Ilana Matfis

Ilana is a freelance violist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a Master’s degree in viola performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a B.A. in music from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She is the assistant principal violist of the Berkeley Symphony, and a member of both the Sacramento Philharmonic and the West Bay Opera Orchestra. She appears frequently with other Bay Area ensembles, including the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Oakland, Marin, Modesto, Merced, and Silicon Valley Symphonies. Ilana is the violist of the Presidio String Quartet, a group that is dedicated to the performance of new music and frequently collaborates with local composers. An enthusiastic teacher, Ilana maintains a private studio of violinists and violists and coaches chamber music for the Villa Sinfonia Foundation. She is a strong believer in the importance of public school music and is highly involved with the Berkeley Symphony's Music Education Program, giving demonstrations and performances in all eleven of the Berkeley public elementary schools. Ilana is the violist for the Berkeley Youth Orchestra's Artist in Residence string quartet; she spends her Saturday mornings coaching viola sectionals, chamber music, and teaching a viola class for violinists.