Patrick Foley
Bio coming soon.
Carmen Abelson
Violinist Carmen Abelson (she/her/hers) works throughout the Chicagoland and Midwest areas as a solo, chamber, and orchestral performer and music educator. A member and sometimes concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for three years, Abelson was a Civic Orchestra Fellow from 2017 through 2019, in which year she won positions with the West Michigan Symphony and Illinois Symphony Orchestra. […]
Katie Bast
Beginning Suzuki violin in her Florida elementary school, Katie cannot remember a time she did not play the violin. Encouraged and inspired by her high school violin teacher in Ft. Myers, Kara Griffith, Katie knew at age 15 she wanted to teach. She received her Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance at Southern Methodist University […]
Tatiana Zueva
Bio coming soon.
Carol Wildgen
Bio coming soon. Sponsored by Mark & Karla Lange
Britta Bujak Portenga
I was born in Muskegon Michigan and have resided in North Muskegon all of my life except for a 6 year stint in Florida. I began playing violin in the West Shore Symphony in the 1976-1977 season while I was attending North Muskegon High School. I have played under the direction of John Wheeler, Phillip […]
Natalie Hockamier
Natalie Hockamier was born in Evanston, Illinois. She began playing the violin in her 5th grade orchestra program in Kentwood, Michigan, after much encouragement from her teacher, Karen Legree. She grew up listening to all kinds of music and watching her mom play the piano. She found a love for the violin, an instrument that […]
Karen-Jane Henry
Bio coming soon. Sponsored by Elinore Verplank
Mark Portolese
Mark Portolese is an active violinist and pianist in the Western Michigan area. He is Acting Concertmaster of the South Bend Symphony for the 2017-18 season and will return to his normal position of Associate Concertmaster for the 2018-19 season. He is also Associate Principal Second Violin of the West Michigan Symphony and a member […]
Amanda Dykhouse
Amanda Walvoord Dykhouse began to study the violin at age five with Ellen Rizner. She went on to graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy and attend Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. In 1995 she graduated with highest honors from Rice University in Houston, Texas, with degrees in music and religious studies. She pursued further training at the […]
