Meet the Performers: Introducing a Few of the Members of ME2/strings!

Jane Bearden

Jane Bearden, violin; Concertmaster
•  Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music
•  First violinist, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, for four years
•  Has appeared as soloist with the Malaysian Philharmonic Chamber Players, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, and Burlington Chamber Orchestra
•  Currently resides in Montreal

Laura Manko

Laura Manko, viola
•  Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; Master’s Degree and Artist’s Diploma from Boston University
•  Has participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, Institute and Festival of Contemporary Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the Heifetz Institute
•  Currently plays with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra (Principal Viola), Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Brockton Symphony Orchestra, and Haffner Sinfionetta
•  Resides in Allston, MA

Jennifer Turbes

Jennifer Turbes, viola
•  Bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College
•  Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music
•  Has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Lake Superior Chamber 
Orchestra
•  Relocated to White River Junction, VT, this summer to accept a teaching position with the Upper Valley Music Center

Cora Swenson

Cora Swenson, cello
•  Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music (Highest Distinction); Master’s Degree from Boston University
•  Primary teachers have been Marc Johnson, Alan Harris, Kathleen Murphy Kemp, and Richard Hirschl
•  Has performed at the Pacific Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival
•  Currently a member of the Cape Cod Symphony and Boston Baroque
•  Plays an anonymous Dutch cello from the 18^th century
• Resides in Brighton, MA

Tatiana Trono

Tatiana Trono, viola
•  Bachelor’s degree from Peabody Conservatory of Music; Master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University
•  Spends summers as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and has participated in the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival,
 Heifetz Institute, and National Symphony Orchestra/Summer Music Institute
•  Has performed with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Burlington Chamber Orchestra, and Green Mountain Opera Festival
•  Raised in Vermont and currently resides in the town of Milton, VT

Muriel Kerr

Muriel Kerr, cello
•  Bachelor of Music, Mannes College of Music
•  Master of Music, Northwestern University (Merit Scholar)
•  Cellist, Civic Orchestra of Chicago (2006-2008)
•  Has performed in venues including Merkin Hall, Steinway Hall Gallery, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, CBGB’s, Symphony Space, MiddleEast Downstairs (Boston), Uncommon Ground (Chicago)
•  Resides in Elizabethtown, NY

Irene Fitzgerald-Cherry, violin (no photo available)
•  Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and Linguistics, New York University Steinhardt School of Education
•  Master of Fine Arts in Orchestral Performance, Göteborgs Universitet Högskolan för scen och musik Swedish National Orchestra Academy
•  Has played with the Swedish National Orchestra Academy, Göteborgs Symfoniker,
and Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre Orchestra
•  Growing up, she served as Concertmaster with the Empire State Youth Orchestra and the Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra
•  Currently resides in Cambridge, NY

Kay Rooney-Matthews, violin
•  Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; Performance Diploma and Master’s Degree from Boston University
• Concertmaster of the Parkway Concert Orchestra in Norwood, MA
• Performs with several ensembles in Boston and the New England area, including Marsh Chapel Collegium, New Bedford Symphony, Gordon Symphony Orchestra, and Atlantic Strings
• Teaches at MusicalArts in Exeter, NH and the Chung Wah Academy of Music in Boston, and has private studios in Billerica, Dartmouth, and Boston
• Currently resides in Boston, MA

Shaw Pong Liu, violin
•  A native Californian, she is a graduate of U.C. Berkley with a Master’s Degree from the New England Conservatory• Performs amplified and looped violin with young poets in the urban hip-hop slam poetry production, “ARTiculation” and regularly appears as guest soloist with MIT’s Ensemble Robot and Gamelan GalakTika.
• Classical performances include Bang-on-a-Can All-Stars and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
• Her current project, A Bird a Day, is a daily creative exploration of dawns, birds, and music.
• Currently resides in Boston, MA. Learn more by visiting www.shawpong.com.

The entire orchestra for our May 11, 2013 performance is listed below:

Violin
Jane Bearden, Concertmaster
Etleva Hima-Buli, Principal Second
Elizabeth Adams
Tudor Dornescu
Irene Fitzgerald-Cherry
Jacqueline Garriss
Julie Garriss
Colleen Jennings
Aleksandra Labinska
Shaw Pong Liu
Letitia Quante
Kay Rooney-Matthews
Zoya Tsvetkova
Ethan Wood

Viola
Laura Manko, Principal
Lilit Muradyan
Tatiana Trono
Jennifer Turbes

Cello
Elinor Frey, Principal
Katherine Kayaian
Muriel Kerr
Jari Piper
Cora Swenson

Double Bass
Brian Thacker