Sheryl Staples

Violinist Sheryl Staples joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Associate Concertmaster, The Elizabeth G. Beinecke Chair, in 1998 and made her solo debut with the orchestra in 1999 performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto led by Kurt Masur. Since that time she has been featured in concertos of Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn, Bach and Vivaldi with conductors including Lorin Maazel, Sir Colin Davis, Alan Gilbert, Kent Nagano, Jeffrey Kahane and Jaap van Zweden. She has also appeared as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony and San Diego Symphony among many others. The New York Times wrote that “she is a perceptive musician, who plays with great rhythmic integrity and a lucid sense of phrase structure...she draws a wonderful array of vibrant and luminous colors...interpretive honesty and unmannered elegance.”

In demand as a chamber musician, Ms. Staples performs frequently in the New York area with Philharmonic colleagues as well as other esteemed artists including Yefim Bronfman and Emanuel Ax, and has performed for US Ambassadors in London, Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong and Beijing as well as touring the US, Asia and Latin America. She was a founding member of the New York Philharmonic String Quartet and now leads the newly formed New Jersey String Quartet. Summer festival appearances include La Jolla Summerfest, Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival, Santa Fe, Seattle, Aspen, Martha’s Vineyard, Sarasota and Strings Music Festivals.

Ms. Staples is a member of the violin faculty at Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard Pre-College. She also teaches at The Juilliard School in orchestral studies. Originally from Los Angeles, Ms. Staples began studying violin at age five, and her major mentors were Robert Lipsett and Heiichiro Ohyama.

Ms. Staples is married to percussionist Barry Centanni and they have two adult children, Michael, and Laura.