Fellowship Alums

Holly Dyer, cello (2018-2020)

Holly Dyer, cellist, came to CMW with a desire to support diversity in the arts, including equal access to music education, chamber music as a vehicle for social justice, and the performance of works by underrepresented composers. She has appeared with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and the Cape Symphony, and has served on faculty at the Rivers School Conservatory. Holly is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she received her Master’s degree in Cello Performance, studying with Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet. She also holds Bachelor degrees in Cello Performance and Psychology from Boston University, as a student of Michael Reynolds of the Muir String Quartet. Her festival appearances include the National Repertory Orchestra, Classical Pops/Barbados, Garth Newel Music Center, Texas Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival. In addition to her musical endeavors, Holly served as an AmeriCorps fellow focused on urban youth development in the Boston Public Schools. This experience sparked her desire to combine community service with classical music.

David Rubin, violin (2017-2019)

David Rubin, violinist, came to CMW from Boston’s musiConnects, where he taught and performed with the Sumner Quartet. David has also served on faculty at Community Music Center of Boston, BYSO’s Intensive Community Program, and the Superior String Alliance in Michigan’s Upper-Peninsula. David enjoys cultivating a wide-ranging performance practice – presenting contemporary music (Lucerne Festival Academy, Spoleto Festival USA, BMOP), exploring historical instruments (Madison Bach Musicians), collaborating across disciplines (Bill T. Jones-Arnie Zane Dance Company), and playing in quotidian spaces (musiConnects Errands Tour). Other concert highlights include live broadcasts (WFMT Chicago, Wisconsin Public Radio) and performances with mentors (Emmanuel Music, Music from Salem, Lawrence Chamber Players). A native of Oak Park, IL, David studied violin with Sharan Leventhal, Wen-Lei Gu, and Kristin Cappelli-Hedlund; completed degrees at Boston Conservatory and Lawrence University; and pursued additional training at the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Banff Centre.

Luke Fatora, violin (2017-2019)

Luke Fatora, violinist, was drawn to the violin by fiddle music in the hills of Appalachia. After beginning musical studies, he developed a passion for exploring music and using it to examine the human experience. Growing up in the mountains of Colorado, Luke received scholarship awards from the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival as well as awards from the Pikes Peak Young Composers Competition. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory, Luke studied violin with Bettina Mussumeli  and Gregory Fulkerson. While developing as a violinist, Luke also pursued an interest in conducting, serving as the Artistic Director of the Summit County Community Orchestra. He has fiddled for square dances, improvised with DJ’s and ballet dancers, and performed contemporary and traditional classical music in venues such as the World Financial Center and Carnegie Hall. Luke has a curiosity for sound design and a passion for the outdoors.

Zan Berry, cello (2016-2018)

Zan received his MM Cello Performance degree from the University of Michigan in 2014. Since then, he has been an active performer and pedagogue in the music scene of Ann Arbor, MI. An avid supporter of contemporary music, he seeks to perform the works of living composers as much as possible. While in Ann Arbor, Zan performed with Aepex Contemporary Performance. He has also recently participated in the Bang on a Can Summer festival, the New Music on the Point festival, and the Fresh Inc. festival and has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, John Luther Adams, Bright Sheng, YehudiWyner, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Zan has also performed with the Arbor Composers Collective as well as accompanied modern improvisation dance classes at the University of Michigan. Zan teaches privately and served as the Cello Mentor for Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles. Recently, he led a week-long workshop at the Cultural Arts Strings Camp in Manchester, MI. In addition to playing the cello, Zan enjoys singing, hiking, and practicing yoga.

Ashley Frith, viola (2016-2018)

Ashley was recently enrolled in a masters program at The Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Lila Brown. There, she was the principal violist of the baroque ensemble, and active in the contemporary music program. Ashley studied viola with Kathie Aagaard, and chamber music with Scott Kluksdahl and Svetozar Ivanov at the University of South Florida. She has served as a teaching artist with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, and with El Sistema Somerville and Revolution of Hope in Boston. For the past few years, Ashley has been studying the use of sound as a healing modality, in combination with mindfulness and nutrition, to help those suffering from mental illness. She also volunteers with Tunefoolery, an organization committed to promoting mental health recovery through music.

