Music has never been a stranger to San Diego Symphony violinist Angela Homnick. A musician since the age of five, her father is a pianist and taught at the University of California, Irvine; her mother was a ballerina in Europe; her uncle (whom she studied with) was the Concertmaster with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw; and her husband, Cory Homnick, plays the saxophone and has appeared several times with San Diego Symphony at Summer Pops.
Growing up with such a musical family in the Los Angeles/Orange County area it is easy to understand the impulse for Angela to become a musician. Originally starting out very young learning to some play some piano, she switched to the violin at age seven. As an accomplished student violinist, she entered several youth competitions in the Orange County area that included winning a Young Artist Concerto Competition, and then subsequently appeared with the Orange County Youth Philharmonic. She studied with USC Thornton School professor emerita of violin Alice Schoenfeld for many years.
Mrs. Homnick first joined the San Diego Symphony in 1976 and played with the orchestra through the 1978-79 season. In 1979 she moved to Boston to study with Boston Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Joseph Silverstein from 1979-81 while substituting with the Boston Symphony. The highlight of Angela’s time spent in New England was capped in 1980 when she spent the summer playing with the orchestra at Tanglewood. During her four years in Boston, she also played with the Boston Ballet, Boston Pops and Boston Opera orchestras.
In 1983, Angela returned to San Diego, re-auditioned with the symphony and has been with the orchestra ever since. She has also played with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. Angela coordinates and performs in a string quintet (fully composed of San Diego Symphony musicians) that appears several times a year in San Diego area schools as part of the Symphony’s Education and Outreach efforts.
Outside of her music, Ms. Homnick enjoys gardening and the times she can spend with her two sons, Jared (a recent SDSU grad with a Political Science degree) and Brendan (earning a Math degree at UCLA and playing in their marching band). She also loves to travel with her husband Cory at every opportunity when the Symphony has time off.