Musician Instrument: Viola

A native of Wuhan, China, violist Xiaohan Sun joined the viola section of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2019. She began studying the violin at the age of four and transitioned to the viola at thirteen, drawn by its rich sound and expressive depth.

Hailed as the “best violist I ever heard!” by Timmy Hutchins (3rd grader, Lakewood Elementary) and described by The New York Times as “among the players,” David Sywak is a self-characterized discerning and in-demand viola player.

Christine Hwang joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as a member of the viola section in September of 2011. She began her musical studies at the age of five on the violin and piano.

John Geisel, a graduate of Indiana University, has been a member of the Dallas Symphony viola section since 1984. He has also performed with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Bach Society, Fine Arts Chamber Players, Voices of Change and the Walden Piano Quartet.

Valerie Dimond is a graduate of The Juilliard School and former Assistant Principal Viola of the New Jersey Symphony. While in New York, she also played with the New York Chamber Symphony, the New York Pops and the Mostly Mozart Orchestra.

Tom Demer learned to play viola in southern Arizona. Earlier in his life he played in lesser orchestras, but in 1985 he was hired by Maestro Eduardo Mata to round out a 12-person viola section in the Dallas Symphony.

Pamela Askew has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, the Philadelphia Bach Society and Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and has served on the faculties of Georgia State University, Emory University and Agnes Scott College.

Sarah Kienle began her viola studies at age seven in her hometown of Kalispell, Montana. After graduating in 2007 from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts, she received her Bachelor of Music from the Colburn School in Los Angeles, California, in 2011, where she studied with Paul Coletti.