BIOGRAPHY
Peruvian violist Varinia Oyola-Rebaza is an internationally recognised musician celebrated for her distinctive musical voice and her commitment to connecting cultures through the viola. Based in London, she is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) and an award-winning chamber musician. Her work brings the music of Peru and Latin America into dialogue with the classical canon, shaped by a career spanning three continents.
Varinia began her musical journey at the age of nine at the National Conservatory of Peru, studying with Roberto Gonzalez. Her talent and curiosity led her to pursue studies in Europe and the United States, including a full scholarship at The Juilliard School—experiences that shaped her unique artistic identity. Today, she performs widely across the UK, Europe, and South America, appearing at venues including the Barbican Centre, Westminster Abbey (St Margaret’s), St John’s Smith Square, Conway Hall, and Sala São Paulo. She is a multi-time featured recitalist with the Sociedad Filarmónica de Lima, maintaining a strong presence in her native country while expanding her international reach.
Chamber music is central to Varinia’s work. She frequently collaborates with leading ensembles including United Strings of Europe, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Gabrieli Players, and Wild Arts Ensemble.
A sought-after advocate for her instrument, Varinia was invited to the Festival Ecos Latinoamericanos at Sala São Paulo, where she appeared as a soloist with the Ecos Ensemble, championing Latin American repertoire on one of South America’s leading stages. She has also performed as a soloist with orchestras in Peru and with the North London Sinfonia, and gave the UK premiere of Rafael Junchaya’s Yaraví at St John’s Smith Square.
A prize-winning chamber musician, she received First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Massimo Antonelli International Chamber Music Competition with the Alauda Quartet, touring extensively throughout Europe and appearing on radio broadcasts in Spain and Germany. She is a recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Enterprise Award for her work with her trio, Platform Music, and was awarded ARAM in 2019 in recognition of her contributions to the music field.
Her discography includes the Gramophone Award-winning recording of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Gabrieli Players. She also appears on two forthcoming BIS Records releases with United Strings of Europe, including an album recorded at Abbey Road Studios with flautist Sharon Bezaly, where she served as principal viola.
Varinia studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, The Juilliard School (BM), and the University of Iowa (MA), receiving full scholarships from each institution, and later completed a Professional Diploma with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has worked closely with Garth Knox and participated in masterclasses with Yuri Bashmet at the Barenboim–Said Akademie and the Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus. Her principal teachers include Heidi Castleman, Steven Tenenbom, Christine Rutledge, David Holland, and Garfield Jackson.
She performs on a contemporary viola by Hiroshi Iizuka, with a Hill bow generously on loan from the Royal Academy of Music Museum Collection.