Sylvia de la Cerna
Co-Founder - Violinist
Sylvia is an accomplished free-lance violinist and organizer in Chicago. She has been a substitute violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Symphony and a founding member of the Chicago Sinfonietta. Sylvia has been a soloist with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Sylvia also has a passion for teaching where she has the pleasure of working with students from the south side of Chicago. Sylvia received her BM and BA degrees from Oberlin College/Conservatory and her MM from the Yale School of Music.
Dr. Diane Phoenix-Neal
Co-Founder - Violist
Diane performs nationally and internationally as a soloist and chamber artist. She is Associate Professor of Viola at James Madison University and enjoys her roles as a clinician and educator. For more than twenty years, she is the principal violist, soloist and music advocate with Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and a performing faculty member/educational associate with Eastern Music Festival. In France, she served as both the principal solo violist of l'Orchestre de Picardie and as violist of the acclaimed Joachim String Quartet. As a champion of new music composed for the viola, her performances and contemporary music projects have been featured globally, in four continents. She received her training from the Juilliard School and from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, earning her doctorate from UNC Greensboro after ten years as a performer in Europe.
Anyango Yarbo-Davenport
Violinist
Anyango was born into the musical family of American soprano Africa Yarbo-Davenport and the late Austrian conductor Hans Peter Jillich. She performs regularly in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Royal Festival Hall London, Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Mozarteum Saal Salzburg and can be heard on international TV and Radio stations like Red+, BBC, FOX26, WXXI, PBS and NPR. 2019 and 2023 Anyango was the Schwartz Artist in Residence at Emory University, the only artist in history to hold this honor twice. She also holds residencies at University of Richmond, James Madison University and Rutgers University. 2024 season highlights include guest soloist and concertmaster at THE MET in the Live Arts production of Handel: Made in America, soloist in residence with the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra Sacramento 2022–24 and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. 2024/25 she will be performing the iconic violin concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Marsalis and Price throughout USA, Latin America and Europe. Anyango’s debut recording AMERICANA! (Sheva Collection UK, 2022) was released to great critical acclaim and features a collection of contemporary American music by composers Robert Aldridge (world premiere recording), Pulitzer Prize laureate Jennifer Higdon and John Corigliano with pianist Vanessa Fadial (The Colburn School Los Angeles).
Caitlin Edwards
Violinist
Caitlin is a Chicago-based multi-genre violinist, arranger, and educator from Birmingham, AL. Trained classically with a love for gospel, jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul, she released "Exhale" (2021) and "Mere Mortals" (2023). Dedicated to amplifying Black composers, Caitlin champions their works for BIPOC musicians globally. Honors include the 2023 Grant Park Music Festival Advocate for the Arts award, 2023 Sphinx MPower Artist Grant, and the 2022 Esteemed Artist Award from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in Chicago. Grammy-certified for contributions to Disney's "The Lion King" and albums by John Legend and PJ Morton, she's a member of D-Composed, Ensemble Dal Niente, and Sphinx Virtuosi. Caitlin serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, uplifting the musical community within Chicago.
Chenoa Murphy
Violinist
Chenoa earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Iowa under renowned instructors such as Kurt Sassmannshaus, Paul Kantor, and Dorothy Delay. Beyond performing, she is an educator and DEI facilitator, promoting the contributions of Black classical composers. Her courses Introduction to Black Classical Composers & Musicians, Black Classical Composers: The Journey Onward, Diversity from the Inside Out, and her contributions to American Suzuki Journal highlight her advocacy work and have been well-received nationally and internationally. Currently living in Springfield, IL, she teaches gifted elementary students and holds principal positions in multiple orchestras while balancing her role as a devoted mother of two, gaining recognition for her efforts in music and education.
Michelle Manson
Violist
Michelle currently works as a freelance violist in Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Music from DePaul University and in 2024 graduated from the University of Chicago with a Master’s Degree in Education. She recently completed an internship with the Field Foundation of Illinois, a private and independent foundation that works to address systemic issues in historically marginalized areas of Chicago.
Lindsey Sharpe
Cellist
Lindsey is an active performer, teacher, and administrator based in Chicago, IL. After graduating from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, Lindsey went on to earn degrees at the University of Michigan and Rice University. An active orchestral musician, Lindsey recently completed a three year term with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and currently holds positions in the Sphinx Virtuosi and Chicago Sinfonietta. Lindsey has also performed alongside popular artists such as Lauryn Hill, Chance the Rapper, and Smokey Robinson. Lindsey plays a cello made in the workshop of William Harris Lee in 1994 by Gary Garavaglia.
Dr. Patricia Weitzel
Double Bassist
Patricia is the Assistant Professor of Double Bass and Chamber Music at Penn State University. She enjoys an active career as a teacher, performer, and arts administrator. Additionally, Weitzel serves as the Dean of Faculty and Artistic Affairs of the Sphinx Performance Academy, and as the Marketing Chair of the International Society of Bassists, an organization whose mission is to inspire, educate, and connect bass enthusiasts worldwide through bass performance, pedagogy, research, composition, and lutherie.
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