Evelyn Blalock

Violinist Evelyn Blalock is a true native, having been born and raised in Charlotte! She began her violin studies in the Charlotte public schools after being inspired by a Charlotte Symphony Education concert.

She was in the fourth grade when she heard the CSO. She chose to play
the violin specifically because her grandfather was a violinist. Evelyn graduated from East Mecklenburg High School and attended Winthrop College. Her violin studies were at  the North Carolina School of the Arts. As a college student she played part-time with the Charlotte Symphony then took a hiatus before returning to the orchestra in the early 80's. When Evelyn returned, she won a national audition for a full-time position in the violin section.

Evelyn has been married to Bob Blalock, the CSO's fourth Horn Player, for twenty-two years and she has a son, Bill who is a UNC Chapel Hill graduate. The Blalock's have two therapy dogs who go with Evelyn and her violin when she volunteers for Hospice.

www.carolinastrings.com

Susan Blumberg has been a member of the Charlotte Symphony violin  section since 1987. She grew up in the DC area and is a graduate of the  Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. She was a  recipient of the full tuition Liberace Scholarship in 1981-1982. Her  principal teacher was Charles Libove. Other teachers included Felix  Galimir, Herbie Greenberg, Jacques Israelievitch, and Karen Lawrence.  Her chamber music coaches have included Berl Senofsky, American String  Quartet, Alexander and Mischa Schneider and Jaime Laredo. Susan has participated in music festivals such as the Schneider Seminar and Spoleto in Charleston, South Carolina and in Italy. She has played with the Baltimore, National and North Carolina Symphonies. Earlier in her career, she played in the OFUNAM Orchestra in Mexico City. She has been a member of Carolina Chamber Players since 1988 and teaches privately.

Since 1993, Susan has been designing a program to teach violin to special needs children and works with the students at the Metro School in Charlotte. Her favorite pastimes include reading, knitting and reading chamber music with friends. She loves spending time with her friends, playing with her dogs Skyler and Libby and, most of all, getting clobbered in chess by her 12-year old son Sean.

Jane Hart Brendle

Jane Hart Brendle has been a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra since 1995. She was also the assistant librarian of the Charlotte Symphony from 1993-2011.

Known for her diverse musical vocabulary, Jane has appeared regionally in concerts of avant garde and standard jazz, most recently in concert collaboration with members of the Charlotte Symphony and Charlotte's A Sign of the Times Big Band, directed by Tyrone Jefferson. She has appeared as a guest artist with the Charlotte-based group Big Octave and the Asheville-based Jazz Composers Forum group Petri Dish, and in recital with renowned bluegrass mandolinist Darin Aldridge. In recent years, Jane served on the music faculties of Davidson College and Winthrop University, teaching applied violin, viola, and chamber music.

Many of Jane's violin solos and arrangements have been recorded with area performers and composers. Recent CD releases which include Jane's work: Bunky Moon’s Schtuff We Like; Claire Ritter's Waltzing the Splendor; Walk a Different Line with Tesser; A Queen City Christmas with Carolina Strings; Rick Spreitzer's From the Bottom; and Anne Trenning's All One World, and Waiting for Rain. An article spotlighting Jane's diverse musicianship was published in Today's Charlotte Woman Magazine.

First year with the CSO: 1995, Assistant Librarian from 1993-2011.

Education: Bachelor of Violin Performance and Music Education from UNC-Greensboro, Master of Music from UNC-Greensboro.

Favorite concert experience with the CSO: There have been many thrilling, moving, fun, and amazing concerts! I think one of my favorite fun concerts was one of our "Magic of Christmas" concerts which featured our then music director Peter McCoppin, roller-skating across the stage while the orchestra played "The Skater's Waltz."

Hobbies: Mostly music related...I enjoy playing many types of music, most notably jazz violin. My husband Ron is a professional jazz bassist, and we sometimes play together. I also play mandolin - I have played solo mandolin parts on occasion with the symphony, and in some chamber music programs. Some of my recordings on CD include these recent releases: Bunky Moon, Schtuff We Like; Claire Ritter, Waltzing the Splendor; Rick Spreitzer, From the Bottom; Anne Trenning, All One World and Watching for Rain; Tesser, Walk a Different Line; and Carolina Strings, A Queen City Christmas.

Favorite thing about Charlotte: It's home, and I'm close to my family here.

