Cynthia Tolson is a classically-trained string player based in Los Angeles. A versatile performer in solo, chamber, and orchestral realms, Cynthia is now focused on projects including session work, arranging, and touring with artists, as well as scoring for film and tv. She is able to create and perform compelling string arrangements for artists in various genres, exploring the wide palette of colors available to each instrument while using traditional and extended techniques inspired by her varied experiences as a contemporary and classical instrumentalist.
Bio
A native of Long Island, New York, Cynthia quickly demonstrated an inclination toward music, beginning piano lessons at the age of three. At an early age she began performing recitals on Long Island and in New York City as a classical pianist. She studied with Joshua Kant, Victoria Mushkatkol, and Christina Dahl. Formal training on this instrument until the age of 17 provided her with a deep understanding of harmony and informs her writing for strings today. She then gravitated toward the violin at the age of 8 and gradually grew more interested in the timbres available from bowed instruments. She attended the New York All-State Orchestra at the age of 15 and was awarded a Bright Lights Scholarship to attend Stony Brook University for her undergraduate degree.
As an undergraduate at Stony Brook, she was admitted into the graduate violin studio, studying with Jennifer Frautschi, Arnaud Sussmann, and Joanna Kaczorowska. She received additional instruction from Philip Setzer as well as chamber coachings with the Emerson String Quartet and the Calidore String Quartet. Cynthia followed this interest in chamber music by gaining a fellowship in the Graduate String Quartet at UMass Amherst, founding Katfem during her first year. Katfem now performs alongside singer -songwriters and bands, and continues to perform works from the classical chamber repertoire.
Cynthia is a passionate instructor and operated her own piano and violin studio on Long Island, teaching over 30 students. She is available to teach students of any age and level remotely as well as in-studio in the Los Angeles area.
An ardent believer in the importance of new music, Cynthia participates in the Next Festival of Emerging Artists, an annual two-week immersive experience alongside composers, inter-disciplinary artists, and fellow performers. This past season, the group worked closely with Grammy award-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis on his work Sarabanda in Memoriam. The Strad reviewed the performance of this work as well as the group’s collaboration with violinist Miranda Cuckson.