Orlando Wells is violist in The Antara Ensemble and in the Broadway show 'Crybaby' among other roles

[Orlando Wells, Viola]

On August 25, 2012 AfriClassical posted: "Antara Ensemble Presents an Evening of Mozart 8 PM Oct. 2, 2012, Saint Peter's Church, NYC."  The post noted that Orlando Wells would perform on viola at the concert.  We first learned of Orlando Wells as a violinist in the Ritz Chamber Players, but he is also active as a violist.  On Broadway, he currently plays viola in Crybaby.  He has been concertmaster with the Soulful Symphony and other groups, and has performed with the Emerald Trio, the Sweet Plantain String Quartet and numerous other musical ensembles.

Orlando Wells Bio at Ritz Chamber PlayersViolin

A native of Orange, NJ, Orlando Wells began studying the violin at the age of 9. While attending LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, he picked up the viola. Mostly self taught in High School, he graduated winning the Behrens Foundation and B’nai Brith scholarships.  Mr. Wells attended S.U.N.Y. Purchase and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers. His primary teachers have included Yuval Waldman and Michael Tree.  Equally proficient on both the violin and the viola, he has held the principal viola chair with the Antara Chamber Orchestra and the concertmaster chair with the Soulful Symphony in Baltimore, the Orchestra of the Bronx and the Bronx Opera. He has appeared as a soloist with Antara, the Manhattan Virtuosi and the St. Peter by the Sea Orchestra.  Mr. Wells also performs with The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, SONYC Chamber Orchestra, The Ritz Chamber Players, Allentown Symphony, Sweet Plantain String Quartet, The Emerald Trio and the Radio City Christmas Show Orchestra. Performing frequently on Broadway, he has played regularly with Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, Spamalot, Wicked and was the violist on the first national tour of the Broadway show, Little Women. Currently he is the violist on the new Broadway show Crybaby.  He has collaborated with musicians of many different genres and styles. Some of the artists he has worked with are John Legend, Mariah Carrey, Rihanna, Kanye West, Marvin Hamlish, the Akua Dixon Swing Quartet and Sojourner Strings.