Originally from San Diego, California, Carmen Flores Principal Viola, attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and studied viola at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada. Her principal teachers were Yizhak Schotten and Steven Dann. Carmen joined the Royal Ballet Sinfonia as Principal Viola in 2007. She is also the violist of the Villiers Quartet, and she has performed in the UK and internationally with many ensembles and orchestras. A recipient of the US Fulbright Award to the Philippines, Carmen has a keen interest in music history and chamber music. She plays on a viola made in 2006 by British luthier William Castle.