Christian Colberg

About Christian

Violist, violinist, and composer Christian Colberg, began his musical studies at the age of four in his home country of Puerto Rico. At 16, he continued his studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. 

Colberg is currently the Principal Viola with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the CSO, he was Assistant Principal Viola with the Baltimore Symphony. In addition, he is currently the Principal Viola with the Bellingham Festival of Music and also Artist Faculty and Principal Viola of the Chamber Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival and School. 

Colberg has also held teaching positions at both the Peabody Conservatory of Music, as well as the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). His main teachers include Alexander Schneider, Saul Ovcharov, Charles Libov, and Shirley Givens. 

The recipient of numerous awards, including the Alpha Delta Kappa Foundation Fine Arts grant, Colberg has also been recognized by the House of Representatives and the Senate of Puerto Rico for his achievements in the field of classical music. He has collaborated with such artists as, Marvin Hamlish, Gary Karr, Milton Katims, Augustin Hadelich, Samuel Sanders, Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, the Muir, Cypress and Ariel String Quartets, and with the Silk Road Festival in China. 

In October 2018, Colberg performed his own Viola Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has performed this work with numerous orchestras, including the Puerto Rico Conservatory Orchestra and Música de Cámara in New York City. The second movement of his concerto, "Aldonza," was used as the competition piece for the 2014 Primrose International Viola Competition. In 2018, "The Rant - For Two Violas" was also premiered at the International Viola Congress in Los Angeles. In 2022, he released a new album titled Talking to Myself in which he composed and played all the parts.

I want to provide my students with all the tools they will need in order for them to find their own voice.