participated in various classical musical ensembles and enjoyed collaborating with Portland-based rock band The Decemberists on many tracks on their album, Her Majesty, The Decemberists. Curious about life outside the Pacific Northwest, she spent four years in the Midwest and completed a BA in music and American studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. While at St. Olaf, Bridget served as principal violist and president of the St. Olaf Orchestra and was a founding member of the Rockaway Quartet. She was also the winner of the 2005 St. Olaf Orchestra concerto competition, performing Blochs Suite (1919) in many venues including Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. After graduating cum laude, Bridget headed back to the west coast and began her Master of Music degree in viola performance in 2007 at the University of California Santa Barbara. At UCSB, Bridget was an active chamber musician and member of the University Symphony and the Ensemble for Contemporary Music. Locally, she performed with the Santa Maria Philharmonic and with singer/guitarist Erland Wanberg. Bridget also maintained a large private studio and served as rehearsal manager and coach for the Santa Barbara Youth Symphonys Junior and Intermezzo String Orchestras.
Bridget has recently relocated to Chicago and is performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, one of the nations foremost pre-professional orchestras, for the 09-10 season. She is also pursuing a Performance Certificate at DePaul University under the guidance of Chicago Symphony violist Karin Dirks.
Bridget's primary teachers include Helen Callus, Charles Gray, Sam Bergman, Charles Noble, and Ruth Petrasso. Other mentors include Robert Koenig, Steven Amundson, and Anton Armstrong. Festivals include the International Festival Institute at Round Top, Musicorda, Marrowstone and the Tanglewood Institute. Professionally, Bridget is a member of the American Viola Society and the American String Teachers Association.
Beyond her viola, Bridget enjoys singing karaoke, hiking, and drinking good coffee.
