I’ve been looking forward to this post all week! I was thrilled when Patrick first joined OPUS 216 for events a few years ago – not only is his musicianship top-notch as a violist, but his professionalism is nearly unmatched, as well. And always up for adventures, he was willing to dive straight into our Front Yard Concerts last summer, staying super flexible during the pandemic with our programming and performances at homes around northeast Ohio! It’s about time you got to know him!

Q: Howdy! Tell us a bit about yourself – where are you from?

A: I’m originally from Herndon, Virginia, and I currently live on the western end of Lakewood.

Q: Tell us a bit about your musical genesis – when did you discover viola?

A: I started playing the viola when I was 9 years old, and began taking lessons about a year later. I went on to receive a B.M. in Viola Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and my M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Since graduating from CIM in 2018, I’ve performed in orchestras throughout northeast Ohio and around the country. I’m a member of the Akron and West Virginia Symphony Orchestras, and I’ve been able to sub in some really fantastic groups like the Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras. So far, so good!

Q: What are your favorite aspects of life as a working musician in northeast Ohio?

A: I came to Cleveland in 2016, and since then I’ve have the opportunity to perform in some really great orchestras in the region (as I mentioned earlier) – the quality of work and level of playing is really high here, which makes the work fun, meaningful, and challenging (in a good way). Cleveland is also centrally located to other big cities in our region like Chicago and Pittsburgh, so getting called to do sub work elsewhere is very feasible.

Q: Favorite CLE spots for food and drink?

A: We love Masthead Brewery and Winking Lizard, as well as anything in the Flats. Favorite coffee spot is Rising Star, and we love cocktails at The Fairmount over in Cleveland Heights – that’s a go-to for musicians after orchestra concerts in the area.

Q: What’s your favorite performance memory (OPUS 216, or otherwise)?

A: That’s got to be playing Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink conducting. It was Haitink’s final concert in the states and I’ll never forget it…

Q: What about your favorite experience as an audience member?

A: The Cleveland Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 relatively frequently, but their 2018 performance as part of the Prometheus Series was really powerful for me.

Q: When you aren’t performing in orchestras or with our ensemble, what do you love to do?

A: I really love playing golf. And if you couldn’t tell from the restaurants, I love craft beer. When we aren’t working, my fiancé Dianna and I love spending time out and about with our dog, Poe. He’s still a puppy, so it’s a lot of work!

Q: And lastly, what’s your favorite part of being in OPUS 216?

A: Well, I’m pretty partial to the fact that I can work with my fiancé (OPUS 216 violinist Dianna Joiner) – performing alongside her is always really special!

Thanks, Patrick! Featuring you has certainly been a long time coming!

If you can’t tell, Patrick really specializes in high-quality classical playing – from orchestral to intimate quartets, but you might find him at our events improvising and adding texture to jazz and pop scores, too! He’s a really incredible musician and we are so lucky to work with him!

Photo credit: Classical Revolution Cleveland

Cheers!

-Ariel

PLAYBACK: PATRICK MILLER