Sylvia Danburg Volpe joined the orchestra as Associate Principal Second Violin in the year 2000. A native of Houston, Texas, she began her undergraduate studies with Ken Goldsmith at the Shepard School of Music at Rice University, and completed her Bachelor of Music at Juilliard with Glenn Dicterow. She made her New York solo debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1996, where she was praised by the New York Times for “beautiful tone — both lyricism and virtuosity”. Sylvia plays with the MET Chamber Ensemble concert series at Carnegie Hall, and has performed a wide variety of classical and cross-over music both here and abroad. In addition to this, for several weeks a year she actively dedicates herself to the pursuit and refinement of the perfect Christmas cookie.