Meet the Musicians

Angela Schneider viola

Born in Montreal to German parents, Angela grew up surrounded by classical music – her father played piano and her mother sang. Early on she developed a passion for playing music, reading, dress design, history, and travel. By high school, Angela was playing viola in several orchestras in Vancouver, (where the family relocated), and was selected for the National Youth Orchestra in Toronto.

After graduating high school, Angela headed to Germany to study with world renowned performers like Bruno Giuranna and Sandor Végh in Detmold, Düsseldorf and Cornwall. She earned her Masters of Music at the Aachen Hochschule für Musik, with a minor in History, during which time she was also a member of the Rheinisches String Quartet and the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. This was followed by two years as Principal Viola of the Essen Volkwang Chamber Orchestra.

After close to a decade abroad, Angela returned to Vancouver to join the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and continues to play viola with the orchestra. She had a busy teaching schedule but decided to return to UBC where she completed a degree with honors in Internet Publishing. She is kept busy doing freelance web work and can be contacted through the symphony for Web consulting and design in CSS, PHP, ASP, JavaScript and Flash.

Angela's broad range of interests and desire for challenge has led her to study a wide range of subjects that included 10 years with Vera Ramsey's School of Dress Design, 3 years learning ballroom dancing and 2 years interning with a Global TV producer. Angela also currently works for the travel company, Great Expeditions, as the Cultural Tour Coordinator and Web Master. She has led several very successful "music-themed" tours to Europe, which included the Salzburg Music Festival, the Prague Autumn International Music Festival and performances at Europe's top orchestras. In October 2010 Angela's "Great Orchestras of Europe and London" tour will visit the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, the Berlin Philharmonic, several orchestras in London and Munich, the Czech Philharmonic and much more.

Angela is also an authority on culinary history. For many years she recreated authentic period dinners - everything from ancient Egypt and Sumeria to Mayan cuisine - and taught at Capilano University. She is a popular "pre-concert" talk speaker at the VSO and currently spends her summers as an Enrichment and Destination lecturer on cruise ships.

Angela's proudest achievement is raising her son, Matti, who graduated from Lord Byng in 2006.

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