Micah Behr received his Doctorate in Viola Performance at UW Madison where he studied viola with Sally Chisholm and collaborative piano with Martha Fischer. His original compositions and transcriptions have been premiered by the Madison Bach Musicians, Stoughton Chamber Music Festival, and the Griffon String Quartet. He also composes music for Geneva Campus Church where he serves as Worship Director and Artist-in-Residence.
Philip Bergman was born into a musical home in Iowa City, Iowa: his mother a voice teacher, and his father an editor and amateur tenor. He grew up with music ranging from Arensky to Zeppelin, Josquin to Joplin. Now living and working in Illinois, Philip’s career spans a similar range. He is the principal cellist of Orchestra Iowa, principal cellist of the Dubuque Symphony, and a cellist in the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Philip is a Teaching Associate in Music at Lake Forest College, a Private Cello Instructor at Glenbrook High Schools, and has a private studio in Chicago. Philip is the cellist and founding member of the Lieta String Quartet and Four Equals String Quartet, both of which perform in the Chicagoland area. Philip’s professional career began in Japan, where he was a cellist and Vorspieler in the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra from 2014 to 2017. Following his time in Hyogo, Philip was a Civic Fellow with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2018 to 2021. Philip received his Bachelor of Music from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has collaborated in performance with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, David Perry, and Jennifer Gilbert, and has performed under the baton of such conductors as Sir Neville Marriner, Daniel Harding, and Ken-David Masur. In his free time Philip enjoys good food, good stories in any medium, watching his beloved Chicago Cubs, and spending time with his dog Nadja.
Madlen H. Breckbill, viola and violin, lived in Berlin (Germany) for the last four years working as an orchestral trainee with KonzerthausBerlin, as the violist of the TAÏGA String Quartet in Denmark and as a chamber music trainee for Villa-Musica in Rheinland Pfalz. She is a graduate of UW-Madison where she studied with David Perry, and the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, where she studied with Paul Kantor, Barry Shiffman, Erica Raum and Steven Dann. In 2019, Madlen started the Stoughton Chamber Music Festival, bringing in professional musicians for ever-shifting summer chamber music collaborations. Madlen lives in Stoughton, WI, where she is establishing herself in the Midwest as a collaborator, teacher, and concert organizer. In the fall, Madlen will begin her Masters in Viola performance with Prof. Chisholm as a Collins Fellow.
Alex Norris currently resides in Iowa City, IA, where he plays in various ensembles including the Grand Rapids Symphony, Illinois Symphony, Quad City Symphony, and Des Moines Metro Opera. Earlier experiences include serving as Second Violin in the Permian Basin String Quartet in Midland, Texas, as well as being a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra. 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.
