Violist and composer Rhonda Lorence brings the mellow, warm tonalities of the viola to the forefront through her elegant marriage of the new age and neo-classical genres, and gives full, modern voice to this instrument's passionate and emotive force.

Within a month of its release, Lorence's first album Winter Moon had soared into the top twenty on New Age stations throughout the country, showing that compositions for the often overlooked viola could capture the imagination of listeners. Winter Moon remained in the top 50 on the New Age Reporter charts throughout 2005, and was nominated by broadcasters in four categories for the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

As much as Rhonda Lorence's compositions are an expression of her artistry as a violist, they are also about her creative abilities as a sound engineer and producer. Lorence recorded and mastered every track on Winter Moon, blending the vocals of Angela Sterling Forest with synthesizers, while playing all the accompanying live strings.

Many of the influences that prevail on the Winter Moon CD are also a result of Lorence's 25 year performance career which included tours of Japan and Korea with the Mantovanni Orchestra; as well as a stint as principal violist for the Naples (FL) Orchestra; performances with the Russian Ballet Orchestra and Tampa Bay Opera; and numerous show performances with legends such as Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini and Burt Bacharach. Crossing cultures has always appealed to Lorence, in fact, and threads of Celtic and Moroccan music can be heard in her work as well, along with Asian and Eastern European influences.

When asked about her creative process, Lorence acknowledges an intentional spiritual aim. "I think the most important thing is that the music inspires someone to fully listen, feel, and really experience the complexity of emotions embedded within it."

Movements In The Moment

Winter Moon