Strings Alumni

Our strings program has a long history of great students who have gone on to do great things after graduation. Here are just a few notable examples, and if you are an alum we’d love to hear about what you’re up to.

Cello

Name	Position
Ting-Ya Chiu, M.M.	D.M.A. at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Assistant Professor at National Tsing Hua University and National Chengchi University
Katri Erwarmaa, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program with the Aula String Quartet	Faculty, University of Michigan Residential College Founding Member, Brave New Works, The Muse String Trio Recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education” Award
Daniel Katz, M.M.	Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Rebecca Merblum, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program with the Azmari String Quartet	Member, Artaria String Quartet Guest Artist, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Veronica Nettles, Performer’s Certificate from NIU	Faculty at DePaul Community School Former cellist of the Kaia String Quartet
Kathie Schlaikjer	Cellist, Penderecki Quartet In residence at Wilfred Laurier University, Canada

Viola

Name	Position
Codruta Ban	Owner, Music Performance Studio, Palatine, IL
Meghan Casper, M.M.	Artist in Residence, University of Kentucky
Josep Colome, M.M.	Member Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona, Spain
Laura Eakman, M.M.	D.M.A., University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Chair of String Division, Community School for the Performing Arts, Manhattan, Kansas
Sila Eser, Performer’s Certificate	M.M., Yale University D.M.A., University of New York at Stony Brook Faculty at Bogazici University, Izmir, Turkey
Rares Giurgiu, Master of Music	Member, Rochester Symphony Orchestra
Ai Ishida, Master of Music	Member Kontras String Quartet until 2017 Faculty Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois
Camila Meirelles, Master of Music	Professor at Universidade Federal Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Craig Mumm, Master of Music	Associate Principal Violist, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York
Sarah Rusin, Master of Music	Member, Rochester Symphony Orchestra
Rami Solomonov (1949-2018), Master of Music	Principal Violist, Lyric Opera Orchestra Member Chicago String Quartet Member, Chicago Chamber Musicians Professor of Music, DePaul University, Chicago
Oya Ucarci, Master of Music	Viola Faculty, Akdeniz Universitesi Antalya Deviet Konservatuvan, Turkey
Louis Enrique Vargas, Performer’s Certificate	Member of the Euclid String Quartet Lecturer in Music and Viola at Indiana University South Bend

Violin

Name	Position
Sibbi Bernhardsson, Master of Music	Member, Pacifica String Quartet 2000-2017 Professor of Music, Violin and Chamber Music at Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Hanna Bingham, Bachelor of Music, 2018	Master of Music, Northwestern
Monica Boboc, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Professor at Gardner-Webb University
Fiona Brickey, Master of Music and Performer’s Certificate	Member, Wichita Symphony Orchestra Member, Peoria Symphony Orchestra
Lisa Burrell, Master of Music	D.M.A. at University of Houston Faculty, Lone Star College, Texas
Alin Cernaianu, Master of Music	Owner and director, Northside Music Academy, Chicago
Naomi Culp, Master of Music	Member, Kaia String Quartet
David Ehrlich, Master of Music	Founding member, Audubon String Quartet Outreach Fellow of Fine Arts at Virginia Tech University
Kara Eubanks, Master of Music	D.M.A. at City University of New York Director, Willamette Violin Academy, Eugene, Oregon
Garrett Fischbach, Master of Music	Member, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York
Anna-Lena Haikola, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Principal second violinist, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Drostan Hall, Master of Music	Founder and director of Hall School of Music, Wheaton, Illinois Founder, artistic director, and conductor of Camerata Chicago
Nabaz Hama Rasheed, Master of Music	D.M.A. at University of Kansas
Anthea Kreston, NIU Performer’s Certificate	Amelia Piano Trio Member, Artemis String Quartet Faculty, Curtis Institute
Calin Lupanu, NIU Graduate String Quartet Progra	Professor, Gardner-Webb University
Christina Merblum, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Member, Camerata Bern, Switzerland
Victoria Moreira, Master of Music, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	First Violin, Kaia String Quartet
Maureen Nelson, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Member Enso String Quartet until 2016 Member, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Talia Pavia, Master of Music	Director, Talia Pavia String Academy Associate Principal Second Violin, Camerata Chicago
Virpi Raisanen, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Acclaimed soprano and violinist
Kathie Schlaikjer	Cellist of Penderecki Quartet In residence at Wilfred Laurier University in Canada
Tereza Stanislav, NIU Graduate String Quartet Progra	Enso String Quartet Assistant Concertmaster, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Sarah Thornblade, NIU Graduate String Quartet Program	Founding Member, Arianna String Quartet Associate Principal Second Violin, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Ilana Waniuk, Performer’s Certificate (2010)	Founder and co-artistic director, Thin Edge New Music Collective DMA student UC San Diego
Shuwen Ye	Won first violin Shanghai Symphony Orchestra audition while at NIU