About Me
Born in the Chicago area, Chad started playing the viola in public school at age nine. In high school he studied privately with Peter Slowik, of Northwestern University at the time. Chad was also co-principal viola with the Chicago Youth Symphony and studied chamber music on the weekends at the Music Center of the North Shore in Winnetka, Illinois. One of the ensembles he performed with at the Music Center were semi-finalists in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
For undergraduate work, Chad studied with Emanuel Vardi at the University of Illinois and with Heidi Castleman at the Aspen Music Festival where he received an Orchestral Fellowship and placed 1st in the E. Nakamichi Viola Concerto Competition.
Currently, Chad is Principal Violist with Opera San Jose and the Santa Cruz Symphony, and has also appeared as principal viola with the California Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Reno Philharmonic, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Monterey Symphony, Illinois Symphony and the South Bend Symphony.
In addition to orchestral playing, Chad has been the violist for Quartet San Francisco, a multiple Grammy-nominated crossover string quartet since 2012.
QSF specializes in non-classical styles including rock, jazz, bluegrass, funk and tango to name a few. With the quartet, Chad has performed in China, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Italy and in almost every corner of the continental United States. The quartet is heavily involved in teaching and mentoring young string students, having participated in youth outreach programs with San Francisco Symphony's Adventures in Music, Music at Kohl Mansion, Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society and the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, among others. Their 2013 recording, Pacific Premieres, garnered two Grammy nominations in the Best New Instrumental Composition category and their most recent album, QSF Journeys, was #1 in Amazon's Best New Chamber Music category. Both albums were recorded at Skywalker Sound in Marin County. Quartet San Francisco was recently featured on Minnesota Public Radio's show, Performance Today.
Chad has participated in many music festivals including the Cabrillo Music Festival, Arizona Music Fest, Monterey Jazz Festival, South by Southwest, Music in the Mountains and the Mendocino Music Festival. Chad is in demand as both a chamber musician and soloist and is an active recording artist, arranging and recording string parts for many west coast bands and singer/songwriters.