Music Director, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra
Music Director, Kent Philharmonic Orchestra
Professor and Orchestra Director, Grand Rapids Community College
Libor Ondras is an award-winning violist and a conductor. He has worked with leading artists and conductors and performed with major orchestras in the US, Europe, and Japan including Houston Symphony, Utah Symphony, Carnegie Hall Project with Sir George Solti, Vienna Philharmonic, and Bernstein’s Pacific Festival Orchestra. Ondras has given lectures and played recitals for the American Viola Society and International Viola Amore Society and his research and scholarly writings were published in the Journal of American Viola Society.
Recipient of the Slovak Ministry of Culture Fellowship, Dr. Ondras began his studies at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory with Yuri Bashmet, continued at the Academy of Arts in Prague, and completed his DMA at the University of Houston.
His recent engagements include a visiting artist at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland, featured artist for the National Conference of League of American Orchestras, solo appearance with the Northwest Sinfonietta of Washington, research project at the Belle Violinmaking School in Bilbao, Spain, and most recent masterclasses at the University of Costa Rica, San Jose.
Passionate recitalist and chamber musician, he serves as an artist-in-residence and string faculty at the Bay View Chautauqua Music Festival, founder of the Quartet de Minaret (FL) and Hummel Trio (MI), and a frequent chamber ensemble coach and lecturer (most recently for the University of Nortre Dame, GVSU, CMU). Dr. Ondras is a Music Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra and Kent Philharmonic Orchestra (MI), guest conductor for the Slovak State Opera and a Director of Orchestras and professor at the Grand Rapids Community College.