Violin

Mariia Demash holds a Master's degree in Music, obtained from the Academy of Arts in Kyiv, Ukraine. Prior to that, she completed her Bachelor's degree at UNTAM Tchaikovsky in Kyiv, Ukraine. She is an exceptional musician specializing in viola and also skilled in violin and piano. Hailing from Donetsk, Ukraine, she brings her passion for music and European musical expertise to the United States. She boasts a wealth of experience and recognition from prestigious orchestras and opera studios.

Brenton Carter, a native of Winchester, Illinois, is the Acting Principal Bass of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. He is an active freelance bassist performing with many orchestras in the region including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.

Brenton holds a Masters of Music and an Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he studied with Owen Lee. He has also studied with Rachel Calin, Kurt Muroki, Lawrence Hurst, Tim Pitts, Nicolas Crosse, Max Dimoff, and Stephen Lester.

Preston Charles III is a violinist that has had the best of both worlds; a standard private education in classical music and Suzuki as well as contemporary forms of music performance. This includes jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, and pop. Performing since he was four, Preston’s passion for music encompasses a wide variety of musical interests from musical composition to playing flute and piano.

As a Starling Competition first prize winner, Yuko studied at CCM where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. While at CCM, Yuko was the concerto competition winner and performed the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Upon completion of her studies at CCM, Yuko went on to receive Master’s Degree in Violin Performance from Indiana University with Violin Pedagogy as a cognate field. Her teachers include Naoko Tanaka, Franco Gulli and Won Bin Yim.

Gayna Bassin teaches traditional violin and viola to students from age 6 to adult, with emphasis on reading skills, technique and musical styles.  She has been on the faculty of the Wyoming Fine Arts Center since 1997.