Artistic Director at Ossia Musical Forum, violist, Nora Williams “…brings excitement and passion to every work she performs.” A varied performer with a penchant for chamber music, Nora delights in exploring and introducing her audiences to hidden gems in the chamber music repertoire. During the 2020 pandemic, Nora presented several small house concerts to audiences starved for live music. Nora is past principal viola with the Highland Park Strings, founder and violist with the contemporary string quartet, Red Riding Hood, guest soloist with the South Loop Symphony, and past principal viola and soloist with the Bach and Beyond Chamber Orchestra. Nora spent seven years as a member of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and has made appearances with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the New Philharmonic, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, da Corneto Opera, L’Opera Piccola and Music Theater Works. Nora has maintained a private teaching studio on both violin and viola in Chicago since 1998.
Nora is a past and upcoming board member of the Musicians Club of Woman and has led the Steering Committee of the Fine Arts Building Studios Collective where she has regularly participated in the Chicago Loop Alliance and other civic groups. Since 2012, she has been on the faculty of the Interharmony International Music Festival in Italy, and has been a violin instructor with the Timeless Gifts program in Chicago since 2014.
“Shop Talk: Check out our interview with Nora Williams of @OssiaMF - what a delight! ”
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Nora is a native of the San Francisco Bay area and received a bachelor’s degree in music from Stanford University. She spent two years of graduate study at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Her teachers and mentors include: Bernard Zaslav, Alan deVeritch, Serge Collot, and Burton Kaplan. Nora has enjoyed participating in many summer festivals, Kneisel Hall, Britt, Idyllwild, the Paillard Academie, and Magic Mountain, and considers them a key component to her artistic growth and continued inspiration. Nora was a 2007 Artist-in Residence at the Cliff Dwellers Club, and arts-based club in downtown Chicago that recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary.
Nora Is currently executive produce, music superviso and cast as a member of Red Riding Hood String quartet in the award-winning short dance film Prohairesis, which is on its festival run during 2024-25. This exciting project combines footage of four dancers in four separate locations around the globe and footage of her string quartet Red Riding Hood, shot in Chicago.
Nora loves the variety of the Chicago music scene and has enjoyed performing popular music with Yazz Events, the Don Cagen Orchestra (including at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration), as well as local indie bands and headline acts coming through Chicago on tour. Nora’s hobbies include gardening, triathlons, reading and cooking, and she loved sharing many of these with her late husband, Shawn Quaid, a Chicago area chef.
Nora plays on a viola made by Benoit Fleury, 1749 from Paris.
Last updated Noember 2024