Carolina Andrade , 16, is from Austin, Texas and has been playing viola since she was 7 years old. For the past four years she has been studying viola with Ames Asbell, violist of the Tosca String Quartet. Carolina has had plenty of chamber music experience through her 8 years of participating at the Austin Chamber Music Center. Carolina has received four awards of the highest honor in the University Interscholastic League state competitions. Outside of school, her and her friends formed a piano quartet known as the Seraphem Quartet. This quartet has been to many competitions while playing in other gigs. Carolina loved her summers at the Interlochen Arts camp where she has gone five times. This is her first time at QP and is excited to be playing in the Dvorak quartet.
Laura Andrade is 14 years old and is living in Austin Texas. Laura started at the cello at the age of 5 in String Project at the University of Texas at Austin. She started studying with Shu-Yi Huang and is currently studying with Amy Levine-Tsang, the wife of cellist, Bion Tsang. She has been a participant of the Austin Chamber Music Center for 7 years, where she got the opportunity to travel to Europe. Laura is also a member of a trio directed by Aurelien Petillot. Through her years of middle school, Laura got principal cellist of the Texas Region 18 orchestra and now she has plans to make it into regions in high school and also into state orchestra in her freshman year of high school. During the summer, Laura loves to attend music camps such as Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Philadelphia Strings Camp, with players from the Philadelphia orchestra. Laura is thrilled to be at QP her first summer and hopes to come back in the future.
Thomas Barth , 13 year old cellist, hails from Kalamazoo Michigan (which honestly does exist) where he frequently performs both solo and chamber music. He has participated in master classes with Anner Bylsma, Tim Eddy, Tony Elliot, Steve Doane, and Rhonda Ryder. Thomas is entering eight grade in the fall and currently studies with QP alumnus Richard Hirschl of the Chicago Symphony and Roosevelt University. This is his first year at the Quartet Program.
Georgia Broughton began playing the violin in her school's music program when she was 10—and no one misses that little headache-inducing ¼-size violin. She currently studies with Tamara Chernyak of the L.A. Philharmonic, and for the past five years, she has been a member of the American Youth Symphony conducted by Alexander Treger (L.A. Phil Concertmaster): highlight concerts include the orchestra's request debut at Carnegie Hall with soloist Yundi Li, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with Andrè Watts, and this past March with John Williams at an Honors Gala featuring the composer's most memorable film scores. She has also performed in an absolute plethora of chamber music programs: ensembles of distinction include the Greichenbeisel Quartet, the Westminster Chimes Quartet, Charlie's Baroque Angels, and the Mulholland Flute Quartet. Aside from these musical endeavors, Georgia exercises to Bollywood music, practices yoga at sunrise, sings bel canto arias while shampooing her hair, clicks her heels to flamenco guitar, and fences like Inigo Montoya. She also dares you to think of a Disney song whose lyrics she doesn't know upside down and backwards. She has kissed the stage of Carnegie Hall (twice), impersonates Bugs Bunny conducting "The Barber of Seville", and bellows Wagner's Valkyrie "Hojotos" with her fellow Aesirian Gods - Freyr, Freyja, and Thor. This Fall she will attend UCLA, triple majoring in Geography, Ethnomusicology, and World Arts & Cultures, and if they'll let her, she'll also be minoring in Theatre. She would like to thank her coaches for their wisdom, guidance, and compassion during this third, glorious summer at QP and her violin students for inspiring her to always try and to always love what she does. To her fellow Aesir Quartet members, she is truly unable to adequately express in words her thanks for their “courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death”—and for the unforgettably “foolish” laughs they have shared. Therefore, she's playing like it's the last time.
Kathleen Crabtree , 19, started her musical studies at the age of ten on the violin. Coming from a family of musicians, she realized her deep love of music would only be satisfied by pursuing a classical music career. Her musical mentor and teacher Basil Vendryes, principal violist of the Colorado Symphony, compelled her to switch to the viola in her junior year of high school. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in viola performance at the Eastman School of Music, studying with George Taylor. Passionate about expanding music to the local community, she is involved in Eastman's student-run outreach orchestra (NEO) and Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's professional music fraternity. She has also appeared on television in a local news special about the influence of Colorado Symphony members on the Denver metro area, in addition to being interviewed and performing on Colorado's classical music radio station for a weekly series on young musicians. She has played with the Colorado Young Sinfonia, Front Range Youth Symphony, and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, which toured to Argentina in the summer of 2007. This tour inspired her to learn more about different musical styles, which prompted a continuing collaboration with Extasis, a Colorado Symphony member-based tango band. Besides QP, Kathleen has also attended Rocky Ridge Music Center, Kinhaven Music School, Colorado Youth Symphony Quartet Camp, and the Las Vegas Music Festival.
Caitlin Cribbs, bodacious violist extraordinaire, will soon commence her third year of study at the Univ. of North Texas where she attempts to assimilate everything inculcated by her esteemed mentor and professor of viola Dr. Susan Dubois. She began violin lessons at the jejune age of four. However, the inchoate years of her musical life were quite inconsequential as she had not picked up a viola until the ripened yet malleable age of eleven. Since then, her irreproachable fastidiousness (not only in her study of music, but in life) has gotten her where she is today, somehow (should her scrupulousness slip) narrowly evading an impending threat of completely extirpating the beautiful music put before her at every concert. Caitlin luxuriates in a multitudinous array of entertainments and undertakings, some of which involve board games, calisthenics, baking, shopping, and (naturally) music. She considers herself particularly loquacious with an insatiable appetite for Goldfish and M&Ms. Caitlin is absolutely enjoying of her third year here at QP and wants to thank her quartet for such a tremendous three weeks filled with the sweet sounds of Dr. Beat, Scandinavian music, Baba Yaga, and some Sophisticated Ladies. Caitlin believes that chamber music is intrinsic not only to students and aficionados of music, but irrefutably imperative for anyone yearning to ameliorate an uneventful or colorless life. She also takes considerable pleasure in the English language, which brings you this unusually euphuistic biography.
Christiano Cruz began his violin studies with his aunt Ana Elizabeth at the age of 4. Later he studied with Leopoldo Nogueira and Dr. Hermes Alvarenga.At the age of 15 he did his debut as soloist with the Bahia Symphony Orchestra. He has played in several orchestras as a professional violinist as well as a soloist in his native country, Brazil. He was the winner of the Bahia Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, second prize of the Mississippi Symhony Orchestra Concerto Competition and winner of the II Latin American Festival Student Competition. In the fall of 2007 he came to the US to study violin with James Alexander at Nicholls State University, where he is working on his bachelor of arts degree in music. This is his first participation at the Quartet Program.
Carrie Davids is 16 years old and will be a second –year senior at Interlochen Arts Academy in the fall. She came across the viola in second grade when the 5th graders came to her class and played sample pieces on cello, violin, and viola. The violin was too squeaky and high, and the cello was way too big for such a small girl, so she chose the viola and has been playing it ever since. This would make her one of the few purebred violists of the world, and she is proud of it. In 7th grade, she began taking lessons from Melinda Daetsch at the HARTT School, and went on a tour of Switzerland and France with a group of violists lead by Melinda and Emily Yaffee. When she was in 9th grade, she joined the Connecticut Youth Symphony, and by sophomore year, landed a position as principal violist in the CT Allstate Orchestra. That summer, she attended the North American Viola Institute, where she met Mr. Holland, and decided go to Interlochen for school, because he was just so cool and so tall that she couldn’t resist. This is Carrie’s first summer at Quartet Program, and she likes it a lot. Besides playing viola, Carrie also loves to ice skate and laugh a lot. HOORAY!
