Åke-Eric Renqvist, conductor: Before leaving his native Finland to make his home in Virginia, Conductor/Violinist Ake-Eric Renqvist was awarded the distinguished title "Director Musices," as signed by the president of Finland in December 1995. For 29 years he was a violinist/violist with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Renqvist taught at the Helsinki Conservatory and a number of other music academies, and served as director of a private music school in Helsinki. He completed his studies in violin at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and studied conducting with Premysl Charvat, principal conductor for the National Opera in Prague. Renqvist has broad experience not only in performance but also in both musical research and administration. Renqvist moved from Finland to the United States with his wife, who is a Virginian. His studio is in Newport, in Giles County, where he resides with his family.
Violin I
Cheryl Prince, concertmaster, president: Cheryl started playing piano in 4th grade and violin in 5th grade. Her experience in the world of music covers 30 years of teaching public school strings and chorus, playing in many orchestras in the Washington, D.C. area, and once in Carnegie Hall. Retiring to Blacksburg five years ago has been great because of BMC (love to sing) and BCS. Cheryl teaches piano, invests in real estate, and plays for weddings.
Seantylle Boden
Sheila Christopher: Sheila began learning how to play the the violin by the Suzuki method at age 6. She played all through middle school, high school, and college. Ten years later, after finishing a PhD in science, she decided to pick up the violin again and join the Blacksburg community strings in the fall of 2009. It has been a pleasure for her to use her 'left brain' again and to get back into the fun of playing with such a wonderful group. When not playing the violin, she is a Research Scientist at Virginia Tech (Virginia Water Resources Research Center) and enjoys running, hiking and traveling.
Ashley, Delimont
Erich Hester: on leave
Jared Hidalgo
Andrea Muscatello: Andrea started playing violin in the elementary school. She played sporadically in high school, college and some after college. After a 20 year break for career and family building, she found the perfect violin instructor and began to realize her dream of playing music for the enjoyment of others. Andrea has found a great challenge and throughly embracing environment with the Blacksburg Community Strings.
Mary Norris: Mary started playing the violin in her elementary school orchestra and continued through college. She has played on and off with the Community Strings since the group started. She also enjoys playing in the pit for the summer musical and occasionally at the local Irish jam.
Laura Oler: Laura started playing violin when she was five. She played in junior high and high school orchestras, but stopped playing in college. After many many years of neglecting her poor violin, she is happy to have an excuse to play again.
Jenni Schoner: After many years of overlooking her great-grandfather's violin in the closet, Jenni started playing regularly again in Summer 2008. She initially learned to play the piano as a young child, but switched to violin at age 12 and played for ten years in school and community orchestras in Colorado. She finds both challenge and great joy in playing with the Blacksburg Community Strings.
Bridgette Seidel: Mrs. Bridgette Seidel graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education, Cum Laude from Oklahoma City University. In 2000, she founded the Academy of Music Performance in Texas, and was Head Violin Instructor to close to 50 young violin virtuosos as well as 1st violinist to the BCS String quartet. In 2004 she started a successful online business selling Violin lessons on DVD, and authored the teach yourself book "Picture Yourself Playing Violin".
Sebastian Seifert
Ross Spoon, on leave
Violin II
Vilma Jarvinen, principal: Vilma was born in Finland and started playing violin at age 8 in her elementary school orchestra. She played in several orchestras and a few rock bands until starting her master's degree in mass communication at the University of Florida. She is currently working as a strategic planner at the digital ad agency, Modea, and happy to be playing in an orchestra again.
Carl Derfler, assistant principal: Carl is not new to college town life, having taught music theory and sight singing at the University of Alberta and Radford University. Although he holds a Ph.D in music composition and theory, his first attempt at the violin was three years ago when he inherited both of his grandfathers' violins. He is now having a wonderful time in BCS and in the orchrstra pit of SME musicals "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "The Pajama Game" and "Cinderella." Carl is also our webmaster. If you have any comments or suggestions please write him at lassus@aol.com
Michael Baratta, on leave
Matt Chan, on leave
Judy Davis, treasurer: Judy was a late starter on the violin. She played piano as a young girl so music has always been important in her life. She has been a student of Ake Renqvist for many years. When not playing, Judy enjoys other interests such as knitting, reading, and volunteering for various organizations.
Teresa Hash: Teresa Hash began playing the violin in 2008 after borrowing an instrument and loved it. She played the saxophone in the Marching Band, Symphonic Band and the Jazz Band with the Pulaski County Cougar Band. Teresa really enjoys the Community Strings where she can continue to improve and challenge her playing skills.
Marie Henry, librarian: Marie played violin and viola throughout middle and high school and into her first year of college with the University of Maryland orchestra. After a long "leave of absence," she returned to her instrument five years ago when she found a chamber music group in New York. Marie finally moved back "home" to Virginia in 2008; she was thrilled to find BCS and to continue her musical journey here.
Becky Hepler
Kevin Shank: Kevin joined us after moving from Vancouver, WA with his dogs (ex has the cats) for a job as a research scientist at a hearing protection and enhancement company. He started violin in 6th grade (several decades ago) because the only other option for long arms was trombone. He has played orchestral second violin ever since forgetting the middle pages at a solo recital!
Lindsay Skipper: Lindsay started violin at 12 when the clarinet didn't go so well. Her parents were music majors and have been supportive of her playing violin since her first lesson 15 years ago. Lindsay performed in NYC and Chicago with her high school orchestra; England and Scotland with the Triangle Youth Symphony (Raleigh, NC); and Austria and the Czech Republic with the University of Mary Washington Symphony Orchestra. She majored in Spanish at UMW and finished graduate school in 2010 at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where she also played in the orchestra. She and her husband moved from Raleigh to Blacksburg in July of 2011 to work as Associate Directors at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at VT. Lindsay is also a wedding violinist.
