ABOUT
Dr. Ruben Balboa is Assistant Professor of Viola/Violin and String Music Education at Wichita State University, where he also performs as violist of the Fairmount String Trio. The American Viola Society named him an Emerging Artist in 2021 and an Emerging Teacher in 2022, and in 2025 he was named a national finalist for The American Prize in Orchestral Conducting in the university division.
Balboa’s performances have taken him throughout the United States and internationally to Germany and France, including a performance at the 50th International Viola Congress in Paris in 2026. Recent solo highlights include commissioning and premiering Alex Molina Shawver’s Tejano Suite for Viola and Piano at the American Viola Society Festival in Los Angeles, Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango with the Wichita State Symphony Orchestra, and Hoffmeister’s Viola Concerto in D major with the Central Texas Medical Orchestra.
His orchestral work includes performances with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Grand Opera, Austin Symphony, Austin Opera, Dallas Opera, and Amarillo Symphony, where he appeared as Guest Principal Viola, among others. His chamber music collaborations have included Austin Camerata, the Austin Chamber Music Festival, Invoke, Anton Nel, Sandy Yamamoto, and members of the Miró Quartet. In 2020, his ensemble was awarded the Grand Prize at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition.
Balboa’s work on the podium has included ensembles at the University of Texas at Austin String Project, Austin Youth Orchestra, Kansas American String Teachers Association Summer Conference, and Glenn Korff School of Music Spring Strings. His teaching career has similarly spanned university, pre-college, and festival settings, with appointments at Southwestern University, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, and Illinois State University. He has also served as viola faculty at the ICT Young Artist Academy, Viola Resident Artist with the Music On Site String Academy, and on the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Summer Workshop.
His work as a clinician and adjudicator has included presentations at the American String Teachers Association National Conference, International Viola Congress, and National String Project Consortium. He has served as a juror for the Primrose International Viola Competition, Coltman Chamber Music Competition, and American Viola Society Youth Competition and currently serves on the Board of the American Viola Society.
Balboa is the founding violist of Trio Balez, with soprano Samantha Balboa and pianist Jeanne Hourez. The ensemble explores the distinctive combination of voice, viola, and piano through programs that bring together classical repertoire and musical theatre.