Laura de St. Croix graduated from Texas Tech Univ. this year with a Bachelor's in Music, cum laude. This does not necessarily make her a Bachelor. Upon not receiving her MRS degree, she obtained her Bachelorette Degree. She has joined the teaching lineage of QP alums by studying with Renée Skerik, and she will continue with her Master’s (not Mistresses) at University of Minnepop (MN) with Korey Konkle, where classes will include information on playing quarter-tones where there aren't any, advanced polyrhythms in Telemann, Stamitz, and Hoffmeister, and how not to sound like a clarinet while stealing their music. Laura is 22 and starting to wrinkle as one of the old ladies in her 3rd year at QP.
Alexandra (Lexie) Frosh is a 16 year old violist from the Washington D.C. area. She began studying violin after attending a program with an introduction to musical instruments at age 6. She quickly moved on to play viola one year later after attempting to transpose all her pieces to the lower strings of her violin. Lexie currently studies privately with James Batts, whom she has been working with for 5 years. She has been a member of the Sonori String Quartet for three years, which receives direction from Natalia Yampolsky. The Sonori String Quartet has performed at both Weill Hall of Carnegie Hall and at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. This year the quartet received the highest honor in the High School Division of the Virginia (NVMTA) Chamber Music Competition. Lexie attended Interlochen Arts Camp as an Emerson Scholar last summer. In the spring, she received a nomination by the Maryland Music Educators Association for All-Eastern Orchestra for 2009. After participating as a student chamber music and solo violist in the Burgos International Music Festival earlier this summer, Lexie is thrilled to be part of the Quartet Program.
Ingrid Gerling , age 21, is a native of Porto Alegre, Brazil. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in violin performance with Charles Stegeman at Azusa Pacific University, California. Next semester she will be studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. Before arriving at QP, she toured Brazil giving recitals and masterclasses with her quartet. She has been to many music festivals in Brazil, but this is her first time at the Quartet Program. Her most prominent challenges in the past four weeks have included, but were certainly not limited to, mastering the art of Fu b ball and successfully changing her hair color to its original shade of blonde.
Born to Romanian parents, Christina Giuca began studying piano at the age of three. In high school, she took lessons with Emilio del Rosario at the Music Institute of Chicago. She will be a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory, completing her BM in Piano Performance as a student of Monique Duphil. She has performed in concerts in New York City, Philadelphia and San Diego with Oberlin's Contemporary Music Ensemble. She has received numerous awards—most recently the Kaufman Prize, awarded by Oberlin to the pianist showing the most progress in chamber music, as well as the Virginia Allison Collaborative Award by the National Federation of Music Clubs. Christina has performed in masterclasses for the Takács Quartet, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Richard Aaron, Jonathan Biss and Wu Han. Last summer, she studied at the Aspen Music Festival with Anton Nel and John O'Conor. In her free time, Christina enjoys people watching, playing badminton, and eating marzipan.
Alex Glaubitz is 16 years old and attends JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax County, VA. He has studied the cello since 5th grade, currently with the principal cellist of the National Symphony, David Hardy. Alex is the principal cellist of the JEB Stuart H.S. Symphony Orchestra and the American Youth Philharmonic. Among his various achievements, Alex placed in the Fader Competition in 2006, and in both the Feuer Memorial String Competition and Asian American Competition this year. When not playing the cello, Alex enjoys playing lacrosse, soccer, and snowboarding.
Alex Gonzales , age 17, has studied violin for seven years, and is currently a student of Shakeh Ghoukasian at the Nevada School of the Arts. Alex was the first place winner of the MTNA Competition for the state of the Nevada's Senior Division in 2006. Alex has given solo performances with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra and Las Vegas Philharmonic as winner of their concerto competitions. In 2008, Alex was a member of the American String Teachers Association's National High School Honors Orchestra. Alex has played in lessons and masterclasses with musicians such as Brian Lewis, William Preucil, Charles Castleman, Nick Kendall, Jorja Flezanis, Jennifer Frautschi, Lara St. John, and Merry Peckham. Summer studies include: Las Vegas Music Festival, Sound Encounters String Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, and The Quartet Program. At Interlochen, he was an Emerson Scholarship recipient as well as a concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony. Alex has just graduated from the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and will be attending the Eastman School of Music in the fall as a student of Oleh Krysa.
Neil Gopal , 20, will be a junior this fall at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies with Charles Castleman and Timothy Ying. A native of Milwaukee. WI. Neil began violin lessons with Janet Christopher and Jane Schenk through the Center for Strings Program using the Suzuki method. From 11-18 he studied with Milwaukee Symphony musicians Jerome Franke and Samantha George (QP alum). Neil was an active member of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony for nine years. He was concertmaster as well as 2006 concerto competition winner playing the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Neil also soloed with the same piece with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Symphony as their state-wide young audience competition winner. While at Eastman Neil received a jury award in his first year for his highest possible score awarded by the entire violin faculty. Most recently Neil participated in the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, Texas where he studied with such pedagogues as Charles Castleman, Felicia Moye, Kevork Mardirossian, Gregory Fulkerson, and Brian Lewis. Neil is excited to be back for his second summer at QP.
A cellist since the age of four, Rachel Grandstrand is a 17 year-old from Minneapolis, MN whose sound has been declared “brilliant” by her supportive, but admittedly tone-deaf, parents. Although collaborative musical activities such as Minnesota Youth Symphonies and chamber groups occupy most of her time, she also enjoys being a solo performer and has played in master-classes with cellists such as Paul Katz and Stephen Isserlis. Outside of music, she enjoys calculus, biking, and drawing. She currently studies with QP alum Tom Rosenberg and plans on pursuing music in college.
Miranda Henne , 19, is a cellist from Gettysburg, PA. She is a sophomore at Mercer Univ. where she studies music, great books, and the art of becoming a better person. In addition to music, Miranda enjoys getting four hugs a day, roaming the countryside on foot, blue skies and sunshine, live performances, hilarious stories, and people. In the past few months, Miranda has come to realize that what she really wants to do in her life is to work towards a more harmonious world (pun intended)--a world where people care more about each other, and where fewer people suffer and more people are able to experience beauty. Miranda believes that music is beautiful and can help people to heal and grow and is therefore a great medium for affecting positive change. She hopes to get involved in outreach projects such as the Harmony Project (which Georgia Broughton recently called to her attention) which provides (at no cost) instruments, teaching, and performance opportunities to underprivileged children in the Los Angeles area. Along with the Harmony project, she has been inspired by the success stories of the Chester (PA) Children's Choir, and the Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which provide similar opportunities to kids. Miranda loves hearing about new music projects and is open for suggestions.
