Seth Pae, Viola

Seth Pae, originally from Cleveland Ohio, has been playing the viola since the age of nine. His musical studies began in a public school music program. He feels strongly about the importance of those programs: he is the first musician in his family, and perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have discovered music. 

His first private teachers included Juilliard-trained pedagogue, Kristen Lindley and Lembi Veskimets of the Cleveland Orchestra. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at Baldwin Wallace University while studying with Louise Zeitlin and completed both a Master’s Degree and an Artist Diploma at DePaul University while studying with Wei-Ting Quo of the Chicago Symphony, and legendary Chicago violist, Rami Solomonow.

Seth was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2016-2018, and performed with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra as their Project Inclusion Fellow in the summer of 2018. He has also performed with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony and the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra.He currently performs with the Chicago Sinfonietta as their Project Inclusion Fellow, is a student mentor with the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and a teaching artist with the Chicago Arts and Music Project. 

Seth frequently works with Chicago based composers and premiers new works. It is his mission to perform music by women and people of color as often as possible. In addition to performing, teaching and mentoring Seth composes and arranges music.