Richard O'Neill is quickly rising to international prominence as one of the finest violists
of his generation. With frequent performances throughout North America , Europe , and Asia , he has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles and Eurasian Philharmonics, and has an exclusive solo recording contract with Universal Music. His first album release for Universal, with pianist Warren Jones, was the top selling classical music album in Korea . Mr. O'Neill has collaborated with members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Mendelssohn and Orion String Quartets, Ensemble Wien-Berlin, Gil Shaham, Cho-Liang Lin, Joshua Bell, Gary Hoffmann, Edgar Meyer and Steven Isserlis, among others. He has toured with the Chamber Music Society as well as with Musicians from Marlboro. He is also a member of the International Sejong Soloists, a string ensemble without conductor. A Universal Music Artist, he has recorded for Naxos , Centaur, and Tzadik. The first and only violist to receive the prestigious Artist Diploma at Juilliard, he has studied with Paul Neubauer and Donald McInnes. Mr. O'Neill performs on a viola made by Gasparo da Salo, Brescia Italy , circa 1590, most generously loaned to him by the Samsung Foundation of Culture.

Warren Jones frequently performs with many of today's best-known artists, including Barbara Bonney, Ruth Ann Swenson, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Denyce Graves, Stephanie Blythe, Hakan Hagegard, Samuel Ramey, James Morris, John Relyea, and Joseph Alessi. In the past he has partnered such great singers as Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Battle, Carol Vaness, Tatiana Troyanos and Martti Talvela. Mr. Jones has been featured in an interview with Eugenia Zukerman on CBS Sunday Morning . He has often been a guest artist at Carnegie Hall and in Lincoln Center 's Great Performers Series, as well as the festivals of Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Caramoor. His international travels have taken him to recitals throughout Europe and the Far East . Mr. Jones has been invited three times to the White House by American presidents to perform at concerts honoring the President of Russia , and Prime Ministers of Italy and Canada . As a guest at the Library of Congress, Mr. Jones has appeared with the Juilliard Quartet. He was featured in the United Nations memorial concert and tribute to Ms. Audrey Hepburn, telecast worldwide. Recent seasons have included his debut with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, performances with the Brentano Quartet, and an invitation to teach a master class at The Juilliard School under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation. Mr. Jones has recordings on BMG/RCA Red Seal, the Samsung Classics label, NPR Classics, EMI and Sony Classical. Mr. Jones is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City . Each summer he teaches and performs at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara , California . Warren Jones grew up in North Carolina and graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music?where he was recently honored with the Conservatory's Outstanding Alumni Award. A resident of New York City , Mr. Jones enjoys cooking, exercise, historical novels, and lively political discussion. [www.warrenjones.com]