Austin Huntington, student of Richard Hirschl, has studied cello for ten years and is the recipient of numerous first place awards and prizes. Austin made his solo orchestral debut at age 10 with the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestra as a result of his first place win in their concerto competition. July 2008 Austin was awarded the top distinction of Most Distinguished Artist with a Special Prize for his performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto in the 2008 IBLA Grand Prize International Competition held in Ragusa Ibla, Italy. In 2008 Austin was the First Place and Grand Prize Winner in the South Bend Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. Also in 2008 Austin won the First Place Prize in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the New World Youth Symphony Young Artist Competitions, and was the top string winner and overall Second Prize winner in the Indianapolis Symphony Young Artist Contest. Austin has been invited as Guest Soloist to perform with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, the LaPorte Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Youth Symphony Orchestra. November 2007 Austin was invited to perform a 1 hour recital sponsored by the Mishawaka Lion's Club, as part of their 2007-2008 Fine Arts Music Series. In 2005 and 2006 Austin was the First Place Winner in the Society of American Musicians Young Artist Competition held in Chicago, Illinois. Austin is a member of the award winning Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and will tour South America, performing in major venues and halls, June 2009. Austin was the Principal Cellist of the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestra since the age of 10, and was the cellist of the SBYSO String Quartet, recipient of the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition Kenneth Geoffroy Memorial Award, awarded to the highest ranked regional ensemble. Austin has been invited to perform in Master Class for Truls Mork, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Richard Aaron, Anthony Elliott, Steven Gerber, Susan Moses-Bloom, Colin Carr, and Carter Enyeart.
Austin has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School for nine weeks, and was invited to perform in the Spotlight Recital at Harris Hall, Aspen, Colorado, and in other recitals in and around Aspen. Prior summers Austin has attended the Academie Internationale de Musique de Montpellier, France; the Meadowmount School of Music, New York; Indiana University String Academy; Credo Chamber Music Festival, Oberlin Conservatory of Music; and the U.S. Eastern Music School, New York. Austin's previous teachers are Hans Jorgen Jensen and Emilie Grondin. Austin's cello was made exclusively for him by William Whedbee, of Chicago. Austin is 14 years old, and a 9th grade student at Saint Joseph High School, South Bend, Indiana.
Thomas Huntington, student of Shmuel Ashkenasi, has studied violin for eleven years. Thomas made his solo orchestral debut at age 8 with the Grace Community Orchestra as a result of his First Place win in their concerto competition. July 2008 Thomas was awarded the top distinction of Most Distinguished Artist with a Special Prize for his performance of a Fritz Kreisler piece, in the IBLA Grand Prize International Competition held in Ragusa Ibla, Italy. Thomas was the First Place Prize winner of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Michael Ben & Illene Komisarow Maurer Young Musicians Contest and as a result performed as Guest Soloist wtih the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on two evening concerts July 2007. November 2007 Thomas was invited to perform a 1 hour recital sponsored by the Mishawaka Lion's Club, as part of their 2007-2008 Fine Arts Music Series. January 2007 Thomas performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra as Guest Artist in the Masterworks II "Go French" concert. Also in January 2007 Thomas was featured on PBS Television Open StudioLive Evening Show for performance and interview, and WBST Live Morning Show, live from the Morris Performing Arts Center for performance and interview. December 2006 Thomas was the First Place Prize winner of category B; winner of the Special Prize "DAN CUMPATA", and winner of the Grand Prize "REMEMBER ENESCU 2006" which is "awarded to the most valuable competitor, irrespective of the category" (four categories) in the Remember Enescu 11th International Violin Competition held in Sinaia, Romania. Thomas was a Semi-Finalist in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists 2006 held in Boulogne sur mer, France. November 2005 Thomas was the First Place Winner in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Indiana State Competition. Both May 2005 and 2007 Thomas was selected as Young Artist for the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies, and performed on several evening concerts and numerous master classes at Paul Hall, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, New York. March 2005 Thomas was the First Place winner of the LaPorte Symphony Young Artist Competition and as a result performed as guest soloist with the LaPorte Symphony Orchestra. 2005 Thomas made his television debut on both Fox News and WSBT television Live Morning Shows, for interview and performance, followed by the making of a television commercial for the symphony. March 2005 Thomas was the String Division winner and overall Grand Prize winner in the South Bend Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. As a result, Thomas performed as guest artist with orchestra on the Masterworks IV Concert, becoming the youngest artist in the history of the symphony to perform on a subscription concert. 2004-2005 Thomas was a member of the award winning Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, first violin. May 2004 Thomas received the First Place Prize in the Society of American Musicians Young Artist Competition, Chicago, Illinois.
Thomas was a student at the Juilliard School, Pre-College Division, Lincoln Center, New York, 2007-2008 and chose to withdraw to study with Shmuel Ashkenasi. Thomas attended the Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, Colorado for nine weeks as a Scholarship Recipient. Prior summers Thomas attended the Academie Internationale de Musique de Montpellier, France; the Meadowmount School of Music, New York; The Indiana University String Academy; the Credo Chamber Music Festival, Oberlin Conservatory of Music; and the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Michigan. Prior teachers are Stephen Clapp, Cyrus Forough, Daniel Vega-Albela, and Kathie Lichtenwalter. Thomas is fifteen years old, a Davidson Young Scholar, home-schooled, and attending classes at Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana.
Mary Ashton Inglis (20) hails from Travelers Rest, SC. She began her musical adventures on the piano, mainly because her teacher had a pool in the backyard where she could swim while her four siblings took turns at the piano bench. Mary Ashton picked up viola at age 12 and is now majoring in music at Duke University. In her two years at Duke, she has started a student-run chamber orchestra, the Duke Chamber Players, led violin-tutoring programs at local elementary schools, and served as the undergraduate representative to Duke’s Council for the Arts. She hopes to attend a conservatory for graduate studies. However, these plans might be delayed if she finally realizes her life-long dream of taking a road trip through Central America in a VW Bus.
WANTED: Anton G. Jakovcic. Crime: Exaggerated Expression of Viola; Playing quarter tones in tune, while playing normal tones out of tune; Playing Walton Viola Concerto while in the scordatura tuning of Bach's 5th suite at his Northwestern freshman jury. Alias: The Japacroenchman. Date of Birth: 8/9/1988. Height: 5' 11". Eye Color: Dark Brown. Hair Color: Brown. Descriptors: White Male; Awkward walk/facial expression; May be seen playing a Troszczynski Viola (1993) which he calls "Emma". Education: Northwestern University, University of Iowa (current). Known accomplices/mentors: Elizabeth Oakes, Roland Vamos, Kenji Bunch, who are also wanted for exaggerated expression of viola. Last seen: Escaping the Iowa City floods on a double-bass raft, using violins as oars and a cello as a sail. Post Date: 6/15/2008 1:39:59 AM. Reward: The Troszczynski Viola as well as a monetary reward of 50x the value of the instrument (approximately 25 USD). If you have seen him, do not approach! Call the Police Department immediately at 319-555-0710. Give the dispatcher the location you saw him and any other information that may help locate him (clothing description, vehicle description or license number). You will remain anonymous when you call.
