University Symphony Orchestra

Brahms: Symphony no. 1
Artie Shaw: Concerto for Clarinet
featuring the Concerto Competition winner, clarinetist Spencer Danielson

A native of Chicago, violinist Aimée Kreston spent her formative years studying with renowned pedagogue Almita Vamos. Ms. Kreston holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and a Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota. After completing her degrees, Kreston continued her studies with the legendary concertmaster Michel Schwalbe.

In 1989 Ms. Kreston became the youngest member of the Minnesota Orchestra and a year later won the post of Principal Second Violin in that ensemble. From 1993 to 1997 she served as Concertmaster of L’Orchestre de Paris, the only American in that ensemble. She has been privileged to perform as concertmaster with some of the worlds greatest conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giullini, Sir Gorge Solti and Pierre Boulez.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1998, Ms. Kreston joined the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra as Concertmaster, and in June of 2000, she was engaged as Concertmaster of the Pasadena Symphony. Ms. Kreston has performed in nearly every European country, having appeared as soloist at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and as a chamber musician at the Chatelet Chamber music series in Paris, the Reims music festival, and at the Queluz Chateau festival in Portugal. Ms. Kreston was a prizewinner of the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition in Switzerland in 1989 and at the WAMSO Young artist’s competition in Minneapolis in 1988.

The University Symphony Orchestra, directed by Kimo Furumoto, is dedicated to the training of outstanding instrumentalists in the performance of a wide range of styles in the orchestral repertoire. They have performed with national and international artists, from Composer-Conductor Rob Kapilow and his “What Makes It Great?” series at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Richard Stoltzman to Deborah Voigt, and in addition to their regular concert series, the orchestra collaborates with university choruses, Opera Theatre, CSUF faculty-artists, internationally renowned guest artists and local performing arts groups. Students are regularly presented with numerous opportunities to study orchestral repertoire in master class settings with faculty artists, regional professional orchestra musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra as well as internationally acclaimed performers and teachers including Yo-yo Ma, Talich Quartet, Fredell Lack, the Turtle Island String Quartet, St. Petersburg Quartet and many others.