Margaret Dyer Harris, Viola

Margaret Dyer Harris has crafted an eclectic career as a recording artist, entrepreneur, chamber musician, arts advocate, and educator. She was recently named Principal Violist of the Boulder Philharmonic and she has been the Assistant Principal violist of the Santa Fe Opera since 2015. Ms. Dyer has recorded in the worlds of classical, jazz and with numerous cross genre projects which have been acclaimed by critics. An artist on multiple GRAMMY™ award winning records in multiple genres, Margaret was a founding member of the GRAMMY™-nominated chamber orchestra, "A Far Cry," the Boston based conductor-less string ensemble. She has performed and recorded with groups across a broad spectrum of music including The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cyndi Lauper, ECCO, Decoda, Harry Connick Jr., Esperanza Spalding, John Legend, & Bryce Dessner.

Before moving to Denver, CO in 2020, Margaret was the violist in Wicked on Broadway and she was a member of the New York Pops Orchestra. She was also a member of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular orchestra in 2013 and 2016. She was a guest violist with the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. An active and passionate chamber musician, Margaret has been featured at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Denver Chamber Music Festival, and countless national and international festivals. She has taught masterclasses in Mexico, England, Peru, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, and all across the United States. 

Margaret has a strong passion for education and community outreach. She was the Director of Outreach for A Far Cry before beginning a post-grad fellowship program with Ensemble Connect: a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the NYC Dept. of Education. As a member of this ensemble, Margaret wrote and produced interactive performances for audiences all around the boroughs of New York City: dozens of schools, eldercare facilities, and correctional facilities. She was a partner teacher at Curtis High School on Staten Island, working with the students in all of their strings programs. Margaret was hired by the Weill Institute of Carnegie Hall to teach and perform with the men at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, culminating in a side-by-side performance of pieces written by the inmates, performed for residents and officers.

In 2017, Margaret became the Education Coordinator for the Knights chamber orchestra. She directed concerts for families in Brooklyn and students of neighboring schools of the BRIC Arts and Media Center. When the pandemic halted all performances, Margaret wrote and produced an online series for the Knights called “Musical Chairs” which introduces the instruments and players of the orchestra to a young digital audience.