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Angela Watson

Angela Watson

On Stage

Angela Watson received her Master’s Degree in violin performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She has enjoyed a career of performing with the Winston-Salem, Charleston, and Charlotte symphonies as well as orchestral performances with Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and for the Grammy Awards, among many others. Angela currently serves as violin instructor at Davidson College, and is a strings coach for the Youth Orchestras of Charlotte. She lives in the Lake Norman area with her husband Chris, daughter Maeve, and pup Thisbe.

Off Stage


Where did you grow up? Hometown?
I was born and raised in Knoxville, TN. My parents took me to a KSO concert and I saw the violins, and I was hooked! I started violin at the UT Suzuki Strings school when I started Kindergarten, and that was when I chose my career. 

What do you like to do outside of work? Do you have any favorite hobbies?
My work is play and I actually am pretty grumpy when I don’t have a lot of it! Other than that, I’m a perfume collector and I have close to 200 bottles. I also love to swim, read (history, fiction), and take my daughter to museums and to see Charlotte Ballet. Once a year we try to go abroad; I love history and really geek out over seeing it in person!

If you could meet one composer, who would it be and what would you ask them? 
Joe Hisaishi! Can we please have a symphonic movie concert of Spirited Away?

What would you do if you weren’t a professional musician? 
I would be very grumpy for sure!  But I probably would have majored in history or English and be a teacher. I love to talk about subjects I’m interested in, and teaching guarantees a captive audience!

What do you look forward to most about being part of the Charlotte Symphony?
Our repertoire is killing it! Shostakovich 9, Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, Edgar Meyer, and of course, Kwamé Ryan taking the baton; there’s so much to be excited about!