Goldsmith, Pamela

Violist from Los Angeles, California, who studied at Mannes College of Music, Stanford University, and UCLA, who was an original member of Columbia University's Group for Contemporary Music. Other ensembles with whom she has worked include the Camerata String Quartet and the Stanford Music Players. She is equally at home in a big orchestra, as evidenced by her work with the American Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, and the Lincoln Center Chamber Orchestra. A champion of contemporary music, her musical adventures have ranged from her premiere on the West Coast of the "Viola Concerto" of Hans Werner Henze to a live performance on electric viola (and wah-wah pedal, no less) with Frank Zappa. Artists and groups with whom she has recorded include Paul Anka, Elmer Bernstein, Harry Connick, Jr., Neil Diamond, Earth, Wind & Fire, Five for Fighting, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner , Julio Iglesias, Steve Jablonsky, Earl Klugh, Lisa Loeb, Barry Manilow, Roy Orbison, Noel Pointer, Kenny Rogers, Frank Sinatra, J.D. Souther, 10,000 Maniacs, and Lee Ann Womack. As you can tell from the aforementioned list, she is no stranger to the movie studio: A few of the films she has worked on include The Color Purple, Eight Legged Freaks, Groundhog Day, The Italian Job, Million Dollar Baby, The Princess Diaries, Sin City, Titanic, and War of the Worlds. For her efforts, she has received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Most Valuable Player emeritus award. Pamela is a member of the International Viola Society, with whom she serves in the capacity of secretary, and has written several useful articles for a variety of journals. She has also passed along her expertise to a new generation of budding violists in the hallowed halls of CSU-Fullerton, CSU-Los Angeles, Stanford University, and the USC Thornton School of Music, where she serves as Adjunct Professor.

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