Sydney Whipple, viola
Sydney Whipple, a native of Oakland, California, began violin lessons at age 5 and switched to the viola when she was 10. She made her orchestral debut at 17, performing the Walton Viola Concerto with the Yuba Sutter Symphony, and has since appeared as a soloist with Eleva Chamber Players, and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic. Sydney earned her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Carol Rodland. She returns to Juilliard in the fall of 2024 to begin a Master of Music program, studying with Misha Amory. Sydney is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship.
Sydney spent her freshman year of high school at Interlochen Arts Academy as a student of Renée Skerik, and the rest of her pre-college years studying with Dimitri Murrath at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Program. While there she served as President of the Conservatory’s Pre-College Student Council and was selected as speaker for the 2020 commencement ceremony.
Sydney has a passion for chamber music and has taken part in chamber and solo music programs, including Bowdoin International Music Festival, The Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, and Carl Flesch Academy. In addition, she has enjoyed masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian, Thomas Riebl, Ori Kam, and Diemut Poppen. Sydney also has an interest in demonstrating how music cultivates empathy.
