After a year-long search, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra is excited to announce Naha Greenholtz as their new Concertmaster. Ms. Greenholtz will be publicly introduced in the North Park Mall food court where she will say a few words and give a short performance. The press and the public are invited to witness this historic occasion.

Canadian violinist Naha Greenholtz was born in Kyoto, Japan, where she began her studies on violin at the age of three. She made her solo debut at age 14 playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and was quickly reengaged for performances of concerti by Tchaikovsky and Mozart. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with the Burnaby Symphony, Kelowna Symphony Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, CO) and Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra in works by Sarasate, Bruch, Tchaikovsky and Bach. Upcoming solo engagements include concerto appearances with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

A participant in many prominent music festivals, Ms. Greenholtz has been featured at venues such as Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival (Maine), the Taos School of Music (New Mexico), the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall, and the ENCORE School for Strings. Ms. Greenholtz has also had an active career as an orchestral musician, appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the New Orleans Symphony) at age 21. One year later, she joined the first violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Since 2010, she has performed frequently with the Cleveland Orchestra both at Severance Hall and on tour domestically and abroad. In 2011, she was appointed Concertmaster of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Other 2011-2012 highlights include performances as Concertmaster of the National Repertory Orchestra, and as guest Concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra Augusta. She has also performed as guest Concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. Last season, as part of her Concertmaster candidacy, Ms. Greenholtz was guest Concertmaster for the QCSO's February Valentine's Day concert and the War Requiem.

In 2010-2011, she was the sole participant in the prestigious Concertmaster Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, a mentoring fellowship with William Preucil, Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and former first violinist of the Cleveland Quartet. Ms. Greenholtz received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School in 2007. While there, her primary teachers were Joel Smirnoff and Donald Weilerstein. She has studied chamber music with Joel Krosnick, Robert Mann, and Nicholas Mann. Other teachers have included Andrew Dawes, Judith Ingolfsson, Ilya Kaler, and Akira Nagai. She performs on a 1778 Antonio Gragnani violin (“Ex-Caressa”), and a Eugene Sartory bow.

In addition to performing as Concertmaster, Ms. Greenholtz will be soloing on this season's opening Masterworks concerts on October 6 at the Adler Theatre and October 7 in Centennial Hall, Augustana College. Subscription are for this year's Masterworks season are currently on sale at 563.322.QCSO (7276) or at www.qcsymphony.com.