About Us
Karine Stone, violin
Violinist, Karine Stone began her study of music at the age of two, when she was captivated by the sounds of the violin. She continued her study of violin and piano throughout high school. Ms. Stone received both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music. Her professional performing career began in the summer of 1996, when she played operas in the first violin section of the Schlossfestspiel Orchestra in Heidelberg, Germany. From 1997-1998, Ms. Stone was a member of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra. For three years, from 1998-2001 she was a member of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and performed frequently as Acting Concertmaster of the Erie Philharmonic. Karine has performed in the first violins of the Santo Domingo Music Festival under the direction of Philippe Entremont, and in the first violins of the Todi Music Festival in Portsmouth, Virginia. She has also performed in the first violins of the Skaneateles Festival and the Greater Buffalo Opera, and as Principal Second Violin of the Rochester Oratorio Society.
Currently Ms. Stone performs frequently in the second violin section of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and is an active freelance and chamber musician. Through her freelance work, Karine has performed as a backup musician with artists such a Josh Groban, The TransSiberian Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., Johny Mathis, Wayne Newton, and the Capitol Saxophone Quartet. From 2002 through 2005, Karine was the first violinist of the RPO Educational Quintet, a group dedicated to bringing classical music to children in the Rochester City Schools. Most recently, she is performing chamber music, lecture recitals, and children’s concerts as the first violinist of Quartsemble, a chamber music group she founded with her husband, Diego Garcia in 2002. Karine has been featured as a frequent recitalist and chamber musician at the Eastman in Geneva, Live From Hochstein, Keuka College Spotlight Series and other chamber music series throughout Rochester, Syracuse, and the Finger Lakes.
Ms. Stone has also worked extensively as a teacher, conductor, and as an administrator. In 1997 she was on the violin faculty of the Idaho State Civic Symphony String Festival and in 1998 she was the Dean of The Quartet Program at Bucknell University. Karine is committed to sharing music with children and adults of all ages, and for eight years has taught approximately 25 students in her private violin and viola studio in Rochester, New York. Her students have played concertmaster, associate concertmaster and principal second of All-County and All-State Orchestras, and have held principal positions in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Eastman Youth Chamber Soloists. For six seasons (1999-2005), she conducted the Cobblestone Chamber Ensemble, a 35 piece intergenerational orchestra, also in Rochester, New York. Since the fall of 2005 Ms. Stone has been on the conducting faculty of the Eastman Community Music School, where she conducts the Eastman Kaleidoscope Community Orchestra. Karine currently teaches violin and viola at RIT, and performs as Concertmaster of the RIT Orchestra.