World famous violist and teacher, DONALD McINNES, is known in virtually every corner of the artistic world for his appearances with major orchestras, recitals, chamber music participation, and numerous masterclasses. His affiliation with major schools throughout the world have included The University of Michigan, the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, and the University of Washington. In 1985, he accepted the appointment as Professor of Viola at the University of Southern California (the position formerly held by his teacher, the famed William Primrose). Presently, he combines a very busy concert schedule with his class of viola students from throughout the world. He has appeared with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Orchestra Nationale de France, Pittsburgh Symphony, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, among many others, and his career included close associations on the platform with such artists as Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Tortelier, Brooks Smith, Martin Katz, Janos Starker, Menahem Pressler, and many other leading artists of our time. Mr. McInnes is also a very active recording artist who can be heard on Columbia, RCA, Deutsche Grammaphone, Angel (EMI), etc. He also introduced many new works for viola including commissions for him by such leading comosers as William Schuman, William Bergsma, Robert Suderburg, Vincent Persichetti, and Paul Tufts. He regularly appears at leading summer music festivals in North America and abroad such as Banff, marlboro, Gstaad, Ambler, Interlochen, the International String Workshop, and the Music Academy of the West. His students received the first three prizes at the 1984 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition on the Isle of Man, and more recently, two of his students won the first prize at the prestigious Friday Morning Musical Club National Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the CBC National Competition in Vancouver, British Columbia. Today, throughout the entire world, his students can be found in leading symphony orchestras and teaching at many of the finest conservatories and universities. In addition, Mr. McInnes is a resident member of the Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara, CA.
THE NEW YORK TIMES - Harold Schoenberg
"Gorgeous, mellow sound...sensitive musician...fine interpreter."
THE SATURDAY REVIEW - Irving Kolodin
"Produces a superb sound on his instrument."
THE NEW YORK POST - Robert Kimball
"Sensitive musician with a technical command of his instrument...he was able to heighten the emotional impact of the solo passages."
THE NEW YORKER - Andrew Porter
"Eloquent viola soloist."
THE SEATTLE TIMES - Melinda Bargreen
"McInnes is probably the world's premiere violist, occupying a unique niche among performers of that seldom-heard instrument. Last night it was not at all difficult to see how he has attained that pre-eminence."
PRANCE-SOIR - Jean Cotte
"Finally, our strings had a living model before their eyes...Here is a sonority to dream of, with a contagious velvetiness. No vinegar, only honey."
THE PITTSBURGH PRESS - Carl Apone
"Beautiful tone, sensitive phrasing, perfect intonation."
THE VANCOUVER PROVINCE - Lawrence Cluderay
"A most persuasive advocate, producing a marvellously deep, warm tone in the broadly lyrical and darkly elegiac movements and negotiating the virtuoso toccata-like furiously fast section with compelling brilliance."
THE SEATTLE TIMES - Wayne Johnson
"Played a brilliant recital...first-class violist...superb technical command of his instrument. He plays the viola with the ease that comes only with mastery...what a gorgeous sound he creates!...Everything on the program was superbly performed."
THE SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS - Kenneth Brown
"Master violist...complete artistic integrity."
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL - JOHN SCHNEIDER
"A triumph of compelling sensitivity."
Musical America - John Schneider
"McInnes' performance was a triumph of virtuosity and poetic communication."
Web page maintained by: