Debra Welter is the Assistant Principal Violist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.  She has held this position since 1995 and is also a frequent guest on the Freimann Chamber Music series. 

Originally from Racine, Wisconsin she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University and her Master of Music degree from the University of Akron, both in Viola Performance.  Her principal teachers were Roland Vamos and Rami Solomonow.  Before joining the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Deb served as Principal Violist of the Evansville Philharmonic.  She has also been a member of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Akron Symphony, South Bend Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  She has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and the Spoleto Festival (Charleston, South Carolina).   She also served as Librarian of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic from 1998 to 2007.  In addition to performing with the orchestra, Deb also maintains a small private teaching studio. 

Deb is married to David Welter who is a Program Manager for Regal-Beloit and occasionally plays clarinet with the orchestra.  When not performing or teaching Deb enjoys being a “swim mom” to their son Noah, a competitive swimmer for the SWAC and Woodside Middle School swim teams.  Other interests include vegetarian cooking, swimming and downhill skiing. 

Deb’s viola is a 2008 Landolfi copy made by William Bartruff of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Fun fact: Deb can be found on the silver screen in the orchestra scene of the movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”.