Eunhye (Grace) Jang , collaborative pianist, lives in South Korea. She began studying piano at age 4. She earned her Bachelor's Degree at Yonse University in Seoul. In 2006, she has been accepted into the Korea National University of Arts,where she continues her collaborative piano studies for a master's degree under the professor Yonhee Lee. She enjoys playing with a lot of wind and string players and captivated by music's charm as studying collaborative piano with many soloists. She has performed in many great recital halls in Korea, including Kumbo art hall and Yongsan art hall. Also, she was invited as a collaborative pianist in the Eumyoun and Jewel Korean music festivals. Next year, she plans to move to US for the broader music studies.
SuJung Jang is a graduate of Daejeon Art High School and Seoul National University, majoring in Piano Performance. She has won the Silver Prize at the Piano Society of Korea competition and 3rd Prize at the Korea Senior Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition. SuJung has been an accompanist for a string summer camp in Korea, and this is her first summer at QP. After graduating from Seoul National University, she changed her area of interest to Accompanying, since she enjoys interacting with other musicians and performing a variety of genres. SuJung will began a Master’s degree in Accompanying at the Manhattan School of Music this September.
Do-Yeon Kim is a cellist originally from South Korea. In 2006, she was accepted into Central Michigan University into a studio of Jamie Fiste. In 2007, Kim won the first prize at the Adrian Boyer competition and the second prize at the 34th Music Education Competition in Korea. In 2008, she also won Madura scholarship competition from Grand Rapids federation. In the summer of 2008, she attended Kansas Cello Clinic at UMKC and studied with Carter Enyeart and Mike Block. Next fall she will enjoy playing in the Midland Symphony Orchestra.
SeHee Kim was born in 1987 in South Korea. SeHee started piano at the age of 6 but couldn’t take her mind off the cello, and she finally began cello studies at age 10. She moved to Canada in 2003; in 2004 & 2005, she was the Rose Bowl Winner at Brandon Music Festival. SeHee has also won the MRMTA scholarship competition, the BU Orchestra Concerto Competition, and the 2005 Brandon Festival of the Arts President’s Scholarship for Brandon University. SeHee has been studying with Professor Mark Rudoff for 5 years and prior to that she studied for 3 years with Hye-Jin Wang, the principal cellist of Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra and a student of Heidi Litschauer. An avid and accomplished chamber musician, she attended QP in Fredonia in 2006. Her group, the Chiarina Trio, was a finalist in the 2006 National Music Festival, in which SeHee also participated as a soloist. In the summer of 2007, SeHee performed at the C.O.S.I. program in Sulmona, Italy, and also studied with Lawrence Lesser at the Orford Arts Centre. She has played in many masterclasses for such well-known artists as James Ehnes, Denise Djokic, Edward Laurel, Charles Castleman, Lawrence Lesser and the Made In Canada piano quartet. This is her second time at QP; later this summer, SeHee will be returning to the Orford Arts Centre to study with Louis Claret and Lawrence Lesser.
Shana Kim was born in San Francisco and moved to the Las Vegas valley in 2002. Shana started playing the piano at the age of seven and cello at the age of nine. She still loves to play the piano but when asked to choose between the two instruments last year, she decided upon the cello. Shana is an active member of Philharmonic Las Vegas Youth Orchestra. Last summer, Shana was chosen to attend the Interlochen Music Camp in Michigan. She has been a member of Las Vegas Youth Orchestra, Nevada All State Orchestra, and the Green Valley Chamber Music. She held first chair in the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra from 2003-07. In 2008 Shana was selected a young artist soloist for Henderson Symphony Orchestra and performed Saint-Saëns Concerto with the orchestra. Also in 2008, she was a finalist for command performance for the State of Nevada. She placed second in strings division of the 2007 & 2008 Bolognini Scholarship Competition, first place in 2006 Silver State Classical Solo Strings and honorable mention in classical solo piano. In 2005, Shana won first place in both the Silver State Classical and Social Piano. She currently studies cello under Professor Andrew Smith of UNLV. Shana loves Chemistry and Mathematics and just finished her sophomore year at The Meadows School. She is also an avid archer, swimmer, and enjoys tennis.
Rachel Koblyakov , 17, has been studying violin since age 7. She has soloed with the Danville Symphony Orchestra and the East Illinois Youth Orchestra as a winner of the concerto competitions. She was broadcast on the WILL-FM Illinois radio station as a winner of the Baroque Young Artists Competition at age 14. She has participated in masterclasses given by Rachel Barton and the Time for 3 trio. Last summer she attended Madeline Island Quartet Program, directed by Vartan Manoogian, and the New England Music Festival, where she was concertmaster and soloist under Leon Gregorian. Following QP she plans to attend the Montecito Summer Music Festival, where she will study with Ruggeiro Ricci and Abram Shtern. She currently is a student of Sibbi Bernhardsson of the Pacifica Quartet.
Danny Lai , 18, has been studying viola since the age of nine. He has had many teachers in Iowa and Colorado, but now currently studies with Basil Vendryes. He has played in many ensembles including Denver Young Artists Orchestra, Colorado Young Sinfonia, and Arapahoe Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He also plays much chamber music, both for school and professional gigs. He won his high school's concerto competition this year and performed Weber's Andante and Hungarian Rondo (Primrose) and was first chair at both Colorado All State Orchestra and Western States Honors Orchestra. His other interests include tennis, basketball, bowling, and breakdancing. He will attend Northwestern University this fall to study with Roland Vamos.
Seul -A Lee is one of today’s most promising young violinists, with brilliant technique and artistic maturity that have branded her playing and earned her recognition among today’s established musicians. Born in Seoul, Korea, to a musical family, Seul-A began violin training at age 4, and after two years of studying she was accepted into the studio of Russia pedagogue Ludmilla Adjemova, and later Elena Zaitseva, at the special music school of Rymsky-Korsakov Conservatory of Music in St. Petersburg, Russia. While attending school, Seul-A embarked onto active performing career, playing solo concerts throughout Russia to great acclaim. Seul-A was featured soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Tele-Radio of St. Petersburg, the Chamber Orchestra of Estonia, the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory Symphony, and the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. She has already on her belt a series of victories from contests, including the First Prize at the International Competition of Young Musicians Tallinn in Estonia, and the Second Prize at Austria’s Schloss Zell an der Pram International Violin Competition. She was also finallist in the Mravinsky Music Competition in Russia and in the Mlodzi Wirtuozi International Violin Competition in Poland. In 2006, Seul-A immigrated to the United States, and in Los Angeles she studied with violinist Jay Zhong, an Auer violin school exponent, professor of violin at the California State University, Los Angeles. She finished her U.S. High School Diploma in the summer of 2007, and won a full-tuition grant from Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Florida, Boca Raton. Where she became the winner of Lynn University concerto competition in her first year and was awarded by opportunity to perform with Lynn University Philharmonia Orchestra. As of now, she is a student of the eminent violin master, Elmar Oliveira.Hannah Linz , 16, began playing violin at age 4 with John Dewey through the Suzuki Program. She has taken lessons with Charles Avsharian and Dmitri Berlinsky, but has studied continuously with Sunny Cirlin since she was in the 6th grade. Hannah has participated in master classes with such artists as Tai Murray, Augustin Hadelich, Norman Fischer, and Bayla Keyes. Next year she will make her solo debut with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra as the 2008 winner of their youth concerto competition. An avid chamber musician, Hannah has been a member of the Presto Quartet for five years, which receives direction from Patricia Smith. Earlier this year, the quartet was selected out of the state of Michigan to perform at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. She has received chamber music coaching from the Enso, Muir, and Carpe Diem string quartets. The summer programs she has attended include Luzerne Music Center, Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, The Quartet Program, and Summit Music Festival.
