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 compositions and transcriptions have been premiered by the Madison Bach Musicians, Stoughton Chamber Music Festival, Trio With(out) and the Griffon String Quartet. He also composes music for Geneva Campus Church where he serves as Music Director. In 2023, his one-act operetta based on the life of Sarah Bernhardt received second place in The American Prize for composition.
Philip Bergman is a cellist, musician, and educator based in Northwest Illinois. Highlights of his wide-ranging career thus far include collaborating in performance with Yo-Yo Ma, sharing the stage with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with a chorus of ten thousand on national television in Japan, creating and implementing a residency of interactive performances in a memory care facility, soloing on Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, performing alongside rapper Vic Mensa, and playing under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner.
Philip is the principal cellist of Orchestra Iowa, where he performs orchestra and chamber concerts, as well as participating in educational concerts in concert halls, schools, and public libraries across the state. Philip is also principal cellist of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and a section cellist in the Illinois Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to moving to Northwest Illinois, Philip was a Civic Fellow and cellist in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, performing orchestral and chamber concerts in Symphony Center and across the city of Chicago, planning and implementing interactive concerts in schools. Before his time in Chicago Philip was a cellist and Vorspieler in the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Japan.
Philip received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he studied with Brandon Vamos, cellist of the Pacifica Quartet. He then went on to complete a Master of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying with Uri Vardi.
GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Sarah Brailey enjoys a versatile career that defies categorization. Praised by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” she is a prolific vocalist, cellist, recording artist, and educator. Among Dr. Brailey’s career highlights are Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Zorn’s Madrigals at the Louvre in Paris, and The Soul on the world premiere album of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, for which she received the 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Dr. Brailey serves on the voice faculty at UW-Madison, is the Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Chicago, and the Artistic Director of the Handel Aria Competition.
Alex Norris is happily immersed in a diverse and exciting life as a chamber musician. Currently he resides in Green Bay. Wisconsin as a member of the Griffon String Quartet. In addition to this, Alex is a member of the Des Moines Metro Opera and the Stoughton Music Festival, as well as the Quad City Symphony. Earlier chamber music experiences include being a guest artist with Red Cedar Chamber Music in Cedar Rapids, IA, and being a member of the Permian Basin String Quartet in Midland, TX. Alex has a strong background in orchestral playing as well, having formerly been a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and Principal Second Violin in the Illinois Symphony.
Currently, a Rotating Tutti violinist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand, Lydia Sewell was previously an Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has played with the Pittsburgh Ballet, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic, Illinois, South Bend, and Quad City Symphony Orchestras. Prior to moving to New Zealand, Ms. Sewell toured with Lincoln Center Stage, a crossover piano quintet, on Holland America Line Cruise ships. Ms. Sewell received her Masters in Violin Performance on full scholarship from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she served as both Concertmaster and Principal Second, and her B.M in Violin Performance from Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles. Beyond classical violin, Ms. Sewell is experienced in many styles, from rock to Celtic and world music. She has recorded and performed with a number of indie bands in Los Angeles including Sleeping At Last and Sucré at the ABC and MTV Networks, and has performed with the Hanson Boys, Lindsey Stirling, and Evanescence. Her interests outside of music include painting, acting and photography.
Oryann Tsaig (Viola) is a passionate and versatile musician. She performs worldwide both as a chamber and orchestral player. Oryann recently joined the Griffon String Quartet and resides now in Green Bay, WI. She received her Bachelor Degree in Viola Performance and Violin/Viola Instruction from the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music under Dr. Lilach Levanon, followed by a Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music under Patinka Kopec and Molly Carr. Oryann has performed worldwide in major music halls such as Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Rudolfinum, Sala São Paulo, Charles Bronfman Auditorium, The Estates Theater, Lincoln Center Auditorium and more. She began her piano studies at the age of 6, followed by 3 years of violin studies at ages 7-10. When she got accepted to the Thelma Yellin high school of arts as a pianist, she decided to begin Viola at the age of 15. She then joined the Jerusalem Music Center and participated in chamber ensembles, workshops, and joined the school’s orchestra, leading its viola section in her 3rd year. Oryann played under renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Lahav Shani, Manfred Honeck, Ivan Fischer and more. She played for master violists such as Thomas Riebl, Lawrence Power, Atar Arad, Yizhak Schotten and Tatjana Mazurenko.
