Highlands Square Ensemble Concert

The following will be performed:

Schubert – Quartetsattz D 703 in C Minor

Haydn – Quartet Op. 76 No 5 in D Major (“The graveyard-quartet”)

Shostakovich – Quartet No 8 Op. 110 in C Minor

Information about the The Highlands String Quartet members :

Felix Petit

Began his violin studies at the age of 9 at the Latin American Violin Academy of “El Sistema” in Caracas, Venezuela with maestro Jose Francisco Del Castillo. Felix has participated in the Latin American Violin Academy Summer Festival, Weathersfield Music Festival, Reina Sofia Music Festival in Spain as well as the Aspen Music Festival. Felix has had the opportunity to study with many wonderful musicians including Zakhar Bron, Donald Weilerstein, and Almita and Roland Vamos. Felix studied violin with the Vamoses at Oberlin Conservatory and, while there, performed in an Honors Recital and as a 1999-2000 Concerto Competition winner. Felix has been a member of the New World Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine and the Rhode Island Philharmonic. He played with the Colorado Symphony from 2012 until 2016. Felix was a substitute player with the Colorado Symphony from 2012 to 2016 and previously a substitute player the Milwaukee Symphony from 2008 to 2012. Currently Felix is a free lance musician in the front range area where he performs with several groups including the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado among others.

Adrienne Short

Earned her BA in violin performance and a graduate certificate in orchestral studies from the University of Denver. She is an active performer, recording artist and teacher in the Denver area and beyond. Aside from teaching privately, Adrienne teaches violin and viola as adjunct faculty at Red Rocks Community College. She has recorded and toured throughout the States with Gregory Alan Isakov and plays frequently with the Colorado Symphony, having served as a full-time member of the Violin section during the 2017-2018 season. She is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra.

Alex Vittal

Phoenix, AZ native Alex Vittal earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from Arizona State University (2008) and Master of Music degree in Viola Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado–Boulder (2010). Mr. Vittal satisfies his varied musical tastes by performing as a violist with the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra and Opera Steamboat, and is a violist and arranger for traditional Argentine tango music sextet Zero Hour, and violist and arranger with period instrument ensemble, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado. He is also the Executive Director, violist, and arranger with Sphere Ensemble, a 14 member string ensemble that performs great music from every genre. He has written over 50 arrangements for Sphere of music from Bach to Prince. Mr. Vittal is very excited to play incredible string quartet music with the Highlands Square Ensemble.

Mr. Vittal is also a dedicated teacher, active both as a private viola and violin teacher, a chamber music coach, and a teacher/conductor of group classes for beginner and intermediate string players. Dedicated to social justice through music education, Mr. Vittal has spent 10 years working with underserved elementary and middle school students as a Teaching Artist with El Sistema Colorado. In August 2018, he had the distinct honor of conducting Yo-Yo Ma, performing Bach’s Air alongside students from El Sistema, in the This Is Home community block party, as part of Ma’s 36-city Bach Cello Suites tour.

Sara Fierer

Is glad that she enthusiastically began cello lessons with her school music teacher in second grade. Growing up she enjoyed playing in her Youth Orchestra and has always liked meeting new friends by playing music with them. Sara graduated from Oberlin with a double degree in Environmental Studies and Cello Performance. While she was at college, she helped start a music program in Panama and it was there that she discovered that she loved to teach. She then continued her exploration of cello performance and teaching at the University of Texas in Austin where she received her Master of Music. She loves all the different aspects of being a musician: playing in the Boulder Philharmonic; getting to teach group viola and cello classes, orchestra and private lessons at the Denver Waldorf School; and playing chamber music. In her free time she likes to read, make carrot cake and go for walks with her dog.