Judy Geist
Photo Credit: Judy Geist
Violist Judy Geist joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1983 under the baton of Riccardo Muti. She has performed in The Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series with the Society Hill String Quintet, fellow orchestra colleagues, and guest artists Chantal Juillet, Trulls Mork, Pamela Frank, Emanuel Ax, and Maestro Christoff Eschenbach.
A native of Long Island, NY, Geist began playing violin at age 7 after falling in love with the sound of the violin (performed by Zino Francescotti on the Ed Sullivan Show). She was later drawn to the warm tones of the viola and influenced by her grandmother's description of the viola as "the sound of the human voice." She continued her lessons with Lilo Kantorowitz Glick and went on to study at The Curtis Institute of Music with PO Principal Violist Joseph DePasquale, graduating in 1974.
Geist joined the Audubon Quartet in 1975 based in Binghamton, NY and attained a Masters degree at SUNY Binghamton. From there she served as Principal Violist with the National Ballet of Canada accompanying reknown dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Karin Kain on tours and engagements at the Met in NYC; the Soviet Émigré Orchestra on tour to Columbia, S.A. including a memorable performance of Tchaikovsky's "Serenade" honoring the imprisoned physicist, Andrei Sakharov including an impassioned speech by Ted Kennedy at the Kennedy Center; and with the Philharmonia Virtuosi performing on tours to Tokyo and concert series in NY. In 1978, Geist performed with Chick Corea on a world tour to Europe, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. She played on Broadway, in commercials and films, and regularly with Mostly Mozart, the American Composers Orchestra, the American Ballet Theatre, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and with visiting international dance troupes at the Nederlander Theatre and the Met. She also appeared frequently with Orpheus and in the NY Philharmonic. In chamber music, Geist appeared regularly with the American Chamber Ensemble, the Music Project, and as guest artist with the Lenox Quartet and the Thouvenal Quartet in Midland, Texas. She performed several recitals including concerts at Field Recital Hall at The Curtis Institute of Music and Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She participated in the Grand Teton Music, the Milwaukee New Music Festival, the Madeira Bach Festival in Portugal, the International Women's Music Festival, the Composer's Forum in Vermont, and at the Newport Jazz Festival. Active in new music, Geist recorded and premiered works in Philadelphia and NYC with Parnassus, Orchestra of Our Time, and Network for New Music.
Among many works, Geist premiered a solo work by composer/conductor Donald York, music for tape and viola by Diane Thome, and commissioned viola music by composers Sylvia Glickman, and Hannibal Lokumbe who completed When the Peace Comes for viola and spoken word influenced the 9/11 tragedy, premiered at Cornish College in Seattle during Geist's teaching residency in 2001. Later on Whidbey Island, Geist presented chamber music concerts including one program featuring PO musicians who appeared in the film, Music From the Inside Out, and guest pianist Natalie Zhu. Geist also appeared at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) with Elizabeth Pitcairn performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. Supported by an enthusiastic community, Geist formed EnSemBle M, attracting artists from around the country who joined Judy Geist to perform in homes and venues on Whidbey Island.
In 2012, EnSemBle M gave its east coast premiere in the ballroom of the William Way LGBT Community Center involving PO musicians, Amy Oshiro-Morales and Ricardo Morales. Geist also joined pianist Ching-Yun Hu at the WWCC in 2012 and in 2013 for a special presentation of music by Jennifer Higdon.
A native of Long Island, NY, Geist began playing violin at age 7 after falling in love with the sound of the violin (performed by Zino Francescotti on the Ed Sullivan Show). She was later drawn to the warm tones of the viola and influenced by her grandmother's description of the viola as "the sound of the human voice." She continued her lessons with Lilo Kantorowitz Glick and went on to study at The Curtis Institute of Music with PO Principal Violist Joseph DePasquale, graduating in 1974.
Geist joined the Audubon Quartet in 1975 based in Binghamton, NY and attained a Masters degree at SUNY Binghamton. From there she served as Principal Violist with the National Ballet of Canada accompanying reknown dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Karin Kain on tours and engagements at the Met in NYC; the Soviet Émigré Orchestra on tour to Columbia, S.A. including a memorable performance of Tchaikovsky's "Serenade" honoring the imprisoned physicist, Andrei Sakharov including an impassioned speech by Ted Kennedy at the Kennedy Center; and with the Philharmonia Virtuosi performing on tours to Tokyo and concert series in NY. In 1978, Geist performed with Chick Corea on a world tour to Europe, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. She played on Broadway, in commercials and films, and regularly with Mostly Mozart, the American Composers Orchestra, the American Ballet Theatre, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and with visiting international dance troupes at the Nederlander Theatre and the Met. She also appeared frequently with Orpheus and in the NY Philharmonic. In chamber music, Geist appeared regularly with the American Chamber Ensemble, the Music Project, and as guest artist with the Lenox Quartet and the Thouvenal Quartet in Midland, Texas. She performed several recitals including concerts at Field Recital Hall at The Curtis Institute of Music and Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She participated in the Grand Teton Music, the Milwaukee New Music Festival, the Madeira Bach Festival in Portugal, the International Women's Music Festival, the Composer's Forum in Vermont, and at the Newport Jazz Festival. Active in new music, Geist recorded and premiered works in Philadelphia and NYC with Parnassus, Orchestra of Our Time, and Network for New Music.
Among many works, Geist premiered a solo work by composer/conductor Donald York, music for tape and viola by Diane Thome, and commissioned viola music by composers Sylvia Glickman, and Hannibal Lokumbe who completed When the Peace Comes for viola and spoken word influenced the 9/11 tragedy, premiered at Cornish College in Seattle during Geist's teaching residency in 2001. Later on Whidbey Island, Geist presented chamber music concerts including one program featuring PO musicians who appeared in the film, Music From the Inside Out, and guest pianist Natalie Zhu. Geist also appeared at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) with Elizabeth Pitcairn performing Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. Supported by an enthusiastic community, Geist formed EnSemBle M, attracting artists from around the country who joined Judy Geist to perform in homes and venues on Whidbey Island.
In 2012, EnSemBle M gave its east coast premiere in the ballroom of the William Way LGBT Community Center involving PO musicians, Amy Oshiro-Morales and Ricardo Morales. Geist also joined pianist Ching-Yun Hu at the WWCC in 2012 and in 2013 for a special presentation of music by Jennifer Higdon.