Chicago Sinfonietta’s new principal viola Marlea Simpson is no stranger to Chicago, having performed with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra for the summer of 2014 as a Project Inclusion Fellow. Ms. Simpson is a native of Allen, Texas and is pursuing a degree in Viola Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a student of Peter Slowik. Previously, she studied under Catherine Forbes of the University of Texas at Arlington.
Ms. Simpson made her solo debut in 2012 with the Allen Philharmonic, and has also been a prizewinner in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition.
Inspired by her summertime experiences at the Credo Music Festival 2011-13, Ms. Simpson has also been involved in many charity events and benefit concerts. She organized and performed in a benefit concert raising nearly $1,000 for the Meals on Wheels program; she has also taught in the Joyful Noise program in Cleveland where students use music to reach out to inner-city children. Ms. Simpson is happy to have joined the vibrant musical community of the Chicago Sinfonietta.