On today's episode I talk to violist Nadia Sirota. Based in New York, Nadia is a Juilliard-trained violist best known for her singular sound and expressive execution and she's worked with a number of amazing contemporary composers like Nico Muhly, Judd Greenstein, and Missy Mazzoli. Her debut album First Things First was released in 2009 on New Amsterdam Records and was cited as a record of the year by The New York Times. In addition to her work as a soloist, Nadia is a member of yMusic, ACME (the American Contemporary Music Ensemble) and Alarm Will Sound, and has lent her viola to recording and concert projects by artists such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Anohni and Arcade Fire. In 2015, she won a Peabody Award for her podcast Meet the Composer. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on iTunes, follow me on Twitter.