Erik Rynearson

SoCal native Erik Rynearson has been practicing and performing music since the age of three. Now at age forty-ahem, he gets to concertize and record the spectrum of concerto, chamber music, operatic, symphonic, jazz and commercial music. In these opportunities, he stacks the deck with the teachings of his father, Paul, Miwako Watanabe, Henryk Kowalski, Franco Gulli, Erich Kruger and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Having participated in more than 40 orchestral auditions, Rynearson is Principal Viola of the Los Angeles Opera, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Santa Barbara Symphony. Besides “classical” music, he loves and lives in the jazz world, mingling with LA’s living legends while recording and performing in the myriad endeavors of greats like Seth MacFarlane. Another giant, Chris Walden, tapped Rynearson to be the solo viola of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, a position dearly held.

Recent highlights include recording the most recent Spielberg/Williams film, leading LAOpera as concertmaster during the recent run of Philip Glass’ Akhenaten and returning to the New World Symphony with coaching and performance. Rynearson is fresh off his first summer performing as a member of the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra having learned how to sail and drive manual transmission.

Rynearson galvanizes his viola sections with a 2007 instrument by Californian Mario Miralles or a Danish creation of Karl Mettus Weis in 1845