Maria Friedman

Born March 19th, 1960 in Switzerland. The third child (of four) to musical parents, Leonard a violinist and co-founder of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Claire, a concert Pianist, and opera coach. All the children played piano as well, but brother Richard is a violinist and conductor of all sorts of orchestras, older sister Sarah was a flutist, but took her career elsewhere and is now a university scientist, and younger sister Sonia also played cello, and violin, and is now an acclaimed producer in the West End of London. Maria was supposed to be a cellist, but didn't like to practice. Ironically, her musical/vocal career was an accident. At the age of 14 she saw Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music", but it wasn't until 5 years later when she got her first part. In 1980, she was cast in the chorus of the national tour of Oklahoma!, only because her boyfriend at the time got a part and he asked them to take her as well. Maria, eventually understudied and played the parts of Ad