The Musicians
Ruxandra Marquardt (Violin)
Member of the JSO: Since 2002
Hometown: Bucharest, Romania
Education: Ruxandra attended the George Enescu School of Music in Romania at the age of six, completing studies in violin, piano, theory and ear training. She later attended the Bucharest Conservatory of Music and the Indiana School of Music.
Why the violin? “There were too many pianists around the George Enescu Music School.”
Performance experience: Ruxandra began performing solo recitals and chamber music throughout Eastern Europe at age ten under her teacher Stefan Gheorghiu. Ms. Marquardt has won an impressive array of competitions, including the Wieniawski International Competition (Poland), the Spring (Prague), the Tibor Varga Prize (Switzerland), the Yehudi Menuhin Competition (London), the Richard Wagner International Festival (Bayreuth) and two consecutive years of First Prize at the All-Romania Competition. She has been a featured soloist with the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony and the Orchestre de La Suisse Romande. She has participated in the Eastern Music Festival (2002) and the Grand Teton Music Festival (2003). She was previously Associate Concertmaster for the Syracuse Orchestra.
Family: Ruxandra lives in Orange Park with her husband Paul. They have a daughter, Marianna.
Favorite style of music: “Everything but country!”
Interests: “I am very interested in fitness and the psychology of performing musicians. I love to teach talented and serious young people. Every year, I take my violin and play for my daughter’s school at Christmas time. I love to see three- and four-year-olds enjoying the music.”