The Takács Quartet

Welcoming Violist Geraldine Walther

Making changes to the lineup of any winning team can be challenging and the situation is no different in the music world. When the Takács Quartet, the Grammy Award winning quartet in residence at the College of Music, announced last fall that violist Roger Tapping would be leaving in August 2005 to spend more time with his family, the process to find his replacement began immediately. The decision was even more difficult given the need to find a violist who could not only be a great performer, but also an effective educator.

This challenge was met when Geraldine Walther was announced as the quartet’s new violist in January. She has been Principal Violist of the San Francisco Symphony since 1976, having previously served as assistant principal of the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Miami Philharmonic, and the Baltimore Symphony. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Walther regularly participates in leading chamber music festivals, including Marlboro, Santa Fe, Tanglewood and, most recently, the Telluride, Seattle, and Ruby Mountain festivals.

The quartet’s first violinist Edward Dusinberre couldn’t be happier about the outcome of the search.“Quite apart from the many skills Geri will bring as a wonderful performing violist, her reputation will help us in our efforts to attract the very best students. She joins the quartet at a time when we are engaged more than ever with the String Program at the College of Music. As a person Geri will fit in very well with the supportive environment in the College of Music that we have benefited from over the years.”

According to Ms. Walther, who plans to move to Boulder in August, “I’m really excited to have an opportunity to work with students, exploring music, and figuring out how to make our playing even better. It’s a great music program with a fabulous faculty, and I look forward to working with everyone.”

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