“Exceptionally Talented...Varied, Innovative, Exciting, and Colorful”
“A Virtuosic Performer”
-Sarasota Observer
Chicago born Violist Stephanie Block is the Principal Violist of the Sarasota Orchestra. She has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. Ms. Block gave the U.S. premiere of Alejandro Cardona’s Sweet Tijuana: Danzas Fronterizas for Viola and Orchestra with the New Juilliard Ensemble and has been a soloist with several Chicago-area symphonies. She is currently a trialist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
An alumna of the New World Symphony, Ms. Block has performed with orchestras such as the Chicago and London Symphony Orchestras. She has been featured on PBS NewsHour and appeared on the PBS American Masters series with Michael Tilson Thomas. A “standout player,” (South Florida Classical Review) Ms. Block has performed with many renowned chamber musicians. She received several awards in Chicago-area competitions and the Gold Medal in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Ms. Block has performed as a substitute for the Amernet String Quartet and is an artist at the Sitka Music Festival. She also has a passion for jazz music and performed with Wynton Marsalis at Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York as part of Daniel Chmielinski’s Four by Four.
“Violist Stephanie Block has been a standout player in both orchestral and chamber works over recent seasons. She consistently brought out her instrument’s tonal luxuriance with flexibility while astutely blending with her colleagues.”
- South Florida Classical Review
As an orchestral musician, Ms. Block regularly performed as principal in the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. During her time at Juilliard, she was selected to tour to Helsinki and Stockholm as a member of the joint symphony of the Juilliard and Sibelius Academy orchestras under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen. She also performed as a principal member of the Salomé Chamber Orchestra. In addition to her orchestral experience, Ms. Block has performed with the Æon Music Ensemble with whom she was a soloist in a performance at Carnegie Weill Hall.
Born in Barrington, Illinois, Ms. Block began her initial studies with Deborah Inman and Desirée Ruhstrat. She received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School under Heidi Castleman, Hsin-Yun Huang, Misha Amory and Cynthia Phelps.
A survivor of the rare cancer Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, Ms. Block is committed to using her art to promote awareness. Supported by the New World Symphony, she organized a chamber music fundraiser at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to fundraise for the Histiocytosis Association. During her time at New World Symphony, she organized monthly visits to perform for patients. Ms. Block has also been a recurring headline speaker for the Miami Cancer Institute’s ‘Inspire You’ series. She is an ambassador for the Histiocytosis Association.
Outside of music, Ms. Block is an accomplished runner and triathlete. She is a podium finisher in the Miami Man and Ocean Drive Triathlons and a top finisher in the Chicago Triathlon. She is a three time qualifier for the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.