Emily Chatham

Violinist Emily Chatham  learned to play the violin as a Suzuki kid in the Louisville,  KY area, where she was born and raised.  She was a student of Elaine Richey at the NC School of the Arts , where she earned a Bachelors degree in Violin Performance. She has made Charlotte her home since 1996. Emily is a passionate Baroque violinist as well. She has studied and performed with Tafelmusik in Toronto, The Vancouver Early Music Programme in Vancouver BC, the Amherst Baroque Music festival, the Oberlin  Baroque Music Program and in 2007 was awarded an Arts and Science performance grant to study and perform at the Longy International Baroque Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.  

Another of Emily's interests is cooking for friends and family. She  always hosts a big CSO Thanksgiving dinner every year, claiming that her "Therapy " is to  stuff  people  with lots of food!  Additionally, Emily has studied Belly dancing with Zarifa for 7 years and hopes to take up Flamenco in the future. Emily volunteers with several organizations through Temple Beth El and is also a Math and Literacy tutor at Lansdowne Elementary. She and her husband, David Hansen, have 3 children, Alexandra, Gabriel, and Sophia. Visit Emily's site--CAROLINA CHAMBER PLAYERS  www.ccplayers.com 

Tara Fensom

Violinist Tara Fensom grew up in Rochester, New York and began playing violin at the tender age of three. This was largely due to the influence of her mother, a performing pianist and teacher.  She went on to study at the renowned Juilliard school of music in New York City where she earned both bachelors and Masters of Music degrees.

At Juilliard she studied with Dorothy Delay and with Hyo Kang. Before coming to the CSO in the fall of 2003, Tara was a member of the New World Symphony and the Virginia Symphony.

She is currently a regular "sub" with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Tara says that as to her favorite works played with the CSO it would be any piece by Bach, Brahms or Richard Strauss.

She particularly enjoyed playing Strauss' "Don Juan" and his "Four Last Songs" done with Renee Fleming. In her leisure time, Tara enjoys reading, swimming, studying Art History, golfing (which she says she "needs to practice more!") watching movies and spending time with her husband Chris, who is a trumpet player.

Kari Giles

Ms. Giles began violin studies as a Suzuki kid at the age of five. Her love of music led to summers at Brevard Music Center with Mary Daniels, and High School and College degrees under Elaine Richey at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Following a desire for adventure and chamber music, she then pursued a Masters Degree in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory. During her years in San Francisco she was privileged to work and perform with many wonderful musicians including Mark Sokol, Ian Swensen, and Robert Mann.

A meeting and performance with Minnesota Concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis lured her away from California to the frozen Midwest, where she spent several years studying with Mrs. Fleezanis, as well as performing with the Minnesota Opera, and freelancing with the Minnesota Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Ms Giles joined the Charlotte Symphony as assistant Concertmaster in the 2006-2007 season. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, spoiling her cats, and horseback riding.

Martha Koljonen

Martha Koljonen, violinist, has been active as a performer of orchestral and chamber music in the Charlotte and Davidson areas since 1980. At that time, she served as Concertmaster of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and violinist of the Nikos Piano Trio. She served as Artist Associate in Violin at the Davidson College Music Department from 1996-2011. She has also taught privately at home and at the Southern Park Music School. In addition to the Charlotte Symphony, her extensive orchestral experience includes the Savannah Symphony (as Concertmaster), the Alabama Symphony, the Virginia Symphony (Assistant Concertmaster), the Philadelphia Lyric Opera, and as an extra with the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Many of her summers have been spent performing with the Santa Fe Opera, Eastern Music Festival, St. Paul Opera, and Chautauqua Festival Orchestras.

Ms. Koljonen is also in demand as a violist, having taught viola at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, while playing viola in the New Cadek Piano Quartet.

Other chamber music groups have included the Chamber Soloists of Savannah, the Akashic Ensemble, the Birmingham Musica Antiqua, the Columbine Quartet, Nikos Piano Trio, Chamber Music at St. Peter’s, and Martha Koljonen and Friends, an ensemble comprised of violin, cello, clarinet, and piano.

Ms. Koljonen is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with David Cerone. Chamber music coaching at the Cleveland Chamber Music Seminar included sessions with Joseph Gingold, Arnold Steinhardt, David Soyer, and Robert Newkirk. Martha also attended Temple University and the New School of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Jascha Brodsky and enjoyed chamber music coaching from Edgar Ortenberg, Geoffrey Michaels, and Michael Haran.

