Name: James Griffith

Instrument: Viola

Hometown: Sarasota, FL

At what age did you begin playing your instrument? 12

Who have been your greatest musical influences? My Juilliard teachers Lillian Fuchs and Paul Doktor, and chamber music coaches Felix Galimir and members of the Juilliard Quartet.

Who are your favorite composers? Stravinsky and Shostakovich.

What career path would you have taken had you not chosen music? I was pretty good at washing dishes and working construction to pay for college. Who knows where that would have taken me?

What's currently playing on your iPod or CD player? Mostly bluegrass: Cadillac Sky and Bethany Dick.

Your hobbies and interests: Family, architecture and restoring old buildings.

Funniest concert moment:I was on tour playing a chamber orchestra concert in Washington, D.C. The conductor came onstage and someone had secretly switched his baton to a fairy's wand with a little star on the tip. When he picked it up to begin, I began laughing so hard I was crying for the entire first movement of the piece we were playing.

Daily practice rituals: Git-R-Done!!!

The question you're asked most often about your instrument (and your answer): "But what do you do for a living?" answer: Usually a paralytic stare.

Your favorite part about playing in the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra: The tremendous and diverse repertoire we have performed over the past 19 seasons.