Ari Lipchik is a 16 year old from Milwaukee, WI. She holds a principal position in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and the respective chamber program. She was awarded the Prix de Perfectionnement , the highest diploma offered by the conservatory of Anges, where she spent her junior year abroad. She enjoys releasing occasional stress by busting out with Irish and Blue grass tunes.
Mitchell Lyon , a cellist from just outside Philadelphia, is glad to be back for his fourth summer at The Quartet Program. In these four years he has played quartets ranging from Haydn to Ives, met many incredible people, and had a wonderful time. He studies with Jeffrey Solow, Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, Boyer School of Music. Next year Mitchell is looking forward to beginning studies with Bonnie Hampton as a freshman at the Julliard School. When not with his cello, Mitch can usually be found reading, biking or listening to music.
Douglas Machiz is a senior at Boston University where he studies with Mike Reynolds of the Muir Quartet. He has studied the cello for 7 years. He also plays piano, guitar, and bass guitar, and enjoys improvising. Doug has attended the Bowdoin Music Festival, Zephyr Chamber Music Festival in Italy, Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival in Newfoundland, and Eastern Music Festival. When not playing music, he enjoys learning about the weather, biking, sailing, Scuba Diving, and swimming.
Charles Morey (b. 1989) is from Fayetteville, WV and began his violin studies when he was two years old. In Dec. 2005, he played his own set of variations on the Appalachian tune “Wondrous Love” with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Grant Cooper. He has performed with the WVSO four times, including one appearance as conductor as a result of the Andrew and Amy Vaughan Student Symphonic Fellowship. During the 06-07 year, Charles was co-concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and performed at Severance Hall five times. This fall he will be a junior at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studies with William Preucil. Charles’ Christian faith plays a major role in his life and music. He and his mother just released a CD entitled “Extempore” which consists of improvised hymns for violin and piano as well as two selections with his sister on the harp.
Kurt Munstedt , 17, started playing the violin at age 5 and has studied with Michael Rosenbloom for the past three years. He performed with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras from 2004-2006, and Longy Chamber Music in 2006-08, touring with the chamber group to Mexico in 2007. A first-place winner in the MMTA senior division contest in 2007, Kurt also won a place in the 2007-08 District and Massachusetts All-State orchestras, and represented Massachusetts in the Music Teachers National Association Eastern Divisions at Penn State in 2008. When not playing violin, Kurt enjoys playing the double bass, guitar, and mandolin. He has been a member of his high school swim team and loves to mountain bike and snowboard.
Nora Murphy , 18, has been playing viola since the age of 8, when her brother threatened to beat her up in the event that she should take up the violin. She has since had multiple occasions to thank him for being such an intimidating presence in her early childhood. This is Nora's first year at the Quartet Program. She has previously attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the ENCORE School for Strings, where she studied with Jeffrey Irvine. During the school year, Nora was a student at the Juilliard Pre-College Program, where she studied with Heidi Castleman, Rebecca Albers, and Laura Seay. She was also the principal violist of the Pre-College Orchestra and a member of a pilot string quartet coached by Masao Kawasaki. Nora just graduated from Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield, CT, where she was a National Merit finalist, a CAS Governor's Scholar, and valedictorian. She will commence studying at Harvard University in the fall, though she intends to continue inflicting fellow citizens with her viola playing for as long as they allow her to.
Nancy Nehring started out as a piano major at the Univ. of Kansas but ended up with a Bachelor’s in Viola, and a Master’s in Viola from the Univ. of Michigan. (She has the distinction of having accompanied a fair bit of the viola repertoire well before she played it on viola.) Her viola teachers have included Mary Tuven Hoag, Karel Blaas, Michael Kimber, Frank Bundra, Nathan Gordon, and Wayne Crouse. A member of the Oklahoma Symphony for six years and Chamber Orchestra of Oklahoma City for five, she was asst. principal and principal of the Modesto & California Symphonies, a substitute with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and a member of the Sacramento and Santa Cruz Symphonies, the Women's Philharmonic, and the Saskatoon Symphony. Nancy participated in such summer festivals as the Grand Teton Festival, Aspen, the Colorado Philharmonic (now the NRO), the Peter Britt Festival, and the Orquesta de la Minería. She was Principal Viola of the Brandon (MB) Chamber Players from 1999-2006 and Administrative Officer of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition from 2003-07. As a member of the Jarvis Quintet, she performed all 6 viola quintets for Mozart’s 250 th birthday. Nancy has been teaching viola and accompanying students at Brandon University for the past 8 years, during which time she has also been a QP Dean along with her husband, cellist Mark Rudoff. They will embark on a new adventure as they move from Manitoba, Canada to Columbus, OH at the beginning of August, when Mark begins an appointment as Cello Prof. at Ohio State. Nancy has no idea what she’ll be doing, but is pretty sure she’ll come up with something…
Scott Ness , 20, is cellist from Albert Lea, MN. Next fall he will be entering the Oberlin Conservatory as a sophomore. His past teachers include Peter Howard, David Carter, and Thomas Rosenberg. In previous summers he has been to festivals such as Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory, Stringwood and Bowdoin. He has made appearances as a chamber musician with the St. Olaf Choir and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Most recently he has held jobs in the New York Philharmonic Archives and the Metropolitan Opera's Press Department.
Charlotte Nicholas is a rising senior at the Shipley School, where she is captain of the girls varsity cross-country team, a member of the girls’ a cappella group (“the Madrigals”) and the concertmaster of the string ensemble. Charlotte has also played on the girl’s squash team and performed in a number of the school’s Shakespeare productions. Charlotte began playing the violin when she was four years old. She studies with two members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yumi Ninomiya Scott and QP alum Paul Arnold. In 2006, Charlotte was a winner of the Senior Division TriCounty Concerto Competition for her performance of the Barber violin concerto. She is also an avid orchestral player, having toured Spain with the Main Line Chamber Orchestra in 1999, and Brazil as the associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra last summer. In past summers, Charlotte has attended Interlochen Arts camp, Encore, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Walnut Hill Summer Chamber Program, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. In August she will attend Mercer University’s Robert McDuffie and Friends Labor Day Festival for Strings. In the spring, she travelled with the Ivory String Quartet to Indiana for the national Fischoff Chamber Music competition, where they advanced to the semi-final round. As a junior, Charlotte received the Pennsylvania Award for Creative Achievement in the Arts.
Varinia Oyola-Rebaza was born in Lima, Peru in July 1987. When Varinia went to the orchestra to pick an instrument at age 9, the only person who let her hold an instrument was the violist, so she decided to play the viola. She studied in her native city until age 14 with Roberto Gonzalez. She then entered the preparatory division at the Turku Konservatorio in Turku, Finland, where she studied with Harri Sippel. After attending the Interlochen Arts Camp for three summers she finished her high school education at the Interlochen Arts Academy with David Holland. Varinia currently attends The Juilliard School where she studies with Heidi Castleman and Steven Tenenbom. This is Varinia's first year at Quartet Program. The last few summers she attended Yellow Barn Young Artists Program and Kent Blossom Music Center.
