Members

Roy Meyer-Violinist and Artistic Director

Roy Meyer began violin studies at 4 years old with Kyoko Fuller at the American Suzuki Talent Education Center (ASTEC) in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Roy went on to pursue a Bachelors of Music in violin performance at University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, and continued his education with a M.M. at USF in Tampa, FL, and at NYU, to pursue a certificate in advanced string studies in New York City, before most recently settling in Chicago, Illinois. Roy’s primary teachers have included: David Perry, Carolyn Stuart, Gregory Fulkerson, Naoko Tanaka, and Laurie Hamilton.With an especially passionate nature for orchestral repertoire, Roy has been Concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra since 2015, and is a frequent substitute violinist with the Sarasota Orchestra and Chicago Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, Roy enjoys maintaining musical relationships with friends and performing at Apollo Music Festival in Houston, MN, and at the Illinois Chamber Music Festival in Bloomington, Il. As a pedagogue, Roy has conducted violin master classes at Apollo Music Festival, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Virginia Tech, SUNY New Paltz, Indiana State University, and the Aber Suzuki Center on campus at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Roy also served as visiting professor of violin at Illinois Wesleyan University in 2018. Film credits include: Amazon Prime’s “Mozart in the Jungle”.

Andrew Meyer-Violinist and Founding Member

Andrew Meyer, Houston based violinist and educator, holds a B.M. from UW-Madison and M.M. from Rice. His teachers have included artists such as Sergiu Luca, Vartan Manoogian and James Dunham. Mr. Meyer has been the recipient of many awards, and has performed recitals and concerts across the United States, as well as in Austria, Germany, Spain and China. He was a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, serving as assistant principal second violin. He has recently given masterclasses and performances in Shenzhen and at the Sichuan Conservatory (China), and has been asked to adjudicate competitions such as the Children’s Foundation of the Arts, and the World Music Competition in Singapore. In addition, he has been a Featured Artist at the American Suzuki Institute, performing the opening concert. Mr. Meyer currently operates the Zhou Meyer Music School and is also the Director of Violin Studies at River Oaks Elementary School.

Andrew Gentzsch-Violinist, Violist, Founding Member, and Executive Director

Andrew Gentzsch, a native of Iowa City, is the violin instructor at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Mr. Gentzsch has led the University of Delaware Chamber Orchestra and the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Mr. Gentzsch received music degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying with David Perry and the University of Delaware studying with Xiang Gao. While at the University of Delaware, Mr. Gentzsch performed the Bach Concerto for Two Violins with Professor Gao, both performing on violins from the Boorse Collection of Contemporary Violins. Currently, Mr. Gentzsch is pursuing his doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Iowa studying with Scott Conklin, active in the UI Center for New Music as well as the UI String Quartet Residency Program. Mr. Gentzsch, a founding member of Concerts in the Shed, actively performs multiple solo recitals a year as well as chamber concerts. Mr. Gentzsch recently began his Suzuki training and participated at the Montana Suzuki Institute.

David Sedlins-Cellist and Founding Member

David Sedlins began studying the cello at the age of two. His teachers have included Peter Howard, Uri Vardi and Steven Doane. Throughout his career, David has been very active with both chamber and orchestral groups. He has performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony, Atlanta Pops, and Greenville Symphony. David’s chamber music experience has taken him all across the country as well as to Austria, Croatia, Latvia and an extensive tour throughout China. David holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the Eastman School of Music.

Alex Norris-Violinist

Alex Norris currently resides in Chicago, IL, where he plays in the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Quad Cities Symphony, and Northwest Indiana Symphony. In addition, he is a member of the Volta String Quartet. Prior to his time in Illinois, he served as Second Violin in the Permian Basin String Quartet in Midland, Texas, as well as Principal Second Violin in the Lubbock and Midland Symphonies. While in Midland, he was also Adjunct Professor of Violin at Abilene Christian University. Alex has an extensive history in chamber music, ranging from attending the String Quartet Program of FEMUSC in Santa Catarina, Brazil, to collaborating on the Mendelssohn Octet with the Pacifica Quartet. As a teacher, Alex has had success with middle and high school age students, with several winning scholarships to music festivals and colleges.

Tim Kamps-Violinist

Violinist Tim Kamps has performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Philharmonic, and numerous other regional orchestras. He studied with Vartan Manoogian and Felicia Moye at UW-Madison, Roland and Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago, and Everett Goodwin. Tim lives and works in Madison.

