Kai Clemans
Violin
Originally from the Metro-Detroit area of Michigan, Kai Clemans is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Mx. Kai (pronounced "Mix") began studying the violin at the age of three. They completed their Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education - Instrumental Emphasis in 2018 at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While pursuing their degree, Mx. Kai taught violin, viola, and piano lessons, as well as volunteer-taught in the Kalamazoo Kids In Tune program and orchestra programs in the area. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, Mx. Kai attended Le Domaine Forget, a summer music academy in Saint-Irénée, Québec, Canada. After graduating from WMU, Mx. Kai taught 5th through 12th grade string orchestra in the Lakeview School District in Battle Creek, Michigan from 2018-2022. During this time, they also performed in the Kalamazoo Philharmonia and churches within the Kalamazoo metropolitan area. In their free time, Mx. Kai enjoys gardening, crocheting, and jamming on violin or ukulele with friends.
Ryan Mack
Double bass
Ryan Mack is a bass player and music educator currently living in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ryan hails from Watertown, South Dakota. He attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where he received his Bachelor of Music Education. While living in Fargo, Ryan performed with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony as a section bass player. In 2005, Ryan attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he received a Masters in String Bass Performance under the tutelage of Mr. Craig Brown. Ryan currently teaches middle school orchestra where he is able to spread his love of music. Ryan is the bass player with The Zinc Kings, an old-time and Piedmont blues band. He also has experience playing gypsy jazz and swing music and continues to expand his abilities with other styles of music.
Virginia Masius
Electric bass, Double bass, Electric Guitar
Virginia Masius started playing bass in the suburbs of Chicago at age 10. She attended East Carolina University, and then finished her Bachelor's Degree in Music at the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1991. She is currently playing with Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Principal Bass in Salisbury Symphony Orchestra. Virginia also plays with Floydz Circle Band, a blues/rock band based out of Rockingham County, NC.
She has been teaching in the Greensboro area for 15 years, and has been performing professionally throughout the state for 25 years.
Margaret Petty
Cello
Margaret Cording Petty divides her time between cello performance and musical composition, writing especially for cello and strings. She plays professionally with the Salisbury Symphony, regional orchestras, and for solo, chamber and theater venues. Her cello studies, begun as a child through school music, continued with Marijane Siegal (Chicago), Allen Harris (Rochester NY), and Leslies Parnas (Boston). In addition to numerous recitals, she has performed concertos with orchestras (Bloch’s Schelomo, Haydn D Major and Boccherini B-flat concertos), and played in various festivals (Spoleto, Italy). Earning a Master of Music in cello performance at Boston University, she taught strings and then music theory for the university as she pursued doctoral studies in music composition.
Before coming to Greensboro, she resided for thirty years near Chantilly, France, where, as a college teacher, she directed college and regional choirs, taught music theory and hymnology, and contributed scholarly articles in musicology to European publications. Continuing to perform and teach cello, she played in orchestras in Senlis and Paris.
Margaret earned a Ph.D. in musicology from the Université de Paris IV-Sorbonne. Her undergraduate degree, in Music Education, is from Wheaton College, IL.
Dave Phillips
Violin, Viola
Dave Phillips currently serves as a section violist with the Greensboro Symphony and the Roanoke Symphony, and as Associate Principal Violist of the Fayetteville Symphony. He has previously held the principal chairs of the Williamport (PA) Symphony and the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with the Charlotte Ballet, Winston-Salem Symphony, Greensboro Opera, Carolina Philharmonic, the Orchestra of Northern New York and the Altoona Symphony.
As a chamber musician, Dave has performed in concerts given by A La Carte Greensboro, Eleva Chamber Players (VT), Penn’s Woods Music Festival (PA), and Loon Lake Live! (NY). He has performed as a fellow of the Garth Newel Music Center (VA) and the National Music Festival (MD), and participated in the summerQuartet workshop at NYU. He has coached chamber music at the Chapel Hill Adult Chamber Music Workshop in Chapel Hill, NC and the Harbor Front Music Festival in Port Jefferson, NY. In 2018, Dave was granted the opportunity to perform with Lynn Harrell at UNCG as part of his Artist Residency.
