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Violinist Leyla Sanyer is a native of Madison, Wisconsin and a U.W. Madison graduate.  She has been active as a professional musician for the last 40 years. She has played with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the Oakwood Chamber Players.  Leyla has also performed in theater orchestras for Capitol City Theatre, Four Seasons Theater, and the Children's Theater of Madison. She initiated and conducts the Verona Area Community Orchestra  She taught for 38 years in the public schools of Wisconsin; first in Manitowoc, then Oregon, still working with music students in clinics and festivals. She now has a home studio for young violin students. Leyla also serves the Camerata String Quartet as manager.

Maureen McCarty studied violin performance and teaching at UW-Madison.  In her early career she worked primarily as an orchestral musician: in the City of Barcelona Orchestra (OCB) in Spain, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, and as a freelancer in orchestras in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan. She was a string educator in Wisconsin public schools for 15 years, and now teaches private violin and viola lessons in her home studio.  She is currently vice president of the Independent String Teachers of Madison (IST) organization, and teaches with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra chamber music program.

Liz Deger, violist, has taught orchestra in the Verona, Oregon, and Stillwater, MN Public Schools. Recently retired from Franklin Public Schools, she is currently teaching part time as string specialist in Burlington, WI. Recently, Liz served as Principal Violist with the Beloit-Janesville Symphony for several years and also taught private lessons in Franklin. Liz currently performs with the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, the Lake County Symphony Orchestra in Gurnee, IL, and Symphony847 in Kenilworth, IL.  While in Madison, Liz performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the Madison Savoyards Theater Orchestra.

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Amy Harr is a freelance cellist and private teacher in the Madison area. She plays with the Madison Symphony, WI Chamber Orchestra, Madison New Music Ensemble, the WYSO Chamber Music program and LunART Festival. She was Principal Cello of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra and Denver Center Theater Company, Assistant Principal/Acting Principal Cello of the Houston Ballet Orchestra and has performed with the Colorado and Houston Symphonies andHouston Grand Opera. Amy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master’s Degree in Cello Performance and Orchestral Studies from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

Photo credits:  Katrin Talbot

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