thecaliforniaquartet

 

Bridget Dolkas, first violinist of the California Quartet, is a vibrant member of the musical community in Southern California.  She is the Principal Second Violin of the Pacific Symphony, and frequently performs on the orchestra’s popular chamber music series, Café Ludwig.  In addition, she is a tenured member of the San Diego Opera Orchestra, and plays with the San Diego Symphony. Ms. Dolkas has won First Place in the La Jolla Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition and the Meadowmount Mozart Concerto Competition, as well as Finalist in the UCLA Concerto Competition.  Her varied musical background has led to interesting and diverse performance opportunities, including concerts with fiddler Mark O’Connor, chamber performances at La Jolla Summerfest, electric fiddle solos with the Pacific Symphony, and an appearance in an MTV video. As a student of Alice Schoenfeld, she earned her BM degree at the University of Southern California and also received the award for Chamber Musician of the Year. Ms. Dolkas continued her studies with Isaac Malkin and completed a MM degree from the Manhattan School of Music.  She is currently a Doctoral candidate at UCLA where she studied with Mark Kaplan. Ms. Dolkas performs on a 1798 Lupot violin that is on loan through the Pacific Symphony.

 

Maia Jasper, second violinist, has appeared as concerto and recital soloist in France, the Netherlands, and on both American coasts. She has received awards from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts, the Young Musicians Foundation, the Colburn Foundation, the Maestro Foundation, the Partnership for the Arts Foundation, the Banff Centre, the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition, and Yale University. She was recently one of 13 young violinists worldwide invited to compete in the Corpus Christi International Competition in Texas, and was a finalist in the Carmel Music Society Competition. Ms. Jasper received her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Musicology and English Literature in May 2003 from Yale, where she was awarded the Master's Prize for her contribution to the musical life of her college. She spent her junior year at the Paris Conservatoire as a scholarship student of Gérard Poulet, and recently completed her Masters degree at the USC Thornton School of Music. Summer festivals include the International Holland Music Sessions, Encore, Aspen, and Music Academy of the West. Ms. Jasper currently holds the position of Assistant Concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony. She is also a member of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra and Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, and performs regularly with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Violin at Moorpark College.

 

Christine Grossman, violist of the California Quartet, maintains a career as both an orchestral and chamber musician in Southern California. In May 2005, she won positions in both Pacific Symphony and the Opera Pacific Orchestra and has been performing regularly with the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Grossman has participated in numerous summer music festivals including The Quartet Program at Bucknell, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), Taos Chamber Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center. Her vast orchestral experience includes Principal and Assistant Principal chairs in the Juilliard Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Shepherd School Symphony, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, New York String Seminar, and the New World Symphony. Raised in New York City, Ms.Grossman began playing the violin at the age of 5, piano at 10, and viola at 16. As a child, she made several television appearances, most notably an MTV music video, and  performances on PBS Sesame Street.  She received both her BM and MM degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied with Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang.

           

Erin Breene, cellist of the California Quartet, enjoys an active life as a chamber musician.  She has been a frequent performer in the San Diego-based Camarada and has appeared on the Seagate Chamber Music Series.  Ms. Breene has also performed to great acclaim in New York City’s Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and on Brooklyn’s Bargemusic. With the Andros String Quartet, Ms. Breene was a Finalist in the 2003 Concert Artist’s Guild Competition.  In addition, she won Grand Prize at the 1999 Coleman Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize at the 1999 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.  Also involved in orchestral playing, Ms. Breene was recently appointed as Associate Principal Cellist of Opera Pacific Orchestra and she has also served as principal cellist of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Shepherd School Symphony, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, and the Aspen Sinfonia.  Before moving to San Diego, Ms. Breene attended Rice University’s Shepherd School where she received her BM degree under Paul Katz and the Juilliard School where she received her MM degree as a student of Timothy Eddy.


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