Violist/Violinist Matthew Maffett holds degrees from Bowling Green State University (OH), the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and the Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA. A native of Indianapolis, IN, Mr.Maffett recently joined the United States Air Force String Orchestra as a section violist. As a student, he was a prize winner in a number of reputable competitions including the CVS Solo Viola Competition, Michael Ben and Illene Kamisarow Young Artist Competition, BGSU and IU Concerto Competitions, Colorado College Summer Concerto Competition, and in the spring of 2010 was a chosen competitor in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition on the Isle of Man, UK, which have led to subsequent solo appearances with the Colorado College Festival Orchestra, IU Chamber Orchestra, Il Camerata di Vocci, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Also an avid chamber musician, he has appeared at the Norfolk (Yale), Manchester, Bern Konservatorium festivals as well as being a founding member of the Heiffler Piano Quartet and Syrinx Trio. Mr.Maffett's principal teachers include Csaba Erdelyi, Atar Arad, Mimi Zweig, and Paul Coletti.
Violinist Saskia Guitjens, a native of New York, began her violin studies at the age of four. Ms. Guitjens received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Stephen Shipps and her Masters of Music from Carnegie Mellon University under the tutelage of Cyrus Forough. She has participated in festivals such as the National Repertory Orchestra, Chautauqua School of Music amongst others. She currently maintains an active performance life as well as holding a position at the Library of Congress in the U.S. Copyright Office. She plays with the Alexandria and Fairfax Symphonies, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Washington Concert Opera and others in the metro DC area.
Violist/Violinist Kyung LeBlanc, a native of Korea, is a founding member of Sage String Quartet. She maintains an active career as a chamber and orchestra musician in Washington, DC area. Ms. LeBlanc is also a founding member of the Sage Chamber Players with whom she performs at various recitals and concert series. As an orchestra musician, she plays with Wolf Trap Opera Orchestra and with Washington National Opera Orchestra as a guest musician. Her freelance work has included performances with Smokey Robinson, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Irish Tenors, Johnny Mathis, Anne Murray, among others. She has played in numerous musicals including, Les Miserables, The King and I, Fiddler On the Roof. Ms.LeBlanc received a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Michigan and pursued further studies at Aspen Music Festival and School and at the Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music. 
Violinist Laura Chang, a native of Wisconsin, was born into a musical family and began her violin studies shortly after her fourth birthday.
Ms.Chang received both master's and bachelor's degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University, where she was a scholarship student of Martin Beaver and Pamela Frank, for whom she was a graduate assistant.
Ms.Chang is active as a performer and teacher in metropolitan Washington, DC area.
She frequently performs with the Richmond, Maryland, Alexandria, and Fairfax Symphonies, among others.
Violist Beth Dunkel earned her Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with and served as teaching assistant to Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory. She is currently one of the principal violists of the Army Band, “Pershing's Own” Orchestra where she also performs stroll music, chamber music and is a founding member of the Contemporary Ensemble. She has been featured soloist with the Army Orchestra as well as with the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Theater Orchestra in New Jersey. Ms. Dunkel regularly plays with the National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Opera Orchestra and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra.
Violinist Arminé Graham, a native of Armenia, is a prize winner of the Izabel Violin, Tuesday Musical, and the Maia Chamber Music competitions. Having recently earned Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin from the Catholic University of America, she holds a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and bachelor’s from Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan. Throughout her career, Ms. Graham has worked with world renowned artists such as Gidon Kremer, Christoph Eschenbach, Nigel Kennedy, and Kurt Masur. Her solo and chamber performances have brought her around the world including Spain, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Canada.
She has participated in Castleton Festival, Das Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Kent/Blossom Music Festival where she received the Josef Gingold Award for her distinguished performance in chamber music. In 2012, Ms. Graham won a position with the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Violist Sarah Hart, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, has been a violist with “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra since January 2009. She has performed at the White House, at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra, in Japan with the Pacific Music Festival, and in Europe with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana. Ms. Hart received her Master of Music degree in Viola from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Maryland in College Park with Dan Foster, Principal Violist of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Cellist Maggie Hummel, a native of South Pasadena, CA, recently made her debut with the Crown City Chamber Orchestra of Los Angeles, playing Haydn Cello Concerto. Ms.Hummel began her cello studies at the age of seven with Nancy Yamagata at The Colburn School. She earned Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, where she served as the principal cellist of the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra. Upon graduation, Ms. Hummel played with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, performing under such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Esa Pekka Salonen, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. She was a member of “Musicorp,” the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music education and advocacy program. Ms. Hummel holds Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied under the tutelage of Alan Stepansky. Currently Ms. Hummel enjoys performing throughout Washington, DC area and maintains a large private teaching studio.
