Cape Symphony concertgoers will have noticed a new face in the string section this year. Principal Violist Danielle Farina joined the orchestra in 2022 and has quickly become a shining star on the Cape Symphony stage.

Danielle came to Cape Symphony as a natural extension of her love for Cape Cod and several summers with the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival. Vowing to return with more leisure time, she and her husband planned a two-week Cape vacation in March 2020. Little did they know a global pandemic would keep them here for months, and leisure time would not be a problem!

Fortunately for us, that time solidified their attachment to the Cape and led to a more permanent presence. Danielle and her husband are now Cape Cod homeowners, and Cape Symphony couldn’t be happier to have her on board.

After last month’s wonderful performance of “Fanfare: A Celebration of Unity,” audience members remarked on the richness, depth and beauty of the orchestra’s sound. Danielle and her fellow musicians noticed it too. Performing “Fanfare” with a conductor they had only recently met presented a steep learning curve, she reflected. The orchestra gave it their all, and the audience gave back. “We felt so welcomed,” she says. “The reception was fantastic. We could tell you were rooting for us!”

Asked about the emotional and technical satisfaction of such an excellent performance, Danielle says “there is both, for sure. There’s real tangible joy in physically playing this beautiful instrument. It is satisfying simply holding it.”

She didn’t always feel that way. As a nine-year-old beginner in a public school program, learning the viola was not instantly gratifying. “I hated it!” she laughs now. “I didn’t want to practice; I wanted to quit.” In an exchange many parents will recognize, her mother stood firm. “We rented that instrument for the whole school year, and you’re going to play it for the whole school year!” Thankfully, a teacher found a way to inspire the reluctant musician: Orchestra road trips meant getting out of class. Thus motivated, Danielle “took that thing home, and practiced, practiced, practiced.” As her sound improved, her love for it took hold. Soon, she “couldn’t put it down.” When Danielle’s teacher recommended private instruction, her mother was floored. Danielle is still grateful to that special teacher who saw her through the initial struggle and went the extra mile to be sure her talent was nurtured.

Today, Cape Symphony is in excellent company on Danielle’s calendar. She is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, and the Vassar College faculty. You can also hear her on the latest Bruce Springsteen album, and on the “Barbie” soundtrack, which got her a sneak peek of the movie (about which she was sworn to secrecy). “That was fun and light!” she says. “With film work, you never know what you’re going to play.”

Work has Danielle traveling back and forth to New York a fair bit. She takes advantage of the drive time to recharge. “I love the silence! As a musician, there’s something about quiet that’s very restorative.” Off the stage and off the road, you can find her walking the beach she now happily calls home. “Being next to the water, with the vastness of the horizon, is very relaxing and calming.”

Here’s to many stunning Cape Symphony performances ahead for Danielle, and all the Cape Cod beauty in between them!