Left to right:
Tony Perez (violin), Camerata Milwaukee founding member, studied violin at the Academia Latinoamericana de Violin in Venezuela with Jose Francisco del Castillo and Sergio Celis. At that time, he was a member of Jovenes Arcos de Venezuela, a chamber orchestra that specialized in music of the Baroque and Classical periods, and a regular member of several professional symphony orchestras in the Caracas area. He also served as a violin teacher and orchestra instructor for the highly successful and renowned Venezuelan System of Youth Symphony Orchestras (El Sistema) in several of its Caracas branches. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Brigham Young University and a Master's Degree in Chamber Music Performance-Violin from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with Dr. Bernard Zinck. He currently serves as the Strings Program Director at St. Robert School in Shorewood-WI, where he teaches violin, viola, cello, and string ensemble.
Floralba Vivas (harpsichord), Camerata Milwaukee founding member, obtained her first degree in piano performance from the Conservatorio Jose Angel Lamas in her native country of Venezuela. In 1988 she moved to the United States in order to pursue piano studies with renowned Venezuelan pianist Judit Jaimes. Under Ms. Jaimes' guidance, she completed both Undergraduate and Master's Degree programs in Piano Performance and Instrumental Chamber Music at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also worked with members of the Fine Arts Quartet. Previous performances include solo and chamber music recitals in Venezuela, the United States, and Italy. Currently, Ms. Vivas resides in Milwaukee, where she performs regularly as a free-lance pianist and chamber musician.
Paul Sekulski (violin) is from Madison Wisconsin. He started playing violin at age 4 with the Suzuki Strings of Madison, and later studied with Eugene Purdue. He is currently perusing a Violin Performance degree at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he studies with Dr. Bernard Zinck. In 2015, Paul took first place in the UWM Concerto Competition playing Ravel’s Tzigane. He also plays with various chamber and orchestral groups around the Milwaukee area and is currently a member of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra.
JoAnn Haasler (violin & viola) is a free-lance violinist and violist and the director of Haasler Studio for Strings in the Riverwest area of Milwaukee. Her principal violin teachers were Pamela Gearhart, Donald Weilerstein, Louise Behrend, Yuri Beliavsky, Efim Boico and Ralph Evans and she holds a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from UW Milwaukee. She is privileged to have recieved coaching in chamber music with Donald Weilerstein, Martha Katz, Mischa Scheider, Wolfgang Laufer and Judit Jaimes. Since receiving her Suzuki Teaching Certificate from the School for Strings in New York City (an intensive two year program) in 1982, she has maintained a private studio using that and other approaches to violin teaching while performing regularly with symphonic and chamber groups in the area. Along with her private studio she has been a faculty member of Villa Maria Music Academy in Buffalo, New York, the Preparatory Music School of Brooklyn College, The School for Strings in New York City, Youth Makes Music Summer Camp in Alabama, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Alicia Storin, a collaborative cellist, earned her B.M. at the University of MN - Twin Cities, her M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Performance Certificate in Chamber Music from U.W.M. as a member of the Institute of Chamber Music. Alicia is a founding member of collaborative dance and music ensemble Cadance Collective (where she enjoys the role of choreographed cellist) and the Riso Quartet. She has performed in An Iliad as the Muse, opposite James DeVita as the Poet, at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and American Players Theatre, and at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre opposite Emily Trask as the Poet. Alicia also performed as one of two musicians for Songs for Nobodies at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Alicia teaches cello at Hartford Union High School and is an adjunct professor in the music department at Alverno College.
Kristian Ring (cello) is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and received his BM in Cello Performance from the University of South Carolina in 2009. He has performed in orchestral, chamber, and recital settings across the United States. Notable venues include the Piccolo Spoleto (Charleston, SC) and Aspen (CO) music festivals, among others. Outside of his classical career, Mr. Ring has also appeared on several occasions in productions of folk and contemporary popular music. He performed with an ensemble at the 2008 Ola Belle Reed Bluegrass Festival in NC, and can be heard on various tracks by several artists and young film composers from the South-East. Kristian Ring joined the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in the Fall of 2011 and obtained his MM in Cello Pedagogy from UW-Milwaukee in the Spring of 2012.
Ruth Brown (soprano), has performed a variety of roles with opera companies in America and abroad, including the Middle Germany Chamber Opera (Germany), the Chemnitz Theater (Germany), the Miskolc International Opera Festival (Hungary) and the Manteo Music Festival (North Carolina). While studying in Germany, Ruth sang the role of Rosina from The Barber of Seville, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Clorinda (Cinderella), and Nicoletta (the Love for Three Oranges) for which she was mentioned favorably in the magazine Das Opernglass. After her graduation, she sang operatic solo repertoire for concerts in Berlin and Leipzig, and returned to the U.S. in 2009. Other roles Ruth has sung include Valencienne (The Merry Widow) and Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance) with Music by the Lake. She has also sung selections from the roles of Sophie (Rosenkavalier) with the North Carolina Symphony, and Pamina with the Manteo Festival Orchestra. On the concert stage, Ruth has sung Bach cantatas, Figlia from Carissimi’s Jephte, and the soprano solo in Mozart’s Requiem. Her versatility puts her at ease in repertoire extending from cantatas of Bach to operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan. She holds a music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a master’s diploma from the revered Leipzig Conservatory for Music & Theater.
Cameron Smith (tenor) has been an active member of Wisconsin classical music performances throughout the state for 5 years. Residing in Mequon, Cameron has been a featured soloist with such groups as Bel Canto Chorus, UW-Milwaukee's Concert Chorale, Kalliope Vocal Arts as well as a plethora of student recitals, weddings, private concerts, and charity events. He has also recently completed a year study abroad program in Germany during the past year, bringing a host of musical experiences and opportunities in the heart of classical music in Europe. Also an enthusiast for sacred music, he sings with the North Shore Congregational Church Choir under the direction of Richard Kieffer. Cameron has also participated in the Wisconsin National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition and received first place in the Junior Men's Division in 2011 and second place in the Sophomore Men's Division in 2010. Completing his studies at UW-Milwaukee under the direction of Dr. Connie Haas, Cameron looks forward to further supporting the arts in Wisconsin and bringing classical music to those who appreciate it.
Marianne Kordas (program notes), a native of Wisconsin, has lifelong passions in music, history, literature, and the great outdoors. Starting violin studies at the age of five, she graduated in 2007 with a BA in Music from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. In 2013 she finished dual master’s degrees in music history and library science from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Her two master’s projects focused on the biography of the Flemish Renaissance composer Josquin des Pres, and on medieval Irish liturgy and chant. As Director of the Music Materials Center of the James White Library in Berrien Springs, MI, she loves helping patrons with research questions.
