Pacific Symphony to Welcome Two New Strings to Orchestra

Orange County, CA.-Oct. 16, 2015-Pacific Symphony announces the addition of two accomplished string players to the orchestra for the 2015-16 season: Chloe Chiu is the newest member of the second violin section and Victor de Almeida joins the viola section. Chiu is currently a violinist with the Santa Barbara Symphony and is on full scholarship pursuing a graduate program certificate, studying with Glenn Dicterow at USC's Thornton School of Music (where the Symphony's Music Director Carl St.Clair leads the orchestra program). De Almeida is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of Music with a bachelor of music and graduate performance diploma. He is married to Pacific Symphony violist, Carolyn Riley, and is the son of Pacific Symphony cellist Waldemar de Almeida. He is also a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Pageant of the Masters Orchestra.

Born in Taiwan, Chiu is a compelling violinist who first picked up the violin at age 8 and started captivating audiences at the tender age of 9. She has performed intercontinentally throughout Australia, Europe (Austria, Bulgaria and Italy), Asia (Singapore and Taiwan) and the Middle East (Israel). As a frequent prizewinner in Taiwan, as well as internationally, Chiu has reveled in success at several competitions, achieving a multitude of prestigious awards. She holds the first prizes at the Taoyuan Competition, Tainan Music Competition, Hsing Tian Kong Music Competition and Taipei Music Competition (all in Taiwan). In 2010, she was laureate in the Canetti International Violin Competition in Israel, and she was the grand finalist in the Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy. Chiu received her professional education with full scholarships at the University of Singapore, Peabody Institute and the University of Southern California. She has studied with many esteemed musicians including Glenn Dicterow, Bing Wang, Victor Danchenko and Qian Zhou. Chiu currently serves as sectional violinist of Santa Barbara Symphony.

A double prizewinner at the 2008 Primrose International Viola Competition, de Almeida has been principal violist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, associate principal violist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the principal violist of the Annapolis Symphony. In addition to his numerous solo and chamber music performances around Southern California and abroad, de Almeida records soundtracks for several television shows and motion pictures. He 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.

Almeida is an arranger and avid collector of viola music and takes pride in performing rare works, his own transcriptions and collaborating with living composers on works dedicated to him.