RENATA VAN DER VYVER, a native of Cape Town (South Africa), obtained her Graduate Certificate (2010) and Masters degree (2008) in Viola Performance at USC under tutelage of Donald McInnes. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Texas, where she studied with Susan Dubois (viola) and Cynthia Roberts (baroque violin). She started her studies on violin in 1992 with Louis van der Watt. Renata has performed as soloist with various orchestras, including the Hugo Lambrechts Symphony Orchestra (Cape Town), the Cape Town Philharmonic, the USC Early music Ensemble, UNT Collegium and UNT Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the Manchester Chamber Music festival, Vermont (2004), the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music festival (2005, 2009), attended Music Academy of the West (2006, 2007) and performed in the Franco-Americaine "recontres de chambre musique" concert series, France (2009). She is currently a member of Musica Angelica (Los Angeles), on Baroque viola and viol d'amore and the Baroque Chamber orchestra of Colorado, on Baroque violin. As violist she performs with various orchestras, including the Santa Barbara Symphony and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Renata enjoys a great variety of musical endeavors and has had the opportunity to work in person with many composers on various concerts, including, Russel Steinberg, in "Strange Attractors", Geoffrey Pope, for the play "Song of Extinction", Thomas Ades, for the opera "Powder her Face" and west coast premier of Bruce Adolphe's piano quintet "Memories of a possible future". In 2009 Renata was invited to perform a recital in the 37th annual viola congress, Stellenbosch (South Africa), and in 2010 she was a soloist at the international viola d'amore congress, Evanston (Illinois). Most recently Renata has been accepted to pursue her DMA degree in viola at University of Texas (Austin) under tutelage of Roger Myers.