Cam Audras, viola
Polymathic at heart, violist Cam Audras believes musicians possess the power to serve as advocates for social good. An active performer across the West Coast, Audras has served as Principal Violist with the Santa Barbara Chamber Players, the California Young Artists Symphony, and Symphony of the Vines. He currently performs with regional orchestras including the Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, New West Symphony, and Santa Cruz Symphony.
Audras has received top prizes in several competitions, including the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Competition, Valley Talent Music Scholarship Competition, and the Henry Schwab Violin and Viola Competition. His festival appearances include the Voksenasen Music Festival in Norway, Center Stage Strings at the University of Michigan, the Credo Chamber Music Festival at Oberlin Conservatory, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Manchester Music Festival. He has appeared on stage with internationally acclaimed artists including Pink Martini and Judy Collins, violinists Gil Shaham and Alexi Kenney, and pianist Jeffrey Kahane.
A dedicated educator, Audras serves as adjunct viola faculty at Westmont College and maintains an active private teaching studio. He also enjoys spending summers on the viola faculty at Lyceum Oaks Summerfest at California State University Channel Islands, mentoring the next generation of young string players.
Audras holds a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music, where he was named the Strings Department’s Outstanding Undergraduate. While at USC he also completed a second degree in Environmental Studies. His artistic initiative, The Resilience Project, received support from the USC Arts and Climate Collective. The project explores climate action through collaborative performance, combining dance, an original musical score, and spoken word poetry.
He holds Master’s degrees in Viola Performance and Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Audras studied viola with Jonathan Moerschel, Yura Lee, Che-Yen (Brian) Chen, and Helen Callus.