MARIO RIVERA

Guest artist

VIOLA

Mario Rivera is a Honduran violist based in Los Angeles, CA. Prior moving to LA he was a fellow with the New World Symphony, and prior that he was a founding member of the Ajax Quartet. Together they held a graduate quartet residency at the University of Colorado Boulder to study extensively with the Grammy Award-

winning Takacs Quartet. Mario has also collaborated with renown musicians such as Gil Shaham, Alexander Kobrin, George Li, Sergiu Schwartz, Wendy Warner, Klaus Stoll, and has worked with the Jupiter, Escher, JACK, American and Pacifica string quartets.

Mario Rivera has a prolific orchestra career performing with several orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, the New World Symphony, Honduras Philharmonic Orchestra, Costa Rica National Symphony Orchestra, and appears regularly with the Sphinx Virtuosi. He has participated in many festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Pacific Music Festival and Brevard Music Festival. Has appeared as soloist with the San Pedro Sula Chamber Orchestra, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, and the Virtuosi String Ensemble. Mario has performed in more than 30 countries around the world

including the U.S., Canada, Finland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. Conductors he has worked with include Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Susanna Malkki, Marin Alsop, Gemma New, Stephane Deneve, Jukka- Pekka Saraste, Helmuth Rilling and JoAnn Falletta, among others. He has performed in esteemed venues such as Carnegie Hall (Perelman Stage and Weil Recital Hall), Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, as well as a special concert for the Pope at the Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

Mario Rivera studied at Columbus State University, Georgia, University of

Colorado Boulder and Lynn University and Conservatory in Boca Raton. FL. He enjoys teaching and coaching chamber music, as well as fixing and adjusting string instruments.