In more recent years, Martha has learned the practice of EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, an innovative self-help technique which enables the user to overcome obstacles to success, and teaches others how to use it. She is also trained as an instructor in fire walking.

First year with the CSO: 1980

Favorite concert experience with the CSO: When we played in Krefeld, Germany, our sister city in 1987. We were all electrified, and the audience hung on every note.

Hobbies: My hobbies include reading, cooking, artwork, and walking.

Favorite thing about Charlotte: Besides the CSO, the great neighborhood I live in!

Currently one of the youngest orchestra leaders in the US, Elina Lev joined the Charlotte Symphony as its Associate Concertmaster at the age of 22. Born into a family of professional musicians, she started playing violin at the age of five. Following her debut with the St-Petersburg State Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000, Ms. Lev has been performing recitals and playing with different orchestras in Russia, Europe and the US. Ms. Lev earned her undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago where she studied with Vadim Gluzman. Before joining the Charlotte Symphony in September 2009, Ms. Lev was a concertmaster of the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas. As an active chamber musician, she has attended Sarasota Music Festival and Keshet Eilon Violin Mastercourse and is currently participating in the Charlotte Chamber Music Series and Providence Chamber Music Series in Charlotte. Ms. Lev is on faculty at the Charlotte Music School, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Winterfield Elementary Music Program. She performs with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado during the summer. Ms. Lev plays on a 1910 Neapolitan violin donated by a private benefactor from Boston, Massachusetts. When not playing, she enjoys skydiving, hiking and running outdoors.

First year with the CSO: 2009

Education: Bachelor of Music from Roosevelt University, Violin Mastercourse at Keshet Eilon in Israel. Alumnus of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Austria, the New World Symphony, Sarasota Music Festival and Colorado Music Festival.

Favorite concert experience with CSO: playing with Yo-Yo Ma in 2009. He's one of the most inspiring musicians I've been fortunate to work with. The Lollipops concert on Halloween in 2010 was really spooky and our young audience loved it!

Hobbies: Can playing concerts count as a hobby? It's my favorite thing to do! Also, reading, running outdoors (especially in the spring!), eating spicy food, spending time with my friends in the CSO and the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte.

Favorite thing about Charlotte: Charlotteans.

Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, Concertmaster

Born in 1968 in Timisoara, Romania, violinist Calin Ovidiu Lupanu is the Concertmaster of the Charlotte Symphony. Lupanu completed his undergraduate studies at the Music Academy in Bucharest, where he served as Concertmaster of the conservatory’s Chamber Orchestra. During his summers as a student, Lupanu performed in festival orchestras in Lanciano, Italy as Assistant Concertmaster and the Young Soloists Orchestra “Fiori Rari” in Lugano, Switzerland as Concertmaster. Upon graduation, Lupanu was appointed Assistant Professor at the Music Academy.

While in Bucharest, Lupanu joined the newly formed Lipatti String Quartet as first violin, continuing in that capacity for ten years. Lupanu’s wife, Monica Boboc, was also a member of the Lipatti Quartet and is a member of the Charlotte Symphony as well. In 1995, following an international audition, the quartet was named Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, where Lupanu earned a Performance Certificate in Chamber Music, studying with Ralph Evans, Efim Boico, and the members of the Fine Arts String Quartet. During its studies at UWM, the quartet was featured as ensemble in residence with the Pabst Theater. The Quartet has accumulated numerous honors, including Fourth Prize in the London International String Quartet Competition, and Second Prizes in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Dmitri Shostakovich Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. Further, the Dmitri Shostakovich Foundation invited Lupanu and his colleagues to participate in the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the composer’s birth with a performance in Paris. In 1997, the Quartet became Quartet-in-Residence at Northern Illinois University, working with the renowned Vermeer Quartet. While there, Lupanu completed his Masters degree and earned the soloist’s Performance Certificate, studying with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Mathias Tacke. Additionally, the Lipatti Quartet has performed master classes with many of the world’s most respected chamber ensembles, including the Amadeus, American, Borodin, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, Orion, Takacs, and Tokyo String Quartets. The Lipatti Quartet toured extensively in the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, and Romania.

