By Emma Barhydt
The series continues with a closer look at the viola section of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, a group of musicians whose work sits at the center of the ensemble’s sound.
Violas rarely lead from the front of the stage, yet their role remains constant throughout a performance. Positioned between the violins and cellos, they carry inner lines that support harmony and connect shifting musical ideas. In rehearsal and performance, that role demands both precision and awareness across the orchestra.
At the head of the section is principal violist David Creswell, whose career reflects a wide range of musical settings. Based in the New York area for more than two decades, Creswell performs regularly with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center and other venues in the United States and abroad. His work extends across orchestral, operatic, and studio environments, as well as more than 30 Broadway productions. He has also appeared on film and television soundtracks and collaborated with artists including David Byrne, Rufus Wainwright, and Sting. Alongside his performance career, Creswell maintains a private teaching studio and contributes to educational initiatives at the Juilliard School, where he has developed coursework in eurhythmics and participated in projects examining the relationship between tuning and mathematics.
Assistant principal Denise Cridge brings a similarly active performance schedule. Her current engagements include the Greenwich Symphony, Canterbury Chorale, and the Masterworks Chorale of New Jersey, along with regular appearances at the Bach Festival at St. Peter’s Church. Each year, she participates in outreach programming through a series titled “Sounds Like Fun.” Cridge has also spent summers with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta since 2007. Earlier in her career, she toured internationally, including time living in Lisbon and performing with Novo Filarmonia Portuguesa and Kammerensemble Köln. Her orchestral experience includes work with New York City Opera National Company, The Opera Ensemble of New York, and Berkshire Opera. In addition to performing, she teaches viola at the Allen-Stevenson School.
Several members of the section bring long-standing orchestral experience from across the country. Violist Judith Ablon recently returned to the tri-state area following twenty-six years with the Nashville Symphony. Her background includes studies at SUNY Purchase and Indiana University, as well as three summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she performed as principal violist under Leonard Bernstein and received the Cynthia Busch Award. Her orchestral career has included positions with the Omaha Symphony, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra, along with ongoing participation in the Peninsula Music Festival and Grand Teton Music Festival.
Ardith Holmgrain has been a member of the Greenwich Symphony since 1993. Her performance history includes appearances with ensembles such as the American Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Pops, and several regional orchestras. She has also toured nationally with artists including Andrea Bocelli, Luther Vandross, and the Bolshoi Ballet, and has performed in New York City with a wide range of musicians across genres.
Judith Insell’s career reflects a combination of orchestral, theatrical, and administrative work. She has performed in Broadway orchestras for productions including Les Misérables, An American in Paris, Carousel, and Gypsy, and has appeared on television programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her collaborations include work with artists such as Beyoncé, Suzanne Vega, and John Cale. Insell currently serves as Artistic Director of the Bronx Arts Ensemble and has held leadership roles at institutions including the Harlem School of the Arts and Mannes College of Music.
The section also includes musicians whose work has centered on education. Bernard Klinger, a graduate of Hartt College of Music and Teachers College at Columbia University, spent 33 years teaching strings and orchestra in public schools in Westchester County, followed by additional teaching in Fairfield, Connecticut. He has served as conductor of the Elementary Strings Orchestra within the Greater Westchester Youth Orchestras Association since 1997.
Liana Laura Mount, a member of the orchestra since 1985, holds degrees from the Juilliard School and continues to perform with orchestras throughout the tri-state area. She is currently on the faculty at Mannes Prep and maintains an active teaching studio.
Saki Uetsuhara, who trained at Tokyo College of Music, has performed extensively in Japan and now appears with orchestras in the New York metropolitan area, including the Greenwich Symphony. Her work includes performances in musical theater as well as orchestral settings. She is currently pursuing graduate studies at Queens College.
Across the section, performance careers intersect with teaching, touring, and collaboration in a range of musical contexts. Within the orchestra, that experience is brought together in rehearsal and carried into performance, where the viola section contributes to the overall balance and continuity of the ensemble.
As the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra prepares for its upcoming programs, the work of the ensemble remains collective. The viola section, positioned at the center of that structure, plays a consistent role in shaping the sound audiences hear each time the orchestra takes the stage.
