Violist Diane Phoenix-Neal performs nationally and internationally as a soloist, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Bowdoin International Music Festival and the festivals of Evian and Spoleto. In France, she served as the principal solo violist of Orchestre de Picardie and as violist with Quatuor Joachim. Her sound is described as “rich and sumptuous,” and “priceless as it was memorable.” (Cultural Voice of North Carolina). Dr. Phoenix-Neal received her training from the Juilliard School as a student of William Lincer and with the Juilliard String Quartet. She is a double alumna of North Carolina School of the Arts and received her doctorate from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A champion of new music for viola, her solo performances and commissioning projects have been presented worldwide. Dr. Phoenix-Neal is principal violist of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and is a guest principal with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. She is Associate Professor of Viola at James Madison University in Virginia, and a board member of the American Viola Society.