India Young: India began violin lessons in 2009 at the age of 13 and joined Blacksburg Community Strings with her sister Adrienne in 2010. In her spare time India enjoys playing the guitar, skiing, ice-skating, and skate boarding. She also has a small EBay store with her sister. India is homeschooled.
Viola
John Howell, principal, associate conductor, vice president: John Raymond Howell is Associate Professor of Music at Virginia Tech. He has played with the Roanoke Symphony, Lynchburg Symphony, Southwest Virginia Chamber Orchestra, and Henry Mancini Orchestra, and directed shows at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Edie Carter, assistant principal, membership: We often wonder how Edie has time to do it all, as she is a member of BCS, the New River Valley Symphony, the Summer Musical Enterprise orchestra, and the Radford University Nutcracker orchestera. This is aside from her violin, viola, and cello teaching responsibilities to Ridenhour's Music Store. We are fortunate to have Edie with us.
Jenna Caracciolo: Jenna began playing violin at age 9 and viola at age 15. She spent most of her free time in high school playing music as a member of her school's chamber orchestra and the McLean Youth Orchestra in northern Virginia. After taking several years off during college and grad school at VT, Jenna is excited to be playing viola again!
Ginger Cope: Ginger began playing the viola in 6th grade. She played with her high school's chamber orchestra as well as the Piedmont Regional Orchestra in Fauquier County, VA. Ginger put her instrument down throughout college and a few years after that but rediscovered the viola after she moved to the Blacksburg area and became involved with the Blacksburg UMC orchestra. She has been playing with the Blacksburg Community Strings since 2008 and joined the Summer Musical Enterprise in 2009.
Caitlin Patton Rosenberg: Caitlin Patton Rosenberg is a violist and violinist who has played with the with the Dover Symphony Orchestra (DE), Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MD), Greater Philadelphia Honors Orchestra, Washington College String Ensemble, and Chester River Chorale (in which she also sang). In January 2011 she performed as a violist in the orchestra at the Festival Musica nas Montanhas (Music in the Mountains) in Poços de Caldas, Brazil. She is currently a violinist in the Union Symphony Orchestra. Caitlin is Executive Director of the National Music Festival in Floyd, VA.
Cello
John Crawford, principal: John has been a life-long musician, studying piano since the age of 6. He began trombone in middle school, participating in numerous ensembles including church groups and marching, jazz, and symphonic bands at the grade school and college levels, including two seasons with the Marching Virginians. As a composer, John has written over 23 works of widely-varying genre and ensemble, two of which have been performed by his high school's choral and jazz ensembles. In addition, he received a semester of piano and composition instruction from Dr. Holliday at VT. John picked up the cello in May of 2010 studying under Maestro Åke-Eric Renqvist to make a post-graduation return to musical ensemble performance and to pursue a growing interest in classical works and the stringed instrument family. He is currently an active musician in the Blacksburg Community both as a cellist and as a pianist.
Dan Foster, assistant principal: Dan has made violin family instruments professionally in Blacksburg for the last 30 years. He also runs a full service repair and equipment shop. Dan does acoustic set up and adjusting on all bowed instruments and as well as rehairing and repairing bows. Dan also sells good quality student violins, violas, cellos and basses. Most of the instruments which he makes are sold by dealers in big cities, though he has sold several to ambitious students in this area. Twelve years ago Dan decided to learn to play an instrument to improve his making which also deepened his love for the cello. Dan has played with the Blacksburg Strings since its inception, and watched the group improve in size and quality, along with his playing. Dan's wife wife, Elizabeth, and he have lived for thirty years, and raised our children, at 707 Harding Ave, where his shop is located.
Donna Baratta, on leave: Donna loves the deep, mellow sound of the cello that can penetrate the soul if played correctly. She started taking lessons eight years ago and plans to continue. This summer was her first experience playing at weddings and she enjoys playing in a small orchestra at her church. Eventually she would like to play with a quartet. It has been a wonderful opportunity for Donna to play with the BCS.
Catherine A. Morningstar: Catherine is one of Blacksburg Community Strings "outlander" members, living in Floyd Co. Va. Catherine started playing the violin in 2002 at the tender age of 43 and began playing the Cello in 2009. Between playing the violin or cello and serving as BCS's librarian from 2003 to 2009, she has been an active member and is thrilled with the supportive environment of BCS. Catherine is now bringing her skills learned through BCS to Floyd Co., by assisting with developing a local classical string quartet.
Mariko Reynolds: Mariko learned piano as a child and played guitar in high school. She started cello 4 years ago, following in the footsteps of her daughter, Jenny, who had started cello under Lisa Liske-Doorandish several years earlier. Mariko and Jenny share cello worship music weekly with residents at Warmhearth, where their favorite grandmother lives (they only have one surrogate). Mariko also plays in her church orchestra. Mariko is a Hokie alumnus, the first teacher of the Japanese Language program at VT, passionate about Jenny's special education homeschooling, and writes Haiku poems when she is not playing cello.
Pamela Swint:
Adrienne Young: Adrienne started to take great interest in the cello after moving from Covington, VA to Blacksburg and began lessons in 2008. Adrienne joined Community Strings in 2009. In her spare time Adrienne enjoys collecting coins, traveling, volunteering at the Humane Society, and figure skating. She attends Radford University.
Bass
Kristie Dorfler: Kristie is a graduate student in the geosciences department at Virginia Tech. Although she's been playing bass since 7th grade, she took a short hiatus during college and has missed being apart of an orchestra. She is excited to be playing with a group again, and looks forward to continuing with it while she is in Blacksburg. In addition to classical music she also enjoys playing the blues.
Lizzy Paluszek