Joel Hunter
viola

When violist Joel Hunter graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1997, he was awarded prizes for his outstanding musicianship. After serving as co-principal viola with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra from 1998-2000, he returned to London to embark on a busy and diverse freelance career. He is now in great demand both as a principal orchestral player and as a chamber musician, performing frequently as guest principal viola with such prestigious orchestras and chamber orchestras as the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Filharmonica Toscanini, the English Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, and London Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hunter worked with conductors Sir Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, John Elliot-Gardiner and Lorin Maazel. In January of 2005 he accepted a position as principal viola in the Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester in Stockholm.

As a chamber musician Mr. Hunter has appeared alongside such eminent artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Augustin Dumay, Piers Lane and members of both the Vogler and Artemis Quartets, and is a frequent performer at chamber music festivals worldwide. He currently holds the post of principal viola with the Goldberg Ensemble, the UK’s leading string ensemble that has garnered international acclaim for the quality of its music-making, as well as its versatility and range.

In 2001 Mr. Hunter was honored with appointment as an Associate in the Royal Academy of Music