Josie Davis, violin (2015-2017)

Josie came to the fellowship program from Oberlin College and Conservatory where she was a student of David Bowlin. She has performed in a wide-range of venues from Carnegie Hall to the Monte Music Festival in India and appeared with her sister on NPR’s From the Top. She actively explores ways to share classical music in new contexts and has performed chamber music with Emanuel Ax in a taco shop and played solo Bach for Chris Thile.

As an educator, Josie is interested in how music can be used as a form of cultural empowerment to build bridges and strengthen communities. Her teaching has brought her to Panama, India and most recently Community MusicWorks. She is committed to creating more chamber music opportunities for young people and is the co-founder and Program Director of Soundscapes Chamber Music Workshop in Connecticut and Envision Chamber Music Workshop in her home state of Maine. Josie will pursue graduate studies at Harvard University in the fall to further explore the intersection of arts education and community engagement. She is also excited to join Palaver Strings–a musician-led string orchestra in Boston.

Kate Outterbridge, violin (2015-2017)

Kate Outterbridge came to the Fellowship program from the University of Michigan, where she was finishing up her Masters of Violin Performance, and Masters of Chamber Music. Before the fellowship, Kate had been exploring ways to combine her love for music with her passion to create social change in the world. After attending the Institute for Musicianship and Social Practice at CMW one spring, Kate knew she needed to apply for the fellowship and the rest is history! Since graduating the Fellowship, Kate has relocated to Los Angeles to explore different opportunities for teaching, performing, and exploring a new part of the country.

Hannah Ross, viola (2014-2016)

Clara Yang, cello (2014-2016)

Clara came to the Fellowship Program upon completing her DMA in Cello Performance at Rice University. As a strong proponent and practitioner of community based music projects, Clara has performed for the residents of hospitals, hospices, and similar institutions in the New York metropolitan area, and led a series of workshops and performances for the children at the Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, Texas Children’s Hospital. Having witnessed firsthand the positive influence music can have on individuals and their community, Clara believes that such forms of teaching and performance are an integral part of music education.

Since graduating from the Fellowship Program, Clara has been on faculty at Providence College where she teaches orchestra and cello instruction.

Rhiannon Banerdt, violin (2013-2015)

Rhiannon Banerdt, violin, came to CMW looking for ways to combine a long-standing resolve to make a career in chamber music with a newfound excitement about music education and its potential to help address the needs of students in communities with a scarcity of resources.  She began working with children and youth during her time at the New England Conservatory and discovered that it offered a lot of challenges and rewards. She also visited El System programs in Venezuela and saw the effects of widespread access to music education there. The CMW model seemed to successfully incorporate all of these elements in a meaningful way and offer a practical framework for how her passions could be combined to have a real impact on society.

Since graduation from the Fellowship, Rhiannon has been pursuing doctoral studies with a focus on chamber music performance at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, as well as starting work with a newly formed string quartet and joining the faculty of the Bloomingdale School of Music.

Shawn LeSure, violin (2013-2015)

Shawn LeSure, violin, came to the CMW fold from Austin, Texas. In Austin, Shawn taught at a local music school and continued the work of refining his playing. He was attracted to CMW, in part, because it incorporated quite a few elements he was passionate about: chamber music, teaching, especially underrepresented communities, and making a positive impact on the world. At CMW, he experienced the healing and transformative power of music in service of building a cohesive community. Shawn became aware that changing the world happens just as much or even more in small interactions, in tiny ripples issuing forth from a center of joy and compassion, and the little ways that one can make the world a more compassionate place, everyday. Since graduating the fellowship, Shawn has moved back to Austin, and continues his work, teaching and performing, and forming a vision for the work to come in the future.

