Ariel Rudiakov

Ariel Rudiakov is a third-generation musician receiving his early musical training from his parents, cellist Michael and pianist Judith in Riverdale, NY. In addition to his post as Music Director for the DSO, he was recently appointed conductor of the University of Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and co-coordinator of string chamber music studies there. Ari was Artistic Director of the award-winning Manchester Music Festival for 16 years and is now Co-founder and Director of Taconic Music, Inc.

After attending Manhattan School of Music’s Preparatory Division (Pre-College) Ari went on to earn viola performance degrees from SUNY Purchase (BM) and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (MM), and was a scholarship student at Yale University’s masters program where he studied privately with Jessie Levine and chamber music with members of the Tokyo String Quartet. In both capacities, Rudiakov enjoys a wide-ranging and diverse musical life, performing solo and chamber music throughout the USA and abroad with many fine musicians including the Shanghai and Jupiter Quartets, former members of the Tokyo, Juilliard and Guarneri quartets, pianists Ruth Laredo, David Deveau, Andre Michel Schub, Adam Neiman, Joseph Kalichstein and many others.

At the podium, he has collaborated with world-renowned musicians; violinist Jaime Laredo, cellists Sharon Robinson and Bernard Greenhouse, among others of similar note. In addition to his post with the Danbury Symphony and Manchester Chamber Orchestra’s he has been conductor of the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra and Metropolitan symphonies in New Jersey, as a guest for NYC’s Antara Ensemble, Harlem Chamber Players ,Yonkers Philharmonic and others. He is a former member of the New York Piano Quartet and Equinox String Quartet and was a founding member of SONYC (the String Orchestra of New York City).

Among his recordings are the complete string quartets by Camille Saint-Saens, the critically acclaimed piano quintet by Vittorio Giannini along with many live performances drawn from decades of concerts at the MMF. American composers Richard Lane, Philip Lasser and Coleridge Taylor Perkinson have dedicated works to Rudiakov, who is also active in commissioning and recording new music.

He has appeared on WAMC, WQXR, NY and Vermont Public Radio and Public Television, and additionally has held positions at Middlebury and Bennington Colleges and Manhattan School of Music, Preparatory Division.

Ariel resides in Manchester, VT and Yonkers, NY with his wife, violinist Joana Genova and their two children; Michael Arthur and Liliana Judith. He plays a viola made by Geoffrey Ovington in 2000.