Violinist Nancy Jin, a native of Fairfax, VA, is a member of the Fairfax Symphony and frequently plays with the National Philharmonic, Virginia Chamber, and the Amadeus Orchestras. Ms. Jin is a substitute player with the National and Richmond Symphony orchestras and was a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. In addition to performing, She is a certified Suzuki teacher and maintains a thriving studio and has served as a faculty member at the Neighborhood Music School and Creative Music Center in Connecticut. Ms. Jin holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master of Music degree from Yale University School of Music.
Violinist Emily Leader holds degrees from University of Illinois and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A native Chicagoan, she joined The U.S. Army Orchestra, "Pershing's Own", in 2003. Prior to moving to the Washington DC area, she held a one-year first-violin position with The Louisville Orchestra, then returned to Chicago to perform with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, and Ravinia Festival Orchestra. She was recently featured playing the Beethoven Triple Concerto with The U.S. Army Orchestra; she also appears with "Pershing's Own" as a jazz soloist and chamber musician. Emily has been a substitute with the Baltimore Symphony since 2007 and is currently working on projects with guitarist husband Chad Leader, including composing and recording original music for television and film. In her spare time, she tours with Peter Mayer, singer and lead guitarist of Jimmy Buffett's band, the Coral Reefers. 
Violinist Regino Madrid — an active soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician throughout the Washington DC area — is currently the Assistant Concertmaster of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra and regularly plays at the White House. He also currently serves as the concertmaster of the McLean Orchestra, and he occasionally plays as concertmaster for the Chesapeake Orchestra at St. Mary’s River Concert Series and the Alexandria Symphony. Mr. Madrid received his Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and regularly plays with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra. He has also participated in numerous music festivals such as Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West, Holland Music Sessions, Musicorda, Idyllwilde (CA), and “Soundfest” (Cape Cod) with the Colorado Quartet.
Cellist Sean Neidlinger, a native of Alexandria, Virginia, maintains an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Richard Aaron, he then pursued further studies at New England Conservatory, where he studied with Paul Katz and performed as the cellist of the Honors String Trio. Mr. Neidlinger has received top prizes at several orchestra concerto competitions, including Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria, and has performed repeatedly as a soloist with the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Friday Morning Music Club orchestras. He has performed as a chamber musician and recitalist throughout the United States and Europe, and has participated in festivals including the Soesterberg International and Taos Music Festivals. Mr. Neidlinger performs frequently in the Washington, DC area, where he has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Korean, German, French, and Austrian embassies, and the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage and Terrace Theatre. He maintains a large teaching studio, and his students have routinely been selected as members and principals for area orchestras, including district and county orchestras and the American Youth Philharmonic.
Violist Tiffany Richardson is an active chamber musician and orchestral musician in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. Ms. Richardson holds degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Maryland. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Richardson is a founding member of Virginia Virtuosi. Through Virginia Virtuosi, Ms. Richardson has the opportunity to perform educational outreach concerts for children in schools throughout the DC Metropolitan area, in addition to recent performances at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Kennedy Center. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the St. Louis Symphony, New World Symphony, and Spoleto Festival USA. A strong supporter of contemporary music, she can be heard on several world premiere recordings as a member of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Most recently Ms. Richardson has performed with the Left Bank Chamber Players, the Richmond Symphony, and the Washington National Opera.
Dr. Benjamin Albright, a native of Niagara Falls, New York, is trumpeter with "The President’s Own,” United States Marine Band. Prior to joining "The President's Own" in 2008, Dr. Albight performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Lansing and Saginaw Symphonies, the University of Michigan Faculty Brass Quintet and the Michigan Chamber Brass. He has performed for concerts broadcasted on NPR and can be heard on two new recordings for Naxos featuring the music of Aaron Copland and Ottorino Respighi. Dr. Albight received a dual Master of Music Degree in Trumpet and Chamber Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. In addition to performing, Dr. Albright serves on the Trumpet faculty at American University.
