Rita Andrade, a native of Austin, Texas, is currently living as an active orchestral and studio violist concertizing worldwide. Raised in a family that values their Latin heritage and music, she was always a musically curious child and immediately drawn to the viola upon first hearing it. Pursuing an arts education at Idyllwild Arts Academy in California, Rita continued studying viola performance for her bachelor’s degree in music at the University of Texas Butler School of Music and finished her masters at DePaul University.

In the years following her masters degree, Rita was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, with an assistant principal position for the 2014 - 2015 season. Rita was also a fellowship member of the Chicago Sinfonietta Project Inclusion program geared towards promoting diversity in the world of classical music. Some of her most memorable and influential musical experiences were at summer festivals such as the Grant Park Project Inclusion Music Festival, String Academy in Cambridge UK, Encore Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, and Interlochen Arts Academy.

Rita remains in demand for many styles of performance and collaboration. Most of her time spent outside fo teaching and freelancing is spent traveling the world with her string quartet, ATLYS.

Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich, Brahms, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Janacek, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Piazzolla/Tangos, etc.

Dvorak String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97, B. 180

Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor

Shostakovich Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73

Smetana String Quartet No. 1 in E minor

Verdi String Quartet in E minor

Schubert String Quintet in C Major, D. 956

Strauss ‘Metamorphosen’ for String Septet

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48

Golijov Double String Quartet and Bass ‘The Last Round’

Ravel String Quartet in F Major

Dvorak String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77

Halvorsen Passacaglia for Violin & Viola