Musician profiles are in alphabetical order.

Called a “dazzlingly mature and enterprising violinist” by the Madison Isthmus, Eleanor Bartsch has a diverse repertoire that ranges from baroque music to that of the 21st century. In Madison, Eleanor performs in many chamber groups including the baroque ensembles Madison Bach Musicians and the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble. She is a member of the Perlman Piano Trio, and is also a frequent performer with the University of Wisconsin Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. Eleanor is a member of the first violin section of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Madison Opera Orchestra and has performed twice on Wisconsin Public Radio’s The Midday Show, both as a soloist and as part of the Perlman Trio. Eleanor was a winner of both the Minnesota Youth Symphonies Concerto Competition and the University of Wisconsin School of Music Concerto Competition. She is a recipient of the Galamian Award for Violin from the UW school of music and has performed in master classes for Joseph Silverstein, Robert Mann, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and Pinchas Zukerman. Eleanor began her violin studies at the age of four with Ellen Kim in St. Paul, Minnesota, and continued her studies with Young-Nam Kim. This coming summer will be Eleanor’s third at the Aspen Music Festival, where she will study with Paul Kantor of the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is currently a junior pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin with David Perry. Ms. Bartsch's photo was taken by Youn-Jae Ok.

At age 10, after six months of excruciating viola study and a recommendation from her teacher that she quit, Suzanne Beia suddenly discovered that she could play songs by ear. Beia stayed up most of the night, excitedly playing every song she could think of. Thus began a passionate love affair with music that has never ended. By age 14 she realized that violin was her true voice and, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of a local woman, she acquired the 1901 Enrico Marchetti violin that has been her lifelong companion. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy on scholarship, studied briefly at the San Francisco Conservatory and moved to Nice, France to perform with the Nice Opera Orchestra. Beia went on to hold leadership positions in the New World Symphony, Wichita Symphony, and Spoleto Festival Orchestra. She currently plays second violin in the Pro Arte Quartet, coaches chamber music at the University and for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony, serves as Concertmaster of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Co-Concertmaster of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and performs with HeartString’s Rhapsodie Quartet.

Noteworthy: BA in English-Secondary Education and Masters degree in Music Education from UW-Madison; orchestra teacher at Sherman Middle School in Madison. Oddest practice quarters: A very small two-person canvas tent at Tower Hill State Park. Funniest concert experience: A pianist played with the Madison Symphony Orchestra whose encore was unforgettable: as she played, the pins from two of the lid hinges came out and the lid came crashing down in the midst of the piece, but she didn't miss a beat and got a standing ovation for her efforts.What your colleagues don't know about you: I play bass, tenor, alto, and soprano recorder which gives me an outlet for my love of Renaissance and Medieval music. Recurrent musical fantasy: I dream for the day when each person in our society supports and values the music programs in our schools, and appreciates the contribution on music to the development of the whole personality and intellect of each child.

Laura Burns, violin, is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, where she also performs with the Rhapsodie String Quartet, part of the Madison Symphony’s Heartstrings initiative that brings live interactive music programs to adults and children with disabilities. Laura Burns has performed at the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival and with many local groups including the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Quartessence String Quartet. A dedicated pedagogue, she has taught middle and elementary school strings in Madison and Oregon. Laura has also taught and conducted at the University of Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, and the Prelude Music Academy. Laura received a double bachelors degree, with honors, in music education and violin performance from UW Madison in 1998, and, as a student of David Perry, she complete the master of music degree in violin performance in 2007. Currently Laura is adjunct faculty at Edgewood College and maintains a private studio in Oregon, Wisconsin.

Deanndra Deblack, a native of Monroe, WI, began playing the violin and fiddle at age six. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Lawrence University in 2005, where she studied with Anton Miller. Deanndra was Principal Second Violin and Assistant Concertmaster of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra and was awarded yearly scholarships by the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. She has also studied with violinists Varton Manoogian, Erin Aldridge, Jennifer John, Mary West, Andrew Manze, Mark Steinberg (Brentano String Quartet) and Sibbi Bernhardsson (Pacifica String Quartet). She has attended the Aria International Summer Academy, Aspen Music Festival, Madeline Island Music Camp, and the Mark O’Conner Tennessee Fiddle Camp. Both Deanndra and her husband, Xavier, are certified in bow rehair and repair from the University of New Hampshire Violin Craftsmanship Institute and the Oberlin Bow Restoration and Repair Workshop, where they studied with Rodney Mohr, Jerry Pasewicz, David Orlin and Lynn Hannings. Deanndra and Xavier also have their own violin duet business where they play for numerous events. Aside from music, Deanndra received her Paralegal Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in May of 2007 from MATC. Deanndra has performed with the Rockford and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestras. Currently, she is a proud member of both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Photo taken by Xavier Deblack.

