Olivia Moaddel

The Philharmonic is delighted to welcome the three newest members of our Orchestra: violinists Olivia Moaddel, An-Chi Lin, and Ciara McGuire.

Olivia Moaddel is passionate about sharing beautiful music through both performing and teaching. She has won numerous competitions and has performed the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Orchestra, and Symphony in C, and is concertmaster and manager for the Northern Dutchess Symphony in the Hudson Valley.  Moaddel has also played in masterclasses with several renowned artists such as James Ehnes and Augustin Hadelich and in March of 2021 performed Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence" alongside renowned musicians Axel Strauss, Joel Quarrington, Rachel Mercer, and Paul Marelyn.  She holds degrees from The Hartt School and the University of Ottawa, and in 2024 graduated with a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from Rutgers University. She served on the violin faculty was the Assistant Director at the Bard College Preparatory Division during the 2024-2025 academic year, and she also has a private violin studio at her home in the Hudson Valley, where she resides with her husband.

An-Chi Lin

An-Chi Lin, originally from Taichung, Taiwan, started playing violin at the age of five. Growing up on a small island, she has a deep love for oceans and mountains. She is currently a third-year doctoral student in Violin Performance at Boston University, where she studies with Professor Bayla Keyes. An-Chi maintains an active performing career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, and has performed across the United States, Germany, France, England, Taiwan, and Japan. She recently made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, where she performed Jenö Hubay's Carmen Fantasie Brillante. When not playing music, An-Chi is a dedicated basketball fan and an animal lover who owns two dogs and two cats.

Ciara McGuire

Ciara McGuire is a violinist based in Rochester who specializes in music of the Baroque and modern eras. She holds a BM from Oberlin College and Conservatory and a MM from the Eastman School of Music, where she performed concertos with the Baroque Collegium and Musica Nova ensembles. Ciara has been the guest concertmaster of the Genesee Valley Orchestra and Chorus since 2023, and has performed with orchestras and in concert series throughout upstate New York. A passionate chamber musician, she is the founding violinist of the Vantage Trio, which has competed in several national competitions. In June 2025, she will perform Berg’s Violin Concerto, “To the Memory of an Angel,” with the Mostly Modern Orchestra in Saratoga Springs, as the winner of the Mostly Modern Festival’s 2024 concerto competition. 

Welcome to the Philharmonic Family, Olivia, An-Chi, and Ciara!