Aria has extensive experience as a performer, teacher and recording artist. She recently appeared in Seattle and Vancouver with LAURA CORTES'S ACOUSTIC PROJECT, a vibrant folk/pop ensemble. As part of the SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS concert series, Aria performed in a string quartet and Piano Trio with ROY MALAN (concertmaster of the San Francisco Ballet). She has performed with chamber groups including the Celestial String Quartet, Trio Dagabo, New Music Works and the Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra as well as being a lead cellist in the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, led by master Scottish Fiddler Alasdair Fraser. A teacher for over 12 years, Aria shares her passion for music with students of all ages in her private cello studio in Santa Cruz, CA as well as at Sierra Fiddle Camp and The Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School.
Aria began her cello studies at the age of 11 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Two formative experiences in her high school years inspired her to pursue music as a career: One was the amazing experience of touring and competing in Europe with her high school orchestra. Secondly, at 15 she helped to form “Blue Sun Quintet”, an all-woman, improvisation-based string quintet. In this creative, award-winning ensemble (“Best Classical Artists”, Metro-Detroit Music Awards, 1992), Aria enjoyed collaborating with singer-songwriters, dancers and poets to produce shows that sought to stretch the concept of chamber music both for performer and listener. As part of the Creative Arts Orchestra, an ensemble at the University of Michigan, Blue Sun Quintet performed at the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival and recorded a CD.
After earning her BMA in CELLO PERFORMANCE from the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN in 1995, Aria relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. She continued to develop her teaching and performing skills through her studies with master teacher IRENE SHARP in San Francisco, and through earning her teaching certification in the Suzuki Method of music education. After hearing cellist NATALIE HAAS, Aria was inspired to learn Celtic music, and began to study each summer at the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, where she now teaches many other aspiring Celtic cellists.
As a freelance cellist, Aria has enjoyed a wide variety of chamber music performance opportunities including regular appearances on the Santa Cruz Chamber Players concert series. As a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra, Aria performed with ROY HARGROVE, Charlie Haden and Terrance Blanchard at the Monterey and Big Sur Jazz Festivals. As a recording artist, Aria has worked in a wide variety of styles including Contemporary Classical, Folk, Jazz, Progressive Rock & Electronic. She is very excited to release her first solo CD, The Phoenix, which is a collection of traditional and new tunes in the Celtic style.
Aria lives in the Santa Cruz mountains with her husband, Aaron and two year old son, Jacob.