Victor De Almeida

A double prize winner at the 2008 Primrose International Viola Competition, Victor de Almeida has been Principal Violist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Paavo Järvi (including two European Tours and for the Beijing Olympics celebrations) and Associate Principal Violist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. While studying at the Peabody Institute of Music of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Victor served as Principal Violist of the Annapolis Symphony and substitute regularly with the Baltimore Symphony. Victor was recently Guest Principal Violist of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Principal Violist for the Castleton Opera Festival in Berkley under the baton of Lorin Maazel, and Guest Principal of the New West Symphony. He has taught Master Classes at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and is currently on the faculties of Mount Saint Mary’s College in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills School of Music.

In addition to his numerous solo and chamber music performances, Victor records for Fox Television. Mr. Almeida was born into a Brazilian-American musical family in Adelaide, Australia where his parents were the Principal and Assistant Principal cellists of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; like most leading virtuosos, Victor began early, playing violin and piano at the age of three.

For the past year, Victor has been collaborating on a number of groundbreaking original virtuosic arrangements for viola and piano intended to take the viola and classical music into the 21st century. He is an avid collector of viola music and takes pride in performing rare works that he found during his research.