About

Violist Ria Hodgson maintains an active career as a performer, collaborator, and teacher. She performs regularly with a variety of ensembles, including the Superior String Alliance Chamber Players, and the Rockford, Quad City, and Madison Symphony Orchestras. Ria has appeared as a guest artist at summer festivals in the U.S. and abroad, including the Tuscia Opera Festival, the Vianden Music Festival, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Midsummer’s Music Festival.

In addition to her work as a performer, Ria is a devoted educator and serves as Director of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras Music Makers Program, a non-profit organization that works to provide equitable access to music education in the Madison community.

Ria earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Arizona State University, where she studied with Nancy Buck, and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University under the guidance of Rami Solomonow. Additional training comes from her postgraduate study with Sally Chisholm at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

When not playing music, Ria enjoys cooking, biking the lake loop, and spending time with her husband-a bassist- and their two cats.