Jessi Pasternak is 14 years old and lives in Akron, Ohio. She studies with Lembi Veskimets of the Cleveland Orchestra and will be participating in her 3rd year of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. She has been accepted into the CIM Junior Young Artists Program for the 2008-2009 school year. She sat principal violist in the Intermediate Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp in 2007. When she is not playing her viola Jessi enjoys reading and playing with her dog, Billie. She will be an only child when both her older sisters go off to college next year. She is looking forward to spending quality time with her mom and dad.....
Alexa Pilon , 22, is originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Also an accomplished bassoonist, she just completed her 4th year at Brandon University in Manitoba, studying cello with Mark Rudoff for a Bachelor’s in Performance. In addition to winning scholarships and awards at Music Festivals and Brandon Univ., she holds an ARCT degree from the Royal Conservatory of Canada. Alexa received the top prize for strings, the Rose Bowl, at the 2006 Brandon Music Festival. She was a member of the Isabelle Mills Ensemble, a sextet which included QP faculty/deans Mark Rudoff & Nancy Nehring, and QP alum Kerry DuWors (2002). Last October Alexa played for Kanye West’s Winnipeg concert, and in February she performed a solo with the BU Orchestra. Although blessed (?!) with a penchant for pink, you can also ask her for help if your house needs rewiring. Alexa will also be at QP West in Boulder this summer.
Lila Claire Pollack , 19, is from Brooklyn, NY. She attended the Manhattan School of Music Prep Division for 8 years, and is now a violin performance major at the Eastman School of Music, where she studies with Mikhail Kopelman. This past year she served as Principal Second and Asst. Concertmaster of Eastman School Symphony Orchestra. Lila was Assistant Concertmaster of InterSchool Orchestra’s Philharmonic Orchestra for two years and played with them when they performed in Alcala, Spain. She has also performed at Symphony Space, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and in Soesterberg, Holland. Lila played violin in the movie Music of the Heart (1999). She made her solo debut when she was 8 years old. When she was 13, she was asked to play an arranged version of the Star Spangled Banner for solo violin on “The Intrepid” in NYCfor an event that honored brave teachers on 9/11; she and violin soloist Cho-Liang Lin are the only people in the world who have performed this arrangement. Lila attended Aspen Music Festival (two summers), Soesterberg Music Festival in Holland, Point Counterpoint Chamber Festival, School of Orchestral Studies (Principal Second), and Luzerne Music Center (Concertmistress). A finalist in Greenwich Village orchestra 1st Annual Young Artist Competition in 2004, she was runner-up in 2005. She won the violin division of Interschool Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition in 2006. She has been in masterclasses with Julia Fischer, Charles Castleman, Judith Ingolffson, and with William DePasquale and Kimberly Fischer of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is the niece of QP alum Paul Arnold, a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
A native of Schaumburg, IL, Zachary Preucil began playing the cello at the age of five and has studied ever since with his father, QP alum Walter Preucil. His mother Stephanie Kanack Preucil also attended QP. Other teachers have included Daniel Morganstern, Tony Ross, and Steven Doane. While this is Zachary's first year at QP, he has also attended the Hartwick College, Interlochen, and Bowdoin Summer Music Festivals. In high school, Zachary sat principal cello for his high school orchestra and his high school district honors orchestra, and was a member of the Schaumburg and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. Zachary has also been honored with several awards, including Interlochen's Fine Arts Award and the National School Orchestra Association's Orchestra Student of the Year Award. Zachary is looking forward to starting his freshman year at the New England Conservatory this fall and studying with Yeesun Kim of the Borromeo String Quartet.
At the tender age of five, Julia Pucci began her journey into the world of music via a Suzuki Violin program at her public school. In this time, though she found great joy in her tiny squeak-box, Julia felt that the violin's sound left a piece of her heart unsatisfied. It took her five years to discover the remedy of this longing to be the C string. Now seventeen, Julia has been playing viola exclusively for seven years and loving it. In 2005 Julia earned membership into the New York Youth Symphony under Paul Haas, an experience that nudged her into a world of new perceptions on musicianship. In the years following NYYS, Julia has won awards such as the Lillian Fuchs Violist Award at the CW Post Music Festival, Judges Award and Excellence Award at the Brockman Playhouse Competition led by Geoffrey Simon, has held the principal violist position in the Long Island String Festival Senior Orchestra, and has sat principal violist in the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony, among various other accomplishments. Her teachers have included Chris Shaughnessy, Heidi Castleman, and Kenji Bunch. Aside from viola, Julia does too much, so these pursuits will not be mentioned. Her interests include green tea, black tea, ginger tea, and the profound quotes written on the tea bag. That is all...and we're good.
Christine Pulliam is currently on the faculty of the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C. and freelances regularly in the D.C. area. Last year she gave a solo recital and master class at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville and in 2006 performed at two universities in the Philippines and Malacanan Palace. She performed several years at the Masterworks Festival as a staff accompanist and as soloist with the orchestra in 1003. A native of Indianapolis, she graduated from Butler University summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music where she studied with Panayis Lyras. She completed her Masters degree at the University of Maryland where she studied with Santiago Rodriguez and took lessons with Andre Watts. She previously taught for five years as adjunct faculty at Patrick Henry College. This fall she will begin graduate work in vocal accompanying at The Peabody Institute. She enjoys coffee, reading, biking and traveling.Bob Raymond : QP (13 4ts, 8 yr.), pers.: (22 y.o., VA), educ.: (vln, BM ESM, pends MM NW, (vla), ((pno)), cc, py, a + r v).
B: The second letter of the Roman alphabet, ancient and modern, corresponding, in position and power, to the Greek Beta, and Phœnician and Hebrew Beth, whence also its form is derived; representing the sonant labial mute, or lip-voice stop consonant. Bob Raymond likes the letter B, not least because it is the start of his name. It also gets off to a ruddy good start such incredibly useful items as Bicycles, Bows, Barns, Barrows, Broughams, Bungalows, Buggies, Birdbaths, Baths of a more normal sort, and other such items as may have crossed Bob's path. Bringing back Bob's biography B‑ward, blest Bob be by Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Bartok, Buxtehude, Bellini, Berio, Berg, Bloch, Borodin, Bruckner, Bruch, Byrd blithely. It is also close in proximity to the letter 'C' which he likes since doubled it is the initials of his teacher for the last 4 years and 8 summers. In Baroque music, C becomes B brilliantly, and it is the bold dominant of his E minor boiling pot of Beethovenian bodaciousness.
Sarah Rogers was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1991. Sarah began playing the violin at the age of nine under the instruction of Lucie Fink. As a member of the A.R.M.E.S. (Arts Reaching Middle and Elementary Schools) program, she participated in small chamber groups, coached by advanced student instructors. Today, she is one of those instructors. In addition to coaching, Sarah studies chamber music at the Fine Arts Center of Greenville, SC with QP alumnus John Ravnan, as well as music theory and history with Dr. Jon Grier. Sarah received second place as a member of the Kahlo Quartet in the Carolinas Chamber Music Competition at Converse College in the spring of 2008. Sarah’s past summer programs incude the Suzuki Institute and the Indiana University Summer String Academy with Mimi Zweig. Sarah’s other talents include turning the sides of her mouth down to the likeness of a fish, being Kaleigh’s “dorm mommy”, and nearly fainting in rehearsal due to odd rhythm practicing techniques. She loves salsa and ice cream, but not together, and almost always carries Orbit gum. Sarah currently studies with Deirdre Hutton. This is her first year at QP.
