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Keith Conant

Born: January 18, 1962 Died: September 15, 2011 Principal Violist-Lyric Opera Of Chicago Conant studied viola at the Juilliard School of Music, graduating in 1986. His teachers at Juilliard included [a971288] and [a1312374]. He studied chamber music with [a1047628], Dorothy DeLay and members of the [a848066], as well as studying viola with [a639963], Dorothy Straub and [a502465]. Conant's orchestral career began with two years in the [a928199], after which he then joined the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1987. In addition to his principal position at the Lyric, he performed as principal with the Chicago Philharmonic and regularly substituted with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Symphony. An active chamber musician, Conant performed with the [a5212392], the Chicago Chamber Musicians and chamber music festivals across the country, including the Ravinia Festival. He made two chamber music recordings: George Flynn’s “American Rest” on the Southport label and “Lux Aeterna” by William Ferris on the Cedille label. He can also be heard on such diverse recordings as [url=http://www.discogs.com/Smashing-Pumpkins-Mellon-Collie-And-The-Infinite-Sadness/master/48721]Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins[/url] and recordings by Reverend Louis Farrakhan, Mannheim Steamroller and countless others as well as appearing in the 1992 motion picture "Home Alone 2." Conant appeared as a soloist with many orchestras, including; the Juilliard Philharmonia in Alice Tully Hall; Symphony II; Bach Week in Evanston Festival; North Shore Choral Society; Highland Park Strings and Roosevelt University Orchestra, among others. He commissioned and invited numerous composers to write for him and gave many authoritative premiers of new music for the viola.