Rebecca Albers, left, principal viola at the Minnesota Orchestra, and Maiya Papach, far right, principal viola at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, at home with their children. Photo by Shari L. Gross, Star Tribune.
In Monday’s (91/12) Star Tribune (Minnesota), Jenna Ross writes, “Most weekend nights, you can find Maiya Papach, 46, performing as principal violist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Rebecca Albers, 40, as principal violist of the Minnesota Orchestra…. Their life here … is made possible by the fact that the Twin Cities boasts two acclaimed orchestras, a rarity. ‘To have two violists of that caliber as principals in the same city—not to mention the fact that they’re married—is pretty incredible,’ said Erin Keefe, concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra … Albers and Papach have recruited …loved ones who babysit during concerts and bridge the half-hour gaps when their rehearsals overlap. Papach’s sister, who is pursuing a doctorate in composition at the University of Minnesota, lives two doors down. Albers’ sister Julie Albers became the SPCO’s principal cellist in 2014. Their mother, a Suzuki violin teacher, and stepdad moved to Minneapolis in 2019…. ‘Pretty huge viola jobs have come up—like once-in-a-generation jobs—and we’ve looked the other way because we like it here,’ Albers said. ‘We have our family, we have our community. We’re really, really grateful to both be able to live and work here.’ ”