Upon hearing a fellow preschooler scratch out a violin Twinkle during show-and-tell, Lindsey Schaller began to do the same several years later. Now at age sixteen with 10 years of musical studies behind her, she has been a member of the Colorado Young Sinfonia and the Denver Young Artists' Orchestra, and had the wonderful opportunity of touring Argentina in June 2007 with the latter. Lindsey currently resides in Boulder, Colorado along with her family of six and studies with Basil Vendryes at the Lamont School of Music in Denver. When not breathing music, she can be found devouring almost every book in sight, pursuing a new interest in photography, swimming, or enjoying friends & family.
A native of Minnesota and an avid lover of all things Twilight (written by Stephenie Meyer), Nora Scheller has been playing violin since the age of four, when she began her studies with Patti Tryhus of the Mankato Suzuki School of Music. Several years later, Nora switched to Marilyn Bos, with whom she studied for five years. Currently, Nora studies with Peter McGuire of the Minnesota Orchestra. In addition, she has had lessons with such instrumentalists as Aaron Janse, Vali Phillips, and Ken Freed, all of the Minnesota Orchestra. Nora is also an active member in the Symphony Orchestra of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, under the direction of Manny Laureano. Besides her musical studies, Nora is a fond lover of fictional literature and enjoys writing, or at least making the attempt. She enjoys nature, finds sunny days ideal for practicing, and is vegetarian. In addition, she is very much looking forward to frolicking in her flowery back yard with her sweet pup, Ginny.
Ryan Shannon is a 16 year old violinist from Boulder, CO. Throughout his ventures in music, he has placed 1st in the Stars of Tomorrow Kiwanis Competition, held the place of 3rd chair in the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, as well as traveled to Argentina, France, and Italy. At home in Boulder, he studies with Basil Vendryes, Viola Professor at Lamont School of Music at Denver University, Principal Violist of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Young Sinfonia. However, Ryan will be leaving his home town of Boulder in the fall to attend Walnut Hill, a music-prep, boarding school based in Natick, MA. Ryan's future goals in life are completely based in music; after Walnut Hill, he hopes to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, or the Julliard School, and then move on to the greater musical world.
Hope Shepherd , originally from Mesa, AZ, has been playing the cello for twelve years. She recently completed her Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance at Arizona State University and will begin her Master's Degree at Rice University in the Fall. Hope has played in masterclasses for Bernard Greenhouse, Laurence Lesser, Joel Krosnick, and Norman Fischer. In October of 2007 she won the Tucson Symphony Concerto Competition and was a soloist with the Tucson Symphony in May. This is Hope's first year at Quartet Program.
Annabeth Shirley , age 19, hails from Salem, OR where she began playing the cello at age nine. Thus far, perhaps her most inspiring musical experience was her participation in the Portland Youth Philharmonic from 2005-07 under the direction of Dr. Mei-ann Chen. Last summer, she toured with PYP to Taiwan and South Korea, where they collaborated with the Nowon and Gwacheon Youth Orchestras and were privileged enough to perform in the Taipei National Concert Hall. This fall, Annabeth will enter her sophomore year at the Univ. of Michigan, where she is pursuing a dual degree in Cello Performance (under the guidance of Prof. Anthony Elliott) and Environmental Science. Later this summer she will be traveling with Prof. Elliott to Hinterzarten, Germany to participate in the Interharmony Music Festival. Annabeth is also an active ballet dancer (she has danced for even longer than she has played the cello!), enjoys camping, hiking, and geocaching with her family, and loves fresh summer fruit. This is her first year at QP.
Sebastien Simek has been playing viola since he was nine years old. He currently lives in Portland, OR, and studies with Brian Quincey. He is heading into his senior year in high school, and debating whether to pursue a music major.
Caeli Smith is 16 years old and lives in Philadelphia. She has appeared as a guest soloist with the Philadelphia Classical Symphony, the Ocean City Pops, the Philadelphia Bach Festival Orchestra, the Ambler Symphony, the Bucks County Symphony, and other orchestras. She has been featured several times as a violin soloist on NPR’s From The Top, as well its TV series, Live From Carnegie Hall. She is also a cast member on the radio show, where she does skits and interviews with prominent musicians and pedagogues, such as Paul Kantor, Almita Vamos, and Mark O’Connor. In addition to violin, Caeli enjoys journalism, singing, and acting. She had a starring role as a street musician in Robert Downey Sr.'s 2005 documentary Rittenhouse Square and a role in his upcoming feature documentary on the composer Kurt Weill. Caeli is a violin student of Joey Corpus, an independent teacher in Manhattan, and of Catherine Cho at the Juilliard pre-college program.
Allie Yuying Su is a pianist from Taiwan. She got her bachelor’s degree at Tung-Hai University at Taiwan and had just completed her master program in Piano Performance at Arizona State University. She will be attending University of Texas at Austin this coming fall, to study collaborative piano with Anne Epperson. She had been working with different musicians since high school and her repertoire include not only string, but many brass, sax and woodwind pieces. This is the first time she is attending the QP program.
Michelle Suh , age 16, has been playing the violin for ten years and is currently studying with Jennifer Bourianoff, assistant concertmaster of the Austin (TX) Symphony. Michelle was a member of the Texas All-State 2007 Philharmonic Orchestra and 2008 Symphony Orchestra. She attended Bravo! in 2006 and 2007 and studied with Sally O'Reilly. She has also performed with the Austin Symphony as a winner of their concerto competition. Outside of music, Michelle is the Westlake Student Council Vice President, Sports Editor of the Westlake Yearbook, and member of the varsity golf team. Her hobbies include Facebooking, making cream puffs, and watching "Heroes". Michelle has had an amazing time at Quartet Program, and will always remember the great music, friends, and undercookies!
Sabrina Tabby is 17 years old and lives in Merion Station, PA, near Philadelphia. She studies violin in the private studios of Estelle Kerner and Xiao Fu Zhou in Elkins Park, PA and piano with Anna Kopansky in Havertown, PA. Sabrina is a senior at Lower Merion High School where she is concertmistress for their orchestra. She is concertmistress for the Main Line Youth Chamber Orchestra for which she has soloed many times on piano and violin. Sabrina plays first violin in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. In 2008, she won the Old York Road Symphony Orchestra competition and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra Scholarship competition. Sabrina made the semifinals of the 2008 Fischoff National Competition in South Bend, IN with the Ivory String Quartet. She won the Ambler Symphony Orchestra competition in 2007. Her performance at Carnegie Hall with the Seraphina Quartet aired on PBS TV’s From the Top in 2006. Sabrina will attend the Recontres Musicales Internationales des Graves in Gradignan, France and the Mercer McDuffie program in Macon, GA later this summer.
