Ira Weller

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Although he is now a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, violist Ira Weller has a wide range of performing experience and is highly regarded as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to his duties in the Met Orchestra, he plays regularly in New York with the Festival Chamber Players at their series in Merkin Hall, on the “Collection in Concert” series at the Pierpont Morgan Library, and on the “Music for Mischa” series at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A regular guest with Da Camera of Houston, the Bard Festival, and at Kneisel Hall, Mr. Weller has also been an invited artist with Bargemusic, DaCapo, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, New York Chamber Soloists, Music From Marlboro, and Chamber Music Northwest.

Mr. Weller has collaborated with many distinguished artists, including James Levine, Menahem Pressler, Dawn Upshaw, Rudolf Firkusny, Evelyn Lear, Robert Mann, Janos Starker, and Richard Stoltzman. His vital interest in contemporary music has led to premiers by Rorem, Laderman, Dello Joio, Picker, Ran, and Zwilich.

He is artistic director of the “Collection in Concert,” an important concert series presenting “aural exhibitions” of the astonishing collection of music manuscripts in the Pierpont Morgan Library. Research at the Library has also led to the discovery of a rare 18th-century original viola sonata by Felice Giardini. This work, edited by Mr. Weller and Ken Cooper, is soon to be published by International Music.

As a founding member and violist for the first 10 years of the Mendelssohn String Quartet, Mr. Weller has recorded works by Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schoenberg, Weber, and Ran. A new release on Music Master/Musical Heritage of two violin and viola repertoire with Ira Weller and Krista Bennion-Feeney will be released in the near future.

Mr. Weller plays on the “Flonzaly” viola made by Allesandro Gagliano in 1703.

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