Amy Tompkins

Amy Tompkins grew up watching her parents perform violin and viola on classical and jazz stages, eventually gravitating toward the viola’s rich, middle voice.

Her very first viola was her dad’s “river instrument” (which he joked could double as a paddle when rafting down Hell’s Canyon in Idaho before playing chamber music around the campfire). Amy met her current viola, which had just been completed by a luthier outside of Denver, while pursuing her Master’s from the University of Colorado, Boulder—where she studied with Erika Eckert, Geraldine Walther, and the Takács Quartet. Following two degrees in performance, Amy went on to receive a Master’s in Arts Administration from Indiana University, and her love of music extends to her day job as Associate Director of Development for The Glimmerglass Festival.

Since moving to Upstate New York in 2018, she has performed with Albany Pro Musica, Binghamton Philharmonic, Catskill Symphony Orchestra, Fenimore Chamber Orchestra, Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, and Tri-Cities Opera, as well as with the Upper Catskill String Quartet and as a founding member of the Castalia Quartet.

When not spending time with her viola, Amy enjoys cuddling with her two cats (Zella and Marlow), traveling, and cooking/eating delicious food!