Faculty
Dianne Wachsman Betkowski, Director and Cellist
Dianne
Betkowski studied cello with Gabriel Magyar and George Neikrug, and composition
with Marjorie Merryman, and has a Master of Music degree from Boston
University. Her numerous accomplishments include work with the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra and New York’s
award-winning Lark Quartet. Her book, How To Get To Carnegie Hall: A
Weekly Music Practice Schedule, is in its second printing.
To see Dianne’s complete biography, click here.
Stacy Hirsch Lesartre, Violinist
Stacy
Lesartre attended the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where she
studied violin with Lynn Mather. She has a Bachelor of Music Performance
from Temple University. Having performed with Leonard Bernstein, Yo-Yo Ma
and Itzhak Perlman, Stacy is currently concertmaster of the Cheyenne Symphony,
Fort Collins Symphony, and the Larimer Chorale Orchestra.
To see Stacy’s complete biography, click here.
Jessica Berg, Violinist and Yoga Instructor
Jessica
Berg began studying Suzuki violin at Wheaton College in Illinois when she
was three. She has played with the Steamboat Springs Orchestra and the Cascade
Symphony in Portland, Oregon. Jessica began training as a Suzuki teacher
with Sue Levine in Boulder, Colorado, and completed a three-year apprenticeship
with Ellie Albers Leroux.
To see Jessica’s complete biography, click here.
Bettina Schaden, Violinist
Bettina
Schaden is the violin and orchestra teacher at Denison Montessori School
in Denver. She also teaches private lessons and is a freelance violinist
and violist in the Denver area. She holds a Master of Music degree from the
University of Denver, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri.
To see Bettina’s complete biography, click here.
Kelly Shanafelt, Violist
Kelly
Shanafelt has been a member of the Colorado Symphony for 15 years. She teaches
in Boulder and plays with the Linden String Quartet and the Lyric Ensemble.
A former member of the Honolulu Symphony, she played in the Galliard String
Quartet and has recorded on many alternative and original music CDs.
To see Kelly’s complete biography, click here.
Benjamin Tomkins, Violinist
At
the age of 18, Benjamin became the second youngest member ever to win positions
with the Illinois Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, directed by Kenneth
Kiesler. Having studied with Stephen Rose at the Cleveland Institute of Music,
Benjamin has performed with the Hyperion String Quartet and, in 2005, won
a full-time position with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
To see Benjamin’s complete biography, click here.
Jeffrey Watson, Cellist
Jeff
Watson has performed as chamber musician, principal and
section cellist, and soloist with the New
Century Chamber Orchestra, Honolulu Symphony
Orchestra, and the Hong Kong and Suliam string quartets, among
others. He has recorded many CDs, including motion picture soundtrack
sessions for films such as Spy Kids and Inspector Gadget.
To see Jeff’s complete biography, click here.
Wendy Nestrud, Pianist
After
studying and working a short time in nursing, Wendy Nestrud pursued her musical
ambitions and graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver
with a Bachelor's Degree in Musical Performance. She teaches privately,
accompanies a local youth choir, and collaborates with other local musicians.
To see Wendy’s complete biography, click here.
Carol Rankin, Dalcroze-Inspired Movement
Carol
Rankin has performed throughout the United States and in Hungary as a chamber
musician, accompanist, and soloist. She studied at the Mannes College of Music,
received her Master of Music degree with distinction, and received her Artist
Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music. Carol is a student of Dalcroze
Eurhythmics at the Longy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.