Nicholas Jeffery-Viola

Nicholas Jeffery began viola lessons in the Indiana public school system and continued his studies with Catherine Carroll and Masao Kawasaki at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In 2010 he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where his main teacher was Sally Chisholm. Along the way he worked with a number of coaches and teachers, including Lee Fiser, Victoria Chiang, Sydney Hodkinson, and David Perry. He spent many summers as a fellowship student at the Aspen Music Festival, serving two summers as the violist in the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. He has also attended the Atlantic Music Festival in Waterville, ME, the Opera Theater and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy, Interlochen, and the Encore School for Strings.As a performer, Dr. Jeffery has been a member of the Madison Symphony orchestra, served as principal viola of the Round Rock Symphony in Texas, and performed regularly with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Dr. Jeffery helped to found the Quartet of Outsiders in Austin, TX, as well as being invited to appear as a guest artist with the Chamber Music in the Pines Festival, the Oakwood Chamber Players, and the Heart Strings Ensemble in Madison, WI.Dr. Jeffery is strongly committed to teaching and maintains a full studio of private students at every level of development. As a member of the Hunt String Quartet at the University of Wisconsin, he visited area elementary schools to present musical lessons and give performances in the classroom. Recently he was invited to give masterclasses to viola students at Ball State University and the University of Wisconsin. Currently, he serves as principal viola of the Illinois Symphony orchestra, and is a member of the Ursa Ensemble, a mixed chamber group in Chicago.

Ria Hodgson-Violist

Violist Ria Hodgson maintains an active career as a performer, collaborator, and teacher. A student of renowned violist Rami Solomonow, Ria earned a masters degree in performance from DePaul University in 2015. Ria began her studies on violin at the age of 6 through the Suzuki Method and continued through her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University where she worked with Jonathan Swartz on violin and Nancy Buck on viola.As a chamber and orchestral player Ria has performed throughout the US and abroad, including appearances with the Superior String Alliance Chamber Players, The CHAI Collaborative Ensemble, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago among others. Recently, Ria traveled to Viterbo, Italy where she was co-principal of the Tuscia Opera Festival orchestra, as well as traveling to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where she was a Guest Artist of the Vianden Music Festival. Whether playing in an orchestra, chamber ensemble, or free improvisation collective, Ria is happiest when she is collaborating with other musicians.

David Scholl-Bass

David Scholl currently serves as principal bass of the Madison, Quad City, and Dubuque Symphonies. In 2017 he joins the faculty of University of Wisconsin – Madison as instructor of bass. As a chamber musician he has appeared with Chicago Symphony’s MusicNOW, University of Chicago’s Contempo series, and the Spektral Quartet. David earned his BM and MM from Indiana University where he studied with Bruce Bransby. Additional training comes from his time as principal bass of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Aspen Music Festival, and Alex Hanna.

Eleanor Bartsch-Violin

Violinist Eleanor Bartsch is an active orchestral and chamber musician based in Chicago. She is currently Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and a performing member of the Chicago Philharmonic/Joffrey Ballet Orchestra where she frequently serves as Concertmaster, Associate Concertmaster, and Principal Second Violin. Ms. Bartsch also performs regularly with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Milwaukee, Nashville and Cincinnati Symphonies, and the Minnesota Orchestra.As a founding member of Madison’s Willy Street Chamber Players, Eleanor maintains a passion for chamber music and community. She is also a member of The Chicago Ensemble, the Apas Piano Trio, and has appeared recently with both the Grammy-nominated Spektral Quartet and multiple Grammy award winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird.Eleanor holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellow and studied with David Perry and Felicia Moye. During her studies she was a member of the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

Willie McLellan-Violin

Willie McLellan is an active educator and performer in the Chicagoland. Willie was a regular violist with the Civic Orchestra. During his two year tenure he played in the MusiCorps String Quartet, which gave presentations at elementary schools and performed at park district locations. Other ensembles he has played with include the Illinois, Rockford, and Oistrakh symphonies In 2016 Willie co-founded the Volta String Quartet, which performs several concerts per season around Chicago. He recently was the viola teaching assistant to Tony Devroye at Northern Illinois University, and he maintains a private studio of violinists and violists.

Maya Shiraishi-Violin

Violinist MAYA SHIRAISHI left her native Japan to attend Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, where she received an Artist Diploma under the guidance of Jasmine Lin, Grammy-nominated violinist of the Chicago Chamber Musicians and Formosa Quartet, and studied chamber music under Shmuel Ashkenasi, founding violinist of the Vermeer Quartet. As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, she collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma and played under conductors such as Ricardo Muti, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Sir Andrew Davis.