Annalisa Boerner, viola (2012-2014)



Annalisa Boerner, viola, came out of music school with the sense that practicing excerpts all day didn’t quite set her brain on fire. She discovered the CMW Fellowship Program, and found that it fit well with her passions: she was interested in creating safe spaces for kids to be themselves, studying and playing chamber music, and contributing to social justice through her music. The CMW fellowship confirmed Annalisa’s suspicions: her ideal career would blend teaching and performance, with an emphasis on bringing lessons to those students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to classical music and the benefits of its study.

After graduating from the Fellowship, Annalisa lived in Providence for one year doing freelance work with various organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. In June of 2015, she joined the staff of Music Haven in New Haven, CT as a full-time Resident Musician and member of the Haven String Quartet.  To her delight, with this position she has resumed rehearsing chamber music in the morning, teaching after school, and performing around town in both traditional and non-traditional venues.

Lauren Latessa, cello (2012-2014)

Lauren Latessa, cello, came to the Fellowship program from Cincinnati OH.  She holds a MM in Cello Performance from Northwestern University, BM from the Peabody Conservatory and a BA in Art History from Johns Hopkins University. She was drawn to CMW’s programming by her curiosity to understand chamber music’s role in transforming communities.  Since graduating from the fellowship in 2014, Lauren serves as the Musician-in-Residence for Charles E. Smith Life Communities in Rockville, MD.  Her duties include music programming for independent living, assisted living and memory care buildings.

EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, violin (2011-2013)

EmmaLee Holmes- Hicks, violin, grew up on an organic farm frequently playing for her readily available audience of attentive sheep. As a young musician, she developed a commitment to using her music to make a difference in peoples’ lives. After earning a performance degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a doctoral degree from SUNY Stony Brook, EmmaLee searched for a position where she could use her violin to serve the community.

She found such a position as a fellow with Community MusicWorks.  During her fellowship, EmmaLee helped to develop a feasibility study, outlining what a program like CMW could look like in Newport, Rhode Island.  After completing the Fellowship, EmmaLee, along with colleague Ealain McMullin, launched the Newport String Project, a music performance and youth mentoring initiative.

EmmaLee is principal second violinist of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and serves on faculty at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Birch
Creek Summer Performance Center.

A firm believer that music can, quite literally, move people, EmmaLee takes the lead in string bands, playing fiddle for contra dances in New England and the Midwest.

Ealain McMullin, violin (2011-2013)

Ealaín (pronounced AH-leen) was first introduced to chamber music though concerts given by the Apple Hill Chamber Players near her home in Donegal, Ireland. This began a long connection with the Apple Hill Summer Festival in New Hampshire. For the 05-06 school year, Ealaín was an Apple Hill “Playing for Peace” scholar at Keene State College, enabling her to study with members of the Apple Hill String Quartet. This association led to studies at the Boston Conservatory, where she was a member of the Bricolage String Quartet, the Conservatory’s honors ensemble. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the Boston Conservatory, Ealaín’s teachers have included Michael D’Arcy, Elise Kuder, Mike Kelley and Lenny Matczynski.

Ealain now co-directs the Newport String Project in Newport, Rhode Island.

Ariana Falk, cello (2010-2012)

Ariana Falk, cello, came to the Fellowship Program after exploring what it meant to be a 21^st-century cellist in a variety of contexts. She learned the instrument from Aldo Parisot at Yale and then studied in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar, with an emphasis on contemporary music. On returning to the U.S., she moved to Boston to complete a Doctorate at Boston University under the tutelage of Michael Reynolds, whom she had met while concertizing with a string quartet. She discovered CMW after beginning life as a professional musician in Boston and searching for threads that would connect her music-making with opportunities to connect deeply with others and make an impact on the world in a new way. Since graduating from the Fellowship, Ariana now serves as Education Director for the Worcester Chamber Music Society and runs Neighborhood Strings, a program that provides free music lessons and programming to youth from Worcester’s neediest neighborhoods. The program serves nearly 50 youth and involves dozens of mentors from Worcester’s colleges – a creative way of realizing Ariana’s dream to teach college students – and was recognized this year with a SerHacer grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Robin Gilbert, viola (2010-2012)

Robin Gilbert, viola, came to the Fellowship Program after receiving a Bachelor’s of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music.  As a native of Providence, the ability to work in and with the community is what drew Robin to the fellowship program as well as the invaluable experience teaching.  Since graduating from the fellowship program, Robin has worked as a special education instructor in Chicago and is currently teaching 6th and 7th grade math in Jackson, Mississippi as a 2014 Teach For America Corps member.