French born violinist Xavier Deblack currently serves as Principal Second Violin for the Madison Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and a Substitute Violinist for the Minnesota Opera. In past years, he was Associate Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Rockford and Green Bay Symphony Orchestras. Xavier received his BM in Violin Performance from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI, where he studied with Stéphane Tran Ngoc. While there, he served as Concertmaster for the LU Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, gave several solo recitals and was awarded the Black Elizabeth Miller String Scholarship. In France, Xavier played in diverse musical groups, ranging from a Russian folk trio to baroque ensembles with organists/harpsichordists Jean-Paul Serra and André Rossi. He also toured in Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria with the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra. He studied with violin teachers Gilles Henry, Roland Muller, Maurice Hasson, Marie-Annick Nicolas and Philip Bride. In addition to winning several Premier Prix with honors from the Paris and Marseille Music Conservatories, he also received a BS in Communication with a specialization in Audio and Video Recording from the Brittany Science University in Brest, France. Xavier and his wife Deanndra rehair and repair string instrument bows. They received their training at the Oberlin, OH, Madison, WI and New Hampshire Bow Workshops. They also perform professionally as a violin duo for weddings and other celebratory events.

Noteworthy: Bachelor's and Master's degree in accounting. Currently work in financial reporting systems for the UW Medical School. Oddest practice quarters: In a roomette aboard the San Francisco Zephyr (a passenger train). Funniest concert experience: After running out of gas, I arrived at an MSO concert at 7:58, thinking I had made it. My colleagues, however, had stopped warming up. As I walked on stage, the audience started clapping, thinking I was the concertmaster. Recurring musical fantasy: Composing wonderful sacred music like Bach, Handel, and Mozart.

Canadian violinist Naha Greenholtz was born in Kyoto, Japan. She made her solo debut at 14 playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and was quickly reengaged for performances of concerti by Tchaikovsky and Mozart. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with the Burnaby Symphony and the Kelowna Symphony Orchestra in works by Sarasate, Bruch, and Bach. Naha has also had an active career as an orchestral musician, appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans at age 21. One year later, she joined the first violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Most recently she has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra both at Severance Hall and on tour in Tokyo and Seoul. She has also performed as guest Concertmaster of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. Naha received her BM from Juilliard in 2007, where she studied with Joel Smirnoff and Donald Weilerstein. Currently, she is the sole participant in the prestigious Concertmaster Academy at the Cleveland Institute of Music, a mentoring fellowship with William Preucil.

Noteworthy: Performed in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra; participated in the Illinois All-State Honors Orchestra for three years; concerto winner with the York High School Symphony. Oddest practice quarters: In the car en route to a cable TV taping. Funniest concert experience: When I was three years old, I regularly performed for a community service organization's pancake breakfast in exchange for pancakes. What your colleagues don't know about you: I was active in gymnastics from childhood through high school. If I were John DeMain for a day: I would have a concert with the orchestra performing all Dave Matthews music.

Rachel Hauser holds a master's degree in violin performance from UW-Madison. She has performed throughout the United States and Europe with ensembles such as the ERASMUS Metrople Orchestra (Helsinki, Finland), CREA Orchestra of Amsterdam, Utrecht Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Hauser has won the Young Musician's Competition of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center three times and has been featured on National Public Radio's From the Top. She has participated in the Musicorda, L'Ecole D'artes Americane Festival (Fontainebleau, France) and the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival (Bonefro, Itlay). Ms. Hauser is an alumnus of the Utrecht Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands and the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Masuko Ushioda. In addition to performing with the MSO and being the MSO's Grants Coordinator, Ms. Hauser is also the Assistant to the Executive Director of the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. Ms. Hauser's photo was taken by Greg Anderson.

Edith Hines has played in the MSO since 2004, first as a substitute and then as a regular member. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and an adjunct instructor at Ripon College. Her primary interest, however, is Baroque violin; she performs with the Madison Bach Musicians, Bach Collegium Fort Wayne, and violin/keyboard duo Ensemble SDG, in addition to directing an early music ensemble through the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies and being on the staff of the Madison Early Music Festival. Edith holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, and University of Wisconsin-Madison; her teachers include David Updegraff, Donald Weilerstein, and David Perry.

Michelle Kaebisch graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994 with a degree in Instrumental Music Education. She taught both Beginning and High School Orchestra in the Stoughton Area School District from 1995-2006 and continues to be a sought after conductor/clinician for music camps and clinics. Michelle has been a violinist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra since 1993. She has been selected for “Who’s Who of America’s Teachers” in 2006, 2004, 2002 and 1998, and was a 2006 nominee for the “Disney Hand Teacher of the Year Award” for creativity in the classroom. Michelle is currently serving on the League of American Orchestra’s national Education and Community Engagement Committee.