John Madura, a native of Arden Hills, Minnesota, began studying the violin at the age of three and has been playing professionally since he was six years old.
Mr. Madura grew up in a musical family; his father is a cellist and conductor, his mother is an oboist, and his sister is a cellist. The Madura family quartet experience offered Mr. Madura an early and somewhat hilarious perspective on chamber music. (The Maduras love to laugh!) From age seven to seventeen, he switched gears and became a springboard diver. Music and violin were constant, but overshadowed by diving during those years, As a diver, he won numerous state, regional, and national titles. (Mr. Madura no longer dives unless his children need a dose of cool at the local pool.)
He is currently serving in his twelfth season as Concertmaster of the Midland Odessa Symphony. Mr. Madura served for eight year as Concertmaster of the Big Spring Symphony in Big Spring, Texas and the Southwest Symphony in Hobbs, New Mexico. He was also associate Concertmaster of the the Abilene Philharmonic. He was on faculty University of Texas Permian Basin where he taught, coached, and performed. His latest appointments include the Dubuque Symphony, LaCrosse Symphony, and Rochester.
Mr. Madura’s career as a violinist has been a joyous journey because of the rich diversity it has offered him. From playing concerti in front of an orchestra, to playing in a smoky jazz club, from playing the most sublime hymn, to playing Late Beethoven quartets, Mr. Madura feels truly blessed.
Some highlights of Mr. Madura’s career include performances and tour of “Short Stories”, by David Puckett with the Abilene Christian University wind ensemble and the Permian Basin string quartet in January, 2015, performing the violin part in the Broadway production of”Chicago” in April, 2015. He has been enjoying sharing masterclasses with the students of Milam elementary in Odessa, Texas since 2011. In 2010, Mr. Madura performed the Brahms concerto to high praise with the MOSC. In 2004, he was the winner of the Texas Tech University Concerto Competition and performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the TTU Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gary Lewis. A year later, he and his then fiancé, Melissa were invited to perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Caprock Pro Musica Chamber Ensemble in a concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The following summer, Mr. Madura was selected as a finalist in the Schlern International Music Competition taking place in Schlern, Italy.
Mr. Madura has an long history of orchestral performance. He has been in the Baton Rouge, Acadiana, and Lubbock symphonies. He was Concertmaster of the Natchez Opera Orchestra and was Assistant Concertmaster for the Abilene Opera Orchestra. Mr. Madura has performed with Chamber Music Amarillo and was invited to participate in the Quartz Mountain Music Festival Orchestra and String Quartet. He has performed with major artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Mark O’Connor, Brad Leali, The Smothers Brothers, Mercedes Ellington, Sarah Brightman, Sandi Patty and Smokey Robinson.
Mr. Madura is highly sought after as a chamber player, pedagogue, and clinician and believes strongly in sharing his gifts with the younger generation.
Key instructors for Mr. Madura include Dr. John Gilbert at TTU, James Alexander and Kevork Mardirossian at Louisiana State University and Elizabeth Ericksen of St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Madura family moved from Midland, Texas to LaFarge, Wisconsin in June of 2018 to embark in a new life closer to family. They own and operate a small family farm as well as a bed and breakfast.
Mr. Madura loves to cook, travel, paint, jump off of cliffs and disc golf. He is blessed to be married to his beautiful wife/co-worker/violist, Melissa. They have two incredible children together.
