Nicky Moore is an adventurous violist and interfaith leader who loves trying new things. Nicky began her chamber music career under the guidance of the Fry Street Quartet at Utah State University. There, her interest in contemporary music was sparked by the opportunity to premiere two string quartets– Currents by Stephen Mitton and Far From Righteous by Kerwin Young. Nicky’s current ensemble, the New Sounds Quartet at the University of South Carolina, recently premiered A Sliver of Sky by Shupeng Cao in April 2023 as part of the Whittaker Composition Commission. The New Sounds Quartet will give the European premiere of this piece, as well as two others, at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy this June where they will participate as Ensemble Fellows. Nicky graduated in May 2023 with a Masters degree in Music Performance and an emphasis in Community Engagement. She will resume studying viola with Dr. Daniel Sweaney at the University of South Carolina this fall while pursuing a Performance Certificate. She will also continue performing with the New Sounds Quartet directed by Dr. Ari Streisfeld, former violinist and founding member of the JACK quartet. The New Sounds Quartet plans to pursue professional career opportunities in the near future. An accomplished and versatile musician, Sharon Hudson Rattray, is in constant demand as a performer, accompanist and organist. Mrs. Rattray received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from USC, where she received the prestigious Most Outstanding Senior Award. Mrs. Rattray continued her training as a chamber musician in Munich where she attended the Institute of Chamber Music. In 1991, she was selected to represent USC in a chamber music concert at the Lincoln Center for the Mozart Bicentennial Celebration. From 1988 to 1993, Sharon was a member of the Columbia College staff as instructor in the pre-college music program. Mrs. Rattray has performed as a soloist with both the USC Orchestra and the South Carolina Philharmonic. Currently, she serves as staff accompanist at the USC School of Music, accompanist for the Lexington County Choral Society, and organist at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Columbia. Along with her sister, Allison Hudson Hilbish, Sharon frequently performs sacred piano/organ duo concerts. She resides in the Midlands with her husband, Marc, and her two sons, Truman and Matthew.
You can find Nicky’s 2023 20th Century Music Competition viola performance here.