BAE String Quartet
Jorge Ávila
Violin
Honduran-born violinist JORGE ÁVILA has won consistent high praise from The New York Times through his many appearances as a soloist, concertmaster, recitalist, and chamber musician. A recipient of various awards and honors, Jorge received his Green Card under the “Extraordinary Talent” category, later becoming a US citizen. He was awarded first prize at the 2001 Mu Phi Epsilon Music Competition, and the Omar del Carlo Fellowship at Tanglewood Music Center. Jorge is concertmaster of the Ridgefield Symphony, DCINY and Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series, and is a longtime artist member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble. He has appeared as concertmaster with the Stamford, Westfield and Greenwich Symphonies. In 2015 Jorge served as concertmaster of the orchestra appearing with His Holiness, Pope Francis, at a televised Mass held at Madison Square Garden.
Evelyn Petcher Brandes
Violin
Violinist and composer EVELYN PETCHER BRANDES brings a passion for innovation and community to her performing and teaching. Her appearances have been throughout the United States and abroad at venues including international concert halls to community venues such as hospitals, museums, and coffee shops. Evelyn is a co-founder of Leadlights Ensemble, a community-focused string quartet based in Washington Heights, and East Lake Expression Engine, an El Sistema-inspired music education program for underprivileged youth in Chattanooga, TN. Evelyn has served as a teaching artist for the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers program, the Little Orchestra Society and the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Sally Shumway
Viola
Violist SALLY SHUMWAY has been an artist member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble since 1991. She appears on BAE recordings in works by Carlos Surinach, Robert Baksa, Meyer Kupferman, Soong Fu Yuan, Allen Brings and Roberto Sierra. Sally is a longtime member of the American Symphony Orchestra, and also appears on movie soundtracks, TV jingles and Broadway soundtracks. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Manhattan School of Music, and is on the faculty of the Ridgewood (NJ) Conservatory.
Eliana Mendoza
Cello
Longtime artist member of the BAE, cellist ELIANA MENDOZA has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She received a Diploma in Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. A Winner of the Artists International Competition, she made her solo debut at Weill Recital Hall in New York. Eliana also performed a solo recital on WGBH, National Public Radio in Boston, and reviews from The Enterprise, Brockton, MA have praised her as “…. a total artist…with a fluid touch, an impassioned mood and notable bearing.” Eliana is also a member of the American Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra and Westchester Philharmonic.
bae Woodwind Quintet
Theresa Norris
Flute
THERESA NORRIS, flutist, is a “Motown” girl who performed with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Detroit Symphony before coming to New York. She has been an Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble for more than 30 years, while enjoying a busy orchestral and chamber music career playing with many groups in New York City and the surrounding area. Theresa has performed with St. Bart’s Music Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Berkshire Opera, Philip Glass Ensemble and many others, as well as on Broadway. When not performing or teaching, Theresa can be found tending her garden or cooking and entertaining friends. On that rare night off, she’s with her husband Charley, bowling and groovin’ to the music at the Brooklyn Bowl.
William "Bill" Meredith
Oboe
WILLIAM MEREDITH, oboist, made his debut at the age of thirteen as a soloist with the Kansas City Philharmonic, and subsequently moved to New York City to study with Harold Gomberg at the Manhattan School of Music. Bill has played with the Westchester Symphony, Virginia Opera Company, New Jersey Symphony, Long Island Symphony and new music group North-South Chamber Orchestra. He has as well performed as principal with the American Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Connecticut Grand Opera and Grand Opera of New York. In demand as a chamber musician, Bill is a member of the Andiamo Ensemble and Linden Woodwind Quintet, as well as Bronx Arts Ensemble. A busy commercial musician, he has recorded with Queen Latifah and in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Blackwater Lighthouse. Bill has also been oboist for many Broadway shows, including My Fair Lady, Ragtime and Beauty and the Beast.
Mitchell Kriegler
Clarinet
Bronx–born clarinetist MITCHELL KRIEGLER graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Charles Russo, Conrad Kuchay and Robert Renino. He performs at Lincoln Center with the New York City Ballet Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. He is an Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble and Linden Quintet, and performs with the New York City Opera Orchestra.
Wilden Dannenberg
French Horn
Horn player WILDEN DANNENBERG is active in the New York area as hornist, conductor, arranger and organist. Recent highlights include the premiere of Silver, Blue, a Carnegie Hall-commissioned quintet for horn and strings by T.J. Cole, multiple collaborations as conductor and performer with composer Tania León, and a performance of Schumann’s Konzertstücke for four horns and orchestra. A native of South Georgia, Wilden holds degrees from Florida State University and SUNY Stony Brook, and is an alum of Ensemble Connect, a fellowship program of Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School. He is a member of the New York-based quintet Connect Five, Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble, teaching artist for Carnegie Hall and faculty member at Adelphi University.
Atsuko Sato
Basson
Bassoonist ATSUKO SATO is a graduate of the Toho School of Music in Japan and Juilliard School of Music in New York. A former member of the Detroit Symphony, she is a member of the Queens Symphony. Active as a freelancer in the Tri-State area, Atsuko is an original member of the orchestra for The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest running production. Her playing can be heard on the Emmy Award-winning television show Wonder Pets. A notable chamber music musician, she performs with a variety of groups including Grammy-nominated Englewinds and Double Entendre, as well as with the Bronx Arts Ensemble as Artist Member.