Genevieve Tabby is 17 years old and lives in Merion Station, PA, near Philadelphia. She studies cello in the private studio of Gloria DePasquale in Penn Valley, PA and piano with Anna Kopansky in Havertown, PA. Genevieve is a senior at Lower Merion High School where she is principal cellist for their orchestra, and she is principal cellist for the Main Line Youth Chamber Orchestra for which she has soloed many times on piano and cello. A member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO), Genevieve won the Allentown Symphony Orchestra Scholarship competition in 2008 and the Union League of Philadelphia Foundation/PYO Good Citizenship award. Genevieve made the semifinals of the 2008 Fischoff National Competition with the Ivory String Quartet, and won the Ambler Symphony Orchestra competition in 2007. Her performance at Carnegie Hall with the Seraphina Quartet aired on PBS TV’s From the Top in 2006. Genevieve will attend the Recontres Musicales Internationales des Graves in Gradignan, France and the Mercer McDuffie program in Macon, GA later this summer.
PuiLing Pauline Tang began violin studies at the age of six. She obtained Grade 8 and Advanced Certificates from the Royal School of Music in 1996 and 1999 respectively, and has performed in recitals and concerts. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in engineering in 2004 and 2007. Determined to take music as her lifelong partner, she entered Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2006. She studied with William Davidson and Patrick Sze from the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Currently, she studies with Elizabeth Lo, Former Concertmaster of Hong Kong Sinfonietta. She will graduate with Diploma of Performing Arts (Music), majoring in violin in 2008. Pauline has been the concertmaster of Hong Kong Youth Strings and a first violin player in Hong Kong Youth Symphony. She currently serves as the concertmaster in Hong Kong Scout Association Orchestra and principal second violin in Hong Kong Medial Association Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she founded the Allegro Quartet to promote classical music for festive occasions.
Laura Thompson grew up in Milwaukee, WI, but knows very little about cows. She can, however, speak with elegance and grace (or at least a hearty show of enthusiasm) about other topics of the natural world due to an inspiring ecology course she took at Interlochen Arts Academy. She is also interested in languages, literature, history, and politics, and is studying an eclectic combination of these subjects at Northwestern University, where she is pursuing a double degree from the School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts. She will be a senior in the fall in the violin studio of Gerardo Ribeiro. She has spent previous summers at Meadowmount, Tanglewood (BUTI), Musicorda Chamber Music Institute, and Interlochen Arts Camp. Laura was also an Irish dancer for many years, and was involved in many theatre projects in Milwaukee. Influential violin teachers and chamber coaches include Jeanyi Kim, Hal Grossman, Ravenna Helson, Glenn Asch, Li-Kuo Chang, and of course, Gerardo Ribeiro. Thank you to everyone at QP this summer!
Nick Thompson is 17 years old and has been playing cello for 7 years. He currently studies with Richard Hirschl of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Nick is principal cellist of the Oak Park and River Forest HS Orchestra, the Protege Philharmonic and is a member of the Jewsian Quartet. When not playing the cello, you can usually find him in a shady, dark alley playing chess.
Kevin Tompkins , 17, is a rising senior at Wade Hampton High School and the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC. He studies privately with Dr. Eun-Sun Lee of Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, and his chamber coach is John Ravnan, a QP alumnus. Kevin is attending QP for the first time, and is enjoying every part of it, right down to the slightly temperamental weather and the delicious (albeit slightly undercooked) cookies from the cafeteria. Apart from music, his other interests include baseball, environmentalism, trying to write coherent yet slightly witty biographies at 12:30 a.m., and an intense but somewhat procrastinated-upon desire to be multilingual. After high school, Kevin hopes to pursue a degree in violin performance.
Erica Tursi , 17, is a violinist from Medford, NJ. She is currently a junior at Shawnee High School and is a student of Hirono Oka of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and holds an Advanced Study Scholarship at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. Erica has appeared as a guest soloist with the Manalapan Battleground Symphony, the Old York Symphony, the Delaware County Symphony Orchestra, the Ocean City Pops, and the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey.
Kimberlee Uwate began her instrumental studies at age five with piano in her hometown Monterey, California. After also dabbling in violin and trumpet, she discovered the viola and came to realize the power of the inner voice and soon fell in love with the world of chamber music. She recently graduated from the University of California at Davis with a B.A. in Music studying with QP alum Ellen Ruth Rose. In her four years of undergrad, Kimberlee played extensively with the UCD Chamber Music Program and the UCD Symphony. She sat principal viola of the UCD Symphony for three years and appeared as a soloist on three separate occasions with the ensemble. In Fall 2008, she will be leaving sunny California for New York City to pursue a Masters degree at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Karen Dreyfus. When not playing viola, she enjoys playing water polo and racquetball. Kimberlee also maintains the life mission of informing the masses about the cuteness of nudibranchs, her favorite marine invertebrate and animal. Her viola's name is Schroeder Etawu, and her bow's name is Linus.
Justin Yoder is an 18 year old cellist from Perkasie, Pennsylvania. He started playing the cello at the age of 5, and he's been sawing away at it ever since. For the past five or six years he's studied with Gloria dePasquale of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His past summer music experiences have included Luzerne Music Center, the Strings International Music Festival, and Music in the Mountains in Eagles Mere, PA. Justin has been a winner of the Atonement Bach Scholarship Competition several times, and has also served as principal cellist at District and All-State Orchestra festivals. During the school year, he plays in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and the Braverman Advanced Study Quartet at Settlement Music School. Justin is a senior at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, where he participates in the orchestra, touring choir, campus senate, National Honor Society, and various theatrical productions. In the limited free time he has, Justin enjoys trying to learn more Spanish, listening to NPR podcasts, and watching old episodes of Arrested Development and The West Wing. Good times.
There once was a little girl named Anna (Anna Williams). She was agood little girl, quite cute with her "babytalk" type speech, referring to such items as "cookie" and "lion"as "tootie" and "yion." Her mother, supportive school teacher, was not concerned for quite a while. However, one day, her lovely mother, taking the adviceof a friend, took young Anna to a speech therapist just to have her take a look. But what was to come ,nobody could foresee. This speech therapist was, I'm sorry to say, not a very nice lady. She, instead of making the shy little girl feel comfortable, made her feel worse about the problem, implying that all of the little girl's friends probably made fun of her behind her back. Well, the little girl's mother was flabbergasted! She took the little Anna-girl right out of the office and, wanting to make up for the nasty mean woman said: 'Anna didn't you say you wanted to take violin lessons?" to which the little perked up, remembering her request and squeeled "Oh yes!!" Well, the two marched right over to the local music school and Anna's mother told the receptionist "My daughter wants to take violin. All I want is for her to have a teacher with a positive spirit!." Anna started lessons the very next week and studied with that "positive spirit" for many years. Anna just loves her time spent at QP, and just graduated, earning her BM with honors from Manhattan School of Music. Earlier this summer, she performed as apprentice to the Colorado String Quartet, performing Brahms a minor quartet and prior to that performed Bruch's Octet For Strings in Chatham, New Jersey. Prior to that was a two-time winner of the Lillian Fuch's Prize and has performed "Spring" from Vivaldi's Four Season's under Maestro Frederico Cortese at Jordan Hall as well as Glazunov Violin Concerto with the Jesus Castillo Orchestra of Antigua, Guatemala. As for her speech "issues", if you ask her to say "cookie" today, she will happily oblige ... so long as there are cookies involved!