Ryan Louie, cello

Sought-after cellist Ryan Louie enjoys a multi-faceted career as a chamber musician, orchestral player and music educator. Recognized as “a talented cellist who plays both expressively and elegantly, he is innately musical and is cut out to be a musical ambassador.” Ryan has performed throughout Europe, Asia and North America including England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan, in renowned venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, the National Concert Hall of Taipei, and, Japan’s Suntory Hall. Festival appearances include the Amsterdam Cello Biënnale, Caroga Lake Music
Festival, Cello Akademie Rütesheim, Great Mountain Music Festival in Pyeong Chang, Pacific Music Festival, and the Palazzo Ricci Montepulciano Festival. He performed regularly with Ohio’s Akron, Canton, and Toledo Symphony orchestras. Ryan’s honors and awards include the Cleveland Cello Society Agnew Bach Prize, Marion Feldman Scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music, Long Island Arts Alliance Scholar-Artist Award of Excellence, the Associated Music Teacher’s League Henry Levine and Blanche S. Levy Award, the Mary and George Wilkins Memorial Cello Scholarship at Carnegie Mellon University, the Max Pirani Prize, the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize, and the Bache Fund at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Dedicated to music education, maintains a private studio, and has served on the faculties of City Music Kids in Cleveland, the Chamber Music Connection in Columbus, and the Aurora School of Music in Aurora, Ohio. Ryan began studying cello at age ten, earned his bachelor degree in cello performance at Carnegie Mellon University, and his masters degree in cello performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has also studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London. His teachers include Mark Kosower, Dr. Melissa Kraut, Anne Martindale Williams, and Marion Feldman. When not playing the cello, Ryan enjoys following the NBA, working out, playing basketball, cooking and collecting rare craft beers.

Clayton Tillotson, violin

Violinist Clayton Tillotson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with David Perry of the Pro Arte Quartet and was awarded a full scholarship position in UW-Madison’s graduate Hunt Quartet. He also earned an artist diploma from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, where he studied with renowned violin pedagogue Paul Kantor.
Clayton has spent many summers at music festivals across the United States and has been a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival, an artist/faculty member at the Caroga Lake Music Festival, and chamber music prizewinner at the Meadowmount School of Music. In addition to teaching privately, he also coaches chamber music and orchestral violin sectionals for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. He regularly performs with ensembles such as the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, has served as guest concertmaster with the Wisconsin Philharmonic, and has performed live on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Midday.” He currently plays a Parisian violin from 1855 by Charles Adolphe Gand and a bow by Joseph Arthur Vigneron circa 1895.

Zachary Preucil

Praised for his “commanding” and “masterful” performances (Hyde Park Herald), Dr. Zachary Preucil enjoys a variety of activities as a performer and educator. Currently based in Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Preucil serves as principal cellist of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and joins the faculty at Carroll University as Cello Instructor beginning Fall 2022. Additionally, he maintains in-person and online pre-college teaching studios, co-directs the Farley’s Chamber Music Program in Madison, and is a member of Trio des Éléments along with clarinetist Sarah Manasreh and pianist Katherine Petersen.
Recently, Dr. Preucil has performed with the Wisconsin Philharmonic and the Dubuque Symphony, and has appeared on the International Music Foundation’s Rush Hour Concert Series, Midsummer’s Music Festival, Green Lake Music Festival, the Music Institute of Chicago’s Faculty/Guest Artist Series, Salon Piano Series, Caroga Lake Music Festival, and as a soloist with the Schaumburg Youth Symphony at Chicago’s Orchestra Hall. His solo and chamber music performances have been broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio and WFMT Chicago.
Previously, Dr. Preucil served on the faculties of the Music Institute of Chicago, Kanack School of Musical Artistry, Music for Youth of Arlington Heights, and the UW-Madison Community Music School, and has given masterclasses at St. Olaf College, Wheaton College Community School for the Arts, Community Cello Works of Blacksburg, Virginia, and MIC Winter Workshops. Additionally, he has held teaching assistantships at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a teaching fellowship at the International Cello Institute, where he has subsequently served as a guest clinician and director of the iConnect program for young cellists. Dr. Preucil holds a D.M.A. in Cello Performance and a minor in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.M. in Cello Performance and Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, and B.M. in Cello Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers have included Uri Vardi, David Ying, Yeesun Kim and Walter Preucil.

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