Rita porfiris, viola

“interpretation was powerful, meticulous and disciplined.. full of passion”(translated) - Frettabladid (Iceland)

“Violinist Anton Miller and violist Rita Porfiris wowed a packed Garde Arts Center Saturday during an Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra concert that featured them in the demanding "Sinfonia Concertante" (K.364) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…. (they) played the score to the hilt, he with lightning quick hands and the stance of a boxer and she with impeccable counter-punch timing and charming phrasing. The duo was never so affecting as in the slow second movement, a love song that constantly shifted between the impetuous violin and the imploring viola wrapped in beautiful Mozart melodies and exquisitely played. Miller and Porfiris provided a few extra smiles when they gave the audience an encore piece, the Hoe-down from Aaron Copland's "Rodeo." The tour de force elicited a long ovation.” -The New London Day

“There, Miller and Porfiris played with great vigor and elegance and tone. The music itself was, on the contrary, spirited, manic and profane. It was a kind of music version of a man that no one wants to meet in the dark. (translated) -Frettbladid (Iceland)

“Rita Porfiris proved an ideal soloist, as much for her richness of tone and impeccable articulation as for the warmth and subtlety of her phrasing.”- Baltimore Sun

“There is more superb string playing..the players have been playing together since 2005, and you would have to go a long way to hear better duet playing than this.  Miller and Porfiris are in great form throughout the CD, both playing with a warm, rich tone ad with a clarity, spirit and brightness that serves these delightful works perfectly.” -The Whole Note

“very accomplished ..play very musically and with fine technique” -American Record Guide

“Miller and Porfiris soar through this varied program. During the Fuchs, we note their smooth, rich tones and their two-can-play-as-well-as-one unanimity. Come Toch and Martinů, we hear their color, their fire, their passion. All these aspects are aided by ideal recorded sound; surely, this is how these artists sound.”- Fanfare Magazine

“The work has a different sound profile here, a bit less mellow, with more surface sheen, thanks to the timbre of the violin. As for the delightful Gliere, it’s not widely available in any form, so this well-engineered recording of Rita Porfiris’ skillful arrangement is very welcome.”- Audiophile Audition

“Finally there is Max Lifchitz’s Confrontación, composed for and premiered by violist Rita Porfiris in 2006. The powerful single-movement but clearly sectional work packs quite a punch. There’s a long opening viola statement, and successive incidents recall music from the Baroque, though this is in no sense a pastiche. Certainly there may be concerto grosso elements but they’re handled in a sophisticated way. It’s alternately terse, brusque, reflective, and clement. There’s also plenty of percussive vehemence….good notes, too, and expert performances all around” -Fanfare Magazine

“Porfiris’s version for the two higher instruments is also satisfying especially when the violin and viola lightly dance in the Gavotte..or sing with bountiful warmth in the Canzonetta… he teams seamlessly in these poignant and urgent miniatures with Porfiris, whose sound is vibrant and focused...”- Gramophone Magazine

“ Violinist Anton Miller and violist Rita Porfiris sailed through the piece with admirable expressive flair and technical poise, smoothly backed by conductor and ensemble. The soloists tossed in a welcome encore -- a souped-up version of the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia that included a wry touch of Piazzolla -- and played the heck out of it.” - Baltimore Sun

“..Soloists play (sic) well together, assisted by their constant attention to each other’s performance nuances. The attention produced an excellent show for the Miller-Porfiris Duo with standing, cheering patrons wanting more. The Duo responded with a specially-arranged Handel duet, and the house loved it.” - Lincoln Journal-Star

“The soloist of the evening was Rita Porfiris from New York on the viola, with the Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Bela Bartok. The virtuoso was excitedly applauded by the audience. (translated) - Das Bild

“The centerpiece of the afternoon was the String Trio in E-flat, Op. 3, ..performed by violinist Anton Miller, violist Rita Porfiris and cellist Wolfram Koessel. In particular, the opening and closing movements were filled with energy and precision that sparkled under the gifted fingers of these three players…”- Duluth News-Tribune

“(Plymouth Quartet) An up and coming force from South Florida” - Chamber Music America

“the squeaky-clean, idiomatic account brought out an astonishing command of color, great rhythmic energy, and complex but impeccably clear counterpoint” - San Antonio Express-News

“Porfiris was gloriously eloquent with both the surging delirium and the chanting stasis in this sonata... unerring sense of drama and intensely alert interaction held the capacity audience spellbound throughout...it was damn the torpedoes and shoot out the lights, there’s no tomorrow” - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“In the Brahms quartet, violinist Sophia Silivos, violist Rita Porfiris and cellist Kevin Dvorak joined Waters in a consistently robust and almost racingly propulsive performance - a reasonable approach to the work… the supercharged passion of the music, culminating in the highly charged last movement (featuring Brahms' gentrification of gypsy music), was more than enough to sell the performance.” - Houston Chronicle

"delivered with considerable fire and flair..a compelling, vividly etched account of Bartok."- Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“The dramatic flow of emotions in the Gypsy Songs was electric. With the melancholic countermelodies of violist Rita Porfiris …the second group of songs was a model of restraint and dignity. The piano quartet brought French and Hester together with Porfiris, a member of the UH faculty and the Houston Symphony, and the orchestra's principal second violinist Jennifer Owen. Throughout the work, the interpretation was convincing for the musicians' keen sense of scale and secure, invigorating playing. The performance capped a thoroughly satisfying evening with a big exclamation mark.” -Houston Chronicle