Dave holds a BM in Performance and Musical Studies from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, and an MM and Professional Performers Certificate from Penn State University. He is currently a DMA candidate in viola performance at The University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Dave lives in Greensboro with his wife Kate, their cats Tucker and Nico, and their dogs Petunia and Leo. He is an animal lover, budding audiophile, and former/current emo kid.
Brianna Talusan
Violin
Brianna Talusan is a violinist and teacher from Minneapolis, MN. She earned her B.M. in Music Performance at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities while studying under Professor Stephanie Arado. She has worked with many orchestral and chamber ensembles in the greater Twin-Cities area, playing in a wide variety of styles from classical to pop. Her passion for chamber music has brought her to participate in the Green Lake Festival of Music, and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, VT.
As an educator, Brianna understands that all students learn differently and have different goals. Each lesson is planned to cater to the needs and interests of each student. Classical technique is the foundation for lessons, but students are encouraged to bring any music they are interested in, regardless of genre or style. Above all, she aims to foster a love of music in her community.
Anne-Marie Tranchida
Cello
Anne-Marie Tranchida was trained at the University of Montréal, where she received degrees in Music and Cello Performance. While there, she studied with Thérèse Motard and Yuli Turovski. She has toured the United States with productions of The King And I, 1776, and Godspell. She freelanced as an orchestral musician in the New York/Tri-State area for 20 years before moving to Greensboro. In addition, she leads the wedding music business Champlain Music Ensemble through which she has performed for many happy couples in the Tri-State Area and now in the Triad.
While living in NYC, Anne-Marie served as a presenting artist for Music Outreach, Learning Through Music Inc, providing workshops in public schools. She was also the cello coach/manager for the Carnegie Hill Orchestra (part of the InterSchool Orchestras of New York) as well as the private cello teacher at both The Dwight and The Dalton Schools in Manhattan for the last decade.
Anne-Marie is a certified Suzuki Instructor and is fluent in French and English.
Cori Trenczer
Cello
Cori is a cellist, chamber musician, and teacher from the Hudson Valley region of New York. Coming from a musical family and a family of educators, Cori is both an avid performer and a teacher to a robust studio of cello students. Cori has her Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance from the Eastman School of Music and she is a Graduate Assistant at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
A devoted chamber musician, Cori has furthered her experience with her classmates in the Juniper Quartet, along with colleagues at summer programs such as the Castleman Quartet Program, Green Lake Chamber Music Institute, and Emerald Coast Festival of Music. She was ecstatic to have played with the Juniper Quartet in the Honors Recital as well as have participated in the Intensive Chamber Music course with that same group during her time at Eastman.
Cori has played in various new music ensembles including but not limited to: OSSIA New Music, Musica Nova, and Switch~Ensemble. She has worked with several composer colleagues during her undergraduate degree, and would
absolutely love to explore more newly created work.
Cori has been teaching private lessons to her studio of 14 students and is looking forward to meeting more cello players!
Brandon Walker
Acoustic, classical, and electric guitar; double bass and electric bass; ukulele
Brandon Walker earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022 at Guilford College. While attending, he studied classical guitar and jazz double bass, performing in guitar ensemble, jazz combos and various chamber groups. He began studying guitar in 2007 at age 8 and developed a passion for all styles of music. He has since placed in many classical guitar competitions including first prize at Eastern Music Festival and Appalachian Guitar Festival in 2018, and first prize at Southern Guitar Festival in 2022. Brandon also participates in various non-profit organizations such as the Piedmont Classical Guitar Orchestra and the United States Guitar Orchestra.
Brandon began teaching guitar, bass, and ukulele in 2017 and has developed a love for helping students of all ages and skill levels grow as musicians and have fun along the way. All styles of guitar, bass, and ukulele are welcome. Brandon's main goal is that the student feels they are in a safe and comfortable space to learn, experiment, and enjoy the process.