Wilfred Farquharson
LA orchestra fellow: viola
Farquharson who grew up in Atlanta, GA, always loved hearing the music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
Farquharson who grew up in Atlanta, GA, always loved hearing the music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. He loved it so much that when he had the opportunity to join his school orchestra in fifth grade, he leapt at the chance. When the orchestra teacher brought out instruments for Farquharson to choose from, there was one he had never heard of before: the viola. Out of sheer curiosity he chose to play the viola, his first time trying to play anything, and he has been in love with it since.
Since beginning the viola, Farquharson has had the opportunity to study with many great artists and influencers. In middle school he studied with Wesley Collins then Lana Avis whom mentored Wilfred until he got into the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program (TDP). Once in TDP, he studied with Jessica Oudin for the following four years through his time in high school. Also while in TDP Farquharson attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in 2013, Meadowmount School of Music in 2014 and the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 2015 and 2016.
At these programs he was mentored by artists such as Carol Rodland, Jeffrey Irvine, Phillip Ying, Amir Eldan, Patricia McCarty, Dr. Kate Lewis, Dr. Daphne Gehrling and Matthew Michelic. After graduating from high school, Farquharson went on to pursue his undergraduate degree at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he studied privately with Masumi Per Rostad and Stephen Wyrcyzynski. Also while at Jacobs, he had the opportunity to be coached and mentored by the Pacifica Quartet, Ed Gazouleas, Jorja Fleezanis and Anne Epperson.
As an incoming fellow in The Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, Farquharson will pursue a Graduate Certificate in Music Performance at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He will be studying with Karen Dreyfus and mentoring the students of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA). In mentoring the students of ICYOLA, he aspires to be a model of excellence for other aspiring musicians of color.