Lupanu’s awards as a soloist include the First Prizes of the International Violin Competition in Stresa, Italy, and the National Violin Competition in Suceava, Romania. Prior to winning the national audition for the Charlotte Symphony position, Lupanu served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Evansville Philharmonic, principal player in the Alabama Symphony, and concertmaster of the West Virginia Symphony. In addition to his season-long responsibilities in Charlotte, Lupanu maintains a busy summer schedule, participating in such festivals as Bach and Beyond, Aspen, Lower Saxony, Strings in the Mountains, and the Colorado Music Festival, the latter of which he has served as Concertmaster since 2004.

Lupanu has collaborated with the Fine Arts Quartet, Angela Cheng, Jon Nakamatsu, Andres Cardenes, Lynn Harrell, Desmond Hoebig, and was featured as a soloist with the Evansville Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Lupanu is currently on the faculty of Gardner-Webb University.

First year with the CSO: 2003

Education: Master in Music from Northern Illinois University. Bachelor of Music from the Music Academy of Bucharest. Currently Artist-in-Residence at Gardner-Webb University. National tours include the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, France, Italy, Denmark, Croatia and Spain. Prizes and awards include the 1st Prize in the International Violin Competition in Stresa, Italy, 2nd Prize at the Shostakovich String Quartet Competition, 4th Prize at the London International String Quartet Competition, and 2nd Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Hobbies: Spending time with my family and soccer.

Favorite concert experience: All of them, I can't decide. It's like asking which one of your kids you love more.

Favorite thing about Charlotte: It is home.

Ernest Pereira

Violinist Ernest Pereira is a native of South Africa where he first studied the violin.  He was originally from Willowmore, but spent most of his youth in Pretoria. In 1977 he earned both a Performer's Licentiate and a Teacher's Licentiate from the University of South Africa. He then came to the United States to further his education. In 1981, Ernest earned a BA degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and in 1982 earned a Master of Music degree from the same prestigious school. From Cleveland, Ernest went on to earn a Doctoral degree in
Music from the University of Texas in 1987.

It was while working on his Doctoral degree that Ernest came to the Charlotte Symphony. He began his tenure with the CSO in 1985. In addition to holding the non-rotating fourth chair of the first violin section, Dr. Pereira conducts both of the Charlotte Symphony Youth orchestras.  Under his extremely capable leadership, our CSYO and CSJYO have grown into one of the leading youth orchestra programs in the country. Ernest says his favorite work performed with the Charlotte Symphony is Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem". When not performing, conducting or spending time with his wife and children, Ernest enjoys, running, reading and cooking.

Elizabeth Pistolesi

Violinist Elizabeth (Libby) Pistolesi was raised in Greenville, Pennsylvania where she first learned to play the violin. She began violin lessons at the age of eleven with her father, who was a stringed instrument teacher in the public schools. Libby says she began playing the violin by "accident".  As she relates the story, "I saw my dad leaving the house with a violin under his arm to return to the music store. I asked him if I could play it. (I'm not sure what possessed me.) He took it out of the case and gave me my first lesson." Libby's other four family members covered all of the instrument families  - wind, brass, string, percussion, keyboard, even the banjo.

Libby holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York as well as a degree in Mathematics from UNC-Charlotte. She played in the Richmond Symphony for two years before coming to the Charlotte Symphony in 1975 as a member of the first violin section.

Libby's favorite pieces played with the CSO were Bach's St. Matthew Passion and b minor Mass. She also enjoyed playing Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky".  In her free time she likes reading, taking long walks, and sitting at the beach watching the birds. Libby plays in the Laurel Trio with two of her CSO colleagues who are also from Pennsylvania.

ELLYN STUART, VIOLINIST

Ellyn Stuart started her musical training at the age of seven in Columbus, Georgia. Both of her parents studied music and were avid amateur musicians. Her father played clarinet and viola, and her mother played bassoon and violin. Ellyn often fell asleep listening to her parents and their friends reading chamber music.

Ellyn attended Memphis State University and as an 18-year-old, won an audition with the Memphis Symphony. Later, she was a member of the Alabama and Richmond symphonies. She joined the Charlotte Symphony in 1986. Her teachers have included Dr. Andrew Galos, Guido Mansuino, Ruben Gonzales, Luis Haza, Linda Schroeder, and Kevin Lawrence.

Ellyn believes that learning to play a musical instrument should be a part of every child’s education and currently teaches many young students. She also enjoys spending time with her two daughters.

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Founded in 1932, the Charlotte Symphony aspires to serve the whole community through Classical music that educates, entertains and enriches the human spirit. Read more