Andrea Priester Houde is a violist whose genuine love and dedication to her craft can be seen in performances around the world and in the unique environment of her teaching studio. Houde is Associate Professor of Viola at West Virginia University and is a board of the American Viola Society. She has given performances and master classes on five continents and currently serves on the prestigious faculty of Interlochen Arts Camp. She has also been on the faculties of the Orfeo Music Festival (Italy), Endless Mountain Music Festival, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the Master Players Festival. Specializing in viola pedagogy, Houde combines performance and teaching in clinics and presentations, including hosting Viola Days and Viola Bootcamps that bring violists from across the country together. She has adjudicated both nationally and internationally for competitions hosted by MTNA, ASTA, AVS, Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, and the International Primrose Viola Competition. Performance highlights include world premiere performances in New Zealand and Brazil, a lecture recital at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, and a premiere of a new concerto with the Old Dominion University Orchestra. Her recording, The American Viola, released by Albany Records features the historic world premiere recording of the first American viola composition. Houde lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, with her French horn-playing husband, Albert, and their four children.