Carole Bestvater, violin (2009-2011)

Carole Bestvater, violin, participated in the Fellowship Program from 2009-2011.  Years before her Fellowship experience, she read about Community MusicWorks in a news article.  Reading that article was informative in shaping Carole’s views as a community-minded musician. She was ecstatic when she was accepted into the Fellowship program.  Upon completion of a Bachelor of Music degree, Carole packed her car and drove 2000 miles from Saskatoon, SK to Providence, RI for a grand adventure, one that inevitably steered her career path, and fundamentally developed her philosophies about music, education, and social change.

After completing the Fellowship, Carole moved to St.John’s, NL, to pursue a Master’s Degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  Carole quickly established a sense of home there, and has become part of many arts organizations in St. John’s.  As was always her vision, Carole created The Strong Harbour Strings Program, a program modeled closely after CMW.  Strong Harbour Strings is a mentoring artist program based in the belief that communities in need can be strengthened through the learning and sharing of music. Strong Harbour Strings endeavors to create equal access to music enrichment for children and youth, providing experiences that will inspire and impact the lives of everyone involved.

Aaron McFarlane, violin (2009-2011)

Aaron McFarlane, violin, is a musician who blends performance, education, and outreach to share his passion for music with children and adults alike.  He was a member of Community MusicWorks’ fellowship program from 2009-2011.

Whether he is reaching new audiences by performing in airports and national parks, directing the largest strings program in East Africa, or serving as a musician in residence in a low income community, Aaron is intent on redefining what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century.

It was this desire to re-envision musicianship that brought Aaron from a teaching position in Kenya to participate in the Community MusicWorks fellowship.

When Aaron graduated from the Fellowship program in 2011 he became Sistema New Brunswick’s Saint John Centre Director in Saint John, Canada.  Sistema New Brunswick is a daily, intensive after school social program that seeks to help low-income children achieve their full potential through music and music education.  In addition to leading the rapid growth of the centre, Aaron performs with Symphony New Brunswick and is the founder of a chamber music series celebrating local stories through music.

In 2014, Aaron was named one of New Brunswick’s 21 Leaders for the 21st Century.

Adrienne Taylor, cellist (2008-2010)

Adrienne Taylor, cello, first came to Community MusicWorks as a fellow in 2008 and later returned to CMW to start the Daily Orchestra Program after traveling to Venezuela as a Sistema Fellow at New England Conservatory. A graduate of Indiana University and Northwestern University, Adrienne studied cello with Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Hans Jørgen Jensen and Janos Starker. Formerly assistant principal cello of Portugal’s Orquestra do Norte, Adrienne has performed internationally as well as in the major concert halls of the U.S., including the New World Center in Miami Beach, the Harris Theatre in Chicago and Carnegie Hall. In addition to playing classical music, Adrienne seeks out opportunities to collaborate with musicians from other genres. Adrienne recorded for the CD Kilimanjaro, which features the music of singer-songwriter Benvindo Cruz, who was nominated for best composer by the Cape Verde Music Awards in 2014 for that album.

Jason Amos, viola (2008-2010)

Jason began his viola studies at age eleven in the public school system of his hometown of Southfield, Michigan. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and received a Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory of Music.

