Viola
Karen Dreyfus has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America, and has toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Musicians from Marlboro, and the New York Philharmonic. Her numerous honors in the United States and abroad include prizes at the Naumburg Viola Competition (1982), the Lionel Tertis Competition (1980), the Washington International Competition (1979), and the Hudson Valley Competition (1978).
The recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalists Award, Ms. Dreyfus has recorded many CDs as a soloist and chamber musician. Her premiere recording with Bridge Records, Romanze, met with considerable critical acclaim. American Record Guide praised her "impeccable technique and intonation, beautiful tone, and real musicianship."
More recently, Ms. Dreyfus recorded the William Walton Viola Concerto, Mozart's "Sinfonia Concertante," and solo works by American composers. She also recorded Martinů's Three Madrigals on a Cala Records CD titled New York Legends with violinist Glenn Dicterow. Ms. Dreyfus and the Lyric Piano Quartet released a recording of Strauss and Turina that was nominated for "Editor's Choice" honors by Gramophone Magazine. She can also be heard on recordings featuring works by Dvorak and Dohnanyi released by Bridge Records.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Dreyfus serves on the faculty at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music, where she teaches viola, chamber music, and orchestral studies. She is a founding member of the Lyric Piano Quartet, the Amerigo Trio, and the Antonin Quartet.