Violinist Michael Shih, concertmaster of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) since 2001, has performed throughout the United States and his native Taiwan, as well as on tours of Canada, France, Germany, Costa Rica, Honduras, Peru, Japan and Korea. A United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, he was a winner in the Naumburg International Violin Competition and Artists International’s Auditions, which led to his New York debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1992. He has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Little Orchestra Society at Avery Fisher Hall, the Williamsburg Symphonia, the Abilene Philharmonic, the New York Youth Symphony, the San Pedro Sula Symphony in Honduras, the Taipei Symphony at Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, and with the symphonies of Dallas, Fort Worth, Hartford, and New Amsterdam. In 2007, he gave the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ Violin Concerto with the FWSO conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and this critically acclaimed performance was recently released by FWSO Live in the recording The Composer’s Voice.

An avid performer of chamber music, he has collaborated with such artists as Leon Fleisher, Sharon Isbin, Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo Yo Ma, Michael Tree, and Charles Wadsworth. From 1992 to 2002, he was first violinist of the Whitman Quartet, formerly graduate quartet-in-residence at the Julliard School and winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music and Catherine Filene Shouse Debut Artists awards. Music festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Chamber Music Northwest, Chautauqua, La Jolla, Lincoln Center, Ravinia, Spoleto USA, and Mostly Mozart. He has also appeared at the prestigious Chieshou Hall Concert at the Office of the President of Taiwan, at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music International in Dallas, and Van Cliburn Foundation’s “Cliburn at the Bass” and “Cliburn at the Modern” series with composers John Corigliano, Sebastian Currier, Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Lowell Liebermann, and Joan Tower. He is currently the associate artistic director of the Fort Worth Chamber Music Society. Media Credits include NPR’s Performance Today, NBC’s Today Show, Japan’s NHK Television, and Taiwan’s Public television.

He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Julliard School, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang. Other teachers include Chiu-Sen Chen, Masao Kawasaki, Shue-Tee Lee, and Margaret Pardee. He was on the violin faculty at the Lucy Moses School of Music and dance in New York City from 1995 to 2001. During the 2004-05 academic year, he was an adjunct instructor in violin at the Texas Christian University. Mr. Shih plays a 1710 Antonio Stradivari violin, generously on loan to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association by Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis of Fort Worth.

Adriana Voirin DeCosta was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and immigrated to the United States as a young child with her family.  Her musical life began at age four with violin lessons from her father.  She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in music performance and education from Southern Methodist University (SMU), performing as concertmaster of the orchestra throughout her years at SMU.  Teachers include Alfredo Saint-Malo, Ron Neal, Margaret Pardee, Carol Glenn and chamber music coach Lev Aronson.  Adriana joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in 1988 as principal second violinist, later spent three seasons as assistant concertmaster, and then returned to the position of principal second violinist.  Prior to joining the orchestra, she served as principal second violinist for the Dallas Ballet and Dallas Opera Orchestras, and was a member of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.  Ms. DeCosta was also the concertmaster for the Irving Symphony.

As a member of the Shreveport String Quartet, Ms. DeCosta toured Louisiana sharing her passion for chamber music. In addition Adriana has performed with the Basically Beethoven Festival, toured with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and has been second violinist for the FWSO String Quartet.  She has participated in several festivals, including Music in the Mountains, Shreveport Summer Festival, Meadowmount and the Manchester Summer Festival.  Adriana is passionate about music education and furthering the opportunities for all children to have music exposure and to develop the love of great music. When she is not performing she teaches a group of wonderful students.  She also enjoys cooking, gardening, reading and spending time with her husband Steve and their children, Joey, Alex and Kristen.

Laura Bruton joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in 1985 as a section violist.  In 1988 she won the title of principal violist of the orchestra and has performed as a featured soloist with the group.  A native of North Carolina, Laura received her Bachelor of Music degree in viola performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied violin with Elaine Richey and viola with Sally Peck. Laura also attended the St. Louis Conservatory of Music for graduate school on a full scholarship, where she studied with renowned violist Michael Tree. She studied chamber music with Michael Tree and Jaime Laredo.

She has performed extensively with local chamber music groups such as the Van Cliburn Foundation’s “Cliburn at the Bass” and “Cliburn at the Modern” series with composers John Corigliano and Osvaldo Golijov, Texas Christian University’s “Piano Texas” series, the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, The Spectrum, the Basically Beethoven Festival in addition to her work with the Wyeth String Quartet.  Laura recorded the complete Brahms Piano Quartets in 1996 with the Clementi Quartet on the Encore label. She has played with the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera Orchestras, The Orchestra and Chorus of St. Louis, The Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra, The Piedmont Chamber Orchestra and the Greensboro Symphony.  Ms. Bruton has also served as principal violist of the Breckenridge Music Institute Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. Laura teaches privately and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas.  She enjoys playing the viola d’amore, a 17th century stringed instrument, working with Photoshop, genealogy, and spending time with her husband Don Little and their children Oren, Grace and Nathan.

Leda Dawn Larson was born in Red Wing, Minnesota and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.   Leda’s musical education began at the age of  three, with her father as her teacher on the violin, then switched to the cello at age ten. She earned her Masters Degree in Music Performance from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, while attending Boston University as well for a short time.  Leda continued her musical education at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and there received her Masters Degree in Cello Performance. Her musical life has allowed her to participate in many festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado for four summers and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California for two summers.  She also attended the Blue Hill Chamber Music Festival in Maine and traveled to Heidelberg, Germany to perform with the Eastman Opera Orchestra. Additionally, her travels took her to  Ernin, Switzerland to attend special cello master classes.  After college, Leda spent a year teaching and performing in the String Quartet Residency program in Great Falls, Montana with her  quartet from the Eastman School of Music.