Ashley Vandiver, violinist, has earned recognition for her artistry as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. She is currently principal second of the UBS Verbier Orchestra under the direction of Maestro James Levine and has also performed with the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Chamber Orchestra, Fifth Tier New Music Ensemble, the Boston Philharmonic and in the first violin section of the Resident Orchestra of The Hague, where she served as an interim player.
Ms. Vandiver has collaborated with such esteemed artists as James Buswell, Norman Fischer, Patricia McCarty, Nathaniel Rosen, Nicholas Mann, Terry King and composer, Michael Gandolfi. She made her professional solo debut with the Fort Bend Symphony in her native Texas at the age of 16, followed by a performance of the Brahms Double with the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Orchestra. A first-prize winner in the Juanita Miller Strings Competition and the Houston Young Artist Competition, she subsequently was featured on PBS television and as a recitalist at Rice University.
Festival appearances include Angel Fire, Encore, LyricaFest, Texas Music Festival, and the Aria International Music Academy. Ms. Vandiver has performed in over thirty countries on five continents, including solo performances at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago and the International Bach Festival in Leipzig, Germany. She has been requested to perform for such notables as Prince Edward, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former celebrated Texas Governor, Ann Richards, where she received the Yellow Rose of Texas Governor’s Award for Musical Achievement.
A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music with distinction in violin performance, she then went on to receive her Master of Music Degree from the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands. Principal teachers include James Buswell, Vera Beths, Kennith Goldsmith and Laura Bossert. Ms. Vandiver has coached chamber music extensively with Paul Katz, Lucy Chapman, Pamela Frank, Anner Bylsma, and members of the St. Lawrence, Mendelssohn, Miami, St. Petersburg, and Julliard String Quartets.
Ashley has performed with the local alt-country band The Patrons and Bronson Arroyo. She loves watching movies, especially 1940’s film noir and documentaries. Ashley is an avid/obsessive Red Sox fan and looks forward to taunting ROGER in Fenway this year. She feels a special closeness with Jonathan Papelbon even though they have yet to meet. If you know him, please speak with Ashley at the end of tonight’s concert.