He has received honors in several competitions, including 4th place in the 2007 Sphinx Competition and 1st place in the 2006 Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Bradlin Scholarship Concerto Competition. In addition, Jason appeared as soloist with the Ann Arbor Symphony, played in the Flint Symphony, and performed as Principal Viola for many other orchestras throughout Michigan. In past summers, Jason has attended Aspen Music Festival, International Music Academy of Pilsen (Czech Republic). He has also served as faculty for the Sphinx Performance Academy at Walnut Hill, and Four Strings Academy.

Jason enjoys participating in the Sphinx Organization’s musical outreach programs—all programs aimed toward increasing the presence of minorities in classical music. His teachers include Martha Strongin Katz, Yizhak Schotten, Caroline Coade, and Catherine Carroll.

Rachel Panitch, violin (2007-2009)

Rachel Panitch, violin, came to the Fellowship Program with a love for both Classical and fiddling traditions. With a degree in Anthropology from Vassar College, she started sharing her passion for music from different parts of the world by starting Community MusicWorks’ first Fiddle Lab. This experience, along with the rest of her fellowship training enabled her to start Rhode Island Fiddle Project in 2009, a community-based program inspired and incubated by Community MusicWorks based in Pawtucket, RI. 

Since graduating from the Fellowship Rachel has received a Masters in Music in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory, served as artist-in-residence in Zion National Park, and performs with Cardamom Quartet and Thread Ensemble: a story-telling trio of violins and vibraphone. She was chosen as a 2015-2016 Jubilation Fellow, a national award recognizing “individuals with an exceptional talent for helping young people feel fully alive through rhythm.” Her teaching focuses on improvisation and fiddle traditions, and she continues to teach with Community MusicWorks, as well as musiConnects, El Sistema Somerville, Classroom Cantatas, and NEC’s School of Continuing Education.

Arlyn Valencia, violin/viola (2007-2009)

Arlyn Valencia, violin, earned her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Baldwin-Wallace University, Master of Music from the Longy School of Music, and Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from The University of Florida. She has had numerous important mentors in her life, including violinists Dr. Julian Ross, Eric Rosenblith and Laura Bossert.

Arlyn saw the CMW Fellowship as an opportunity to combine her interests in chamber music, teaching, and service. She was inspired by the culture of community and curiosity at CMW. During her Fellowship, she was instrumental in the development and pilot years of Phase I Orchestra and CMW Summer Camp.

While at CMW, her experiences and commitment to openness led her towards a surprising path. In the process of learning how to play and move better following an injury, she recognized a new way to apply her passion for serving others. Since the completion of her DPT, Arlyn has been practicing with a specialization in orthopedics and manual therapy. Arlyn has continued her role as a teacher, serving as adjunct professor at the University of the Incarnate Word DPT Program. Future aspirations include re-immersing in the musical community by increasing student and professional musicians’ access to quality health care and physical therapy services.

Chloë Kline, viola (2006-2008)

Chloë Kline, violist, is CMW’s Education Director. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she was a student of Martha Katz. Other influential teach­ers include Karen Tuttle, Roberto Diaz, and Richard Young. Between 1998 and 2000, Chloë performed across the United States and Europe as a member of the Lipatti String Quartet. In 2006, she per­formed solo and chamber works across Palestine as part of the Al Khamandjati Festival. Chloe received her Master’s degree in Arts in Education from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in 2005, and joined CMW the follow­ing year as a member of the Fellowship Program’s pilot class.

Laura Cetilia, cello (2006-2008)

Laura Cetilia, cello, is currently pursuing graduate studies in music composition. Laura was  co-director of the CMW Media Lab and a resident musician teaching cello, and curated the Ars Subtilior concert series which focused on subtlety in experimental music. She performs avant garde music in her duo Suna No Onna with violist Robin Streb and electroacoustic improvisation with her partner, Mark Cetilia, in their group Mem1. Mem1 has held artist residencies and performed throughout the U.S., Italy, Norway, Israel, England, and the Netherlands. Laura is also co-curator of the experimental music series Ctrl+Alt+Repeat (established in Los Angeles in 2004) and co-owner of the Estuary Ltd. record label, which features handmade limited edition releases.