Brian Isaacs, viola (Forest Hills, NY) is based in Berlin as a member of both the class of Tabea Zimmermann (Konzertexamen, Frankfurt HfMDK) and the Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker (mentored by Sebastian Krunnies). Brian has received awards and prizes from institutions such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Yale University, Frank Huntington Beebe Fund, and international competitions including Grunewald, Nedbal, and Rubinstein. He has also advanced to the semi-finals of major competitions such as ARD, Primrose, and Prague Spring. Brian has benefited from working in masterclasses with violists including Misha Amory, Yuri Bashmet, Noemie Bialobroda, Ettore Causa, Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Antoine Tamestit, Steven Tenenbom, Lars Anders Tomter, and Tabea Zimmermann. An avid chamber musician, Brian has participated in numerous festivals and concerts in the USA, Europe, and Asia. His recent festival appearances include Four Seasons, Gstaad String Academy, NUME, Taos, Thy, Verbier Festival Academy, and Viridian Strings. A graduate of Yale University, Brian received his MM in Viola Performance, studying with Ettore Causa, and his BA in Sociology. He plays on a viola made in 2011 by Douglas Cox in Brattleboro, VT, on generous loan from the Virtu Foundation.