American violist Arturo Ziraldo “possesses great talent for playing the instrument” and ”…displays an active musical imagination.” Recently, Mr. Ziraldo has won increasing recognition as an intensely passionate performer and sensitive chamber musician. He is active in performing both the standard repertoire and contemporary music.

He appears on a recording of two new orchestral works by composer Peter Askim, which was released in summer 2006. Also, in August of 2007 Mr. Ziraldo premiered composer Curtis Curtis-Smith’s “Tulips” for Soprano and Piano Quintet for Fontana Chamber Arts’ summer season.

As a soloist, Mr. Ziraldo has given numerous recitals across the USA, and was a finalist in Western Michigan University concerto competition. He has performed in master classes for some of the world’s most important musicians, including Ani Kavafian, Robert Vernon, Cynthia Phelps, Ivan Chan and Michael Kugel. His previous teachers include Heather Storeng, Jorge Martinez, Olga Ziabrikova and Igor Fedotov. Mr. Ziraldo is currently finishing a Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory with Marcus Thompson. He received his Bachelor’s degree in music performance with a minor in French at Western Michigan University.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Ziraldo has worked in a wide variety of ensembles, from standards like the string quartet to less standard combinations, such as duos with marimba, bass and flute. He is currently in a flute, harp and viola trio. He has performed in chamber music master classes for the Ying, Pacifica, Emerson and Cavani string quartets, and attended the Kent/Blossom Chamber Music Festival. In autumn 2007, he took part in the Paul Katz Beethoven String Quartet Seminar, where he studied intensively with Mr. Katz and Roger Tapping. Mr. Ziraldo has held positions in four professional orchestras, as well as the principal seat in the Western Michigan University Symphony. He also performed in the 2008 Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra. Born in 1985, Mr. Ziraldo began his music studies on the cello at the age of nine, and began studying viola in 1997. He gave his first solo performance two years later.