Cheryl Gates has been a member of Pacific Symphony's viola section since 2002. Prior to accepting her position with this group, she received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters Degree in Viola Performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While on the east coast, Gates held positions in the Richmond (VA), Harrisburg (PA), and Syracuse (NY) Symphonies. Cheryl loves to travel and has been fortunate to participate in many music festivals abroad, including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in northern Germany as well as festivals in Valencia, Spain; Vienna, Austria; Kuhmo, Finland and many others in the states. Since returning to the west coast in June of 2002, Cheryl has performed with various orchestras in the Southern California area. She has worked as a studio musician and has performed for many ballets, operas, musicals, and pop concerts in the Los Angeles basin. Cheryl also teaches a wide range of private students, from beginners to advanced students, and ages 5 to adult.