Musicians
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From left to right: Elizabeth Ronan Silva, Karyl Louwenaar Lueck, Valerie Arsenault, Kim Jones, Melissa Brewer, Miriam Barfield, and Melanie Punter
Valerie Prebys Arsenault
is a principal player and soloist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, a member of the Tallahassee Symphony and has performed and recorded with the Apollo Ensemble (NY) and Apollo's Fire. She has earned degrees from the New England Conservatory (BM), the Indiana University School of Music (MM, Early Music), and the Florida State University College of Music (DM). As Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida State University she directs the Baroque Ensemble (on period instruments) and the Irish Ensemble. She also maintains a thriving private violin studio of students of all ages at Cavatina Music Studios. In their spare time she and her husband Brian are avid Irish fiddlers, and their band, The Ned Devines, recently released their first CD “Out Late” as a benefit and to date has raised $6,000 for the Tallahassee Homeless Shelter. Back to Top
Miriam Barfield
began studying violin at the age of six with Melissa Brewer. She has just completed her sophomore year at Florida State University where she is majoring in Viola Performance and studies with Dr. Pamela Ryan. She has attended many summer music festivals, including the Brevard Music Center Festival in Brevard, North Carolina, the Schlern International Music Festival in Völs am Schlern, Italy, and the Meadowmount School of Music in Westport, New York. Miriam was the only musician from Florida to be accepted to the National High School Honors Orchestra in 2005 in Reno, Nevada. She was a member of the FSU Philharmonia when she was a sophomore in high school and served as the principal violist when she was a senior. She is currently a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the FSU Symphony Orchestra, and the FSU Baroque Ensemble. Back to Top
Melissa Brewer
began her professional studies in violin and viola at the University of Miami, studying with George Zazofsky and Victor Stern and with David Becker at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She has performed with groups as diverse as the Florida Philharmonic, Miami Chamber Orchestra, West Palm Beach Opera Company, Tallahassee Bach Parley, and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. The breadth of her repertoire stretches from symphonic to chamber, opera to popular, and she has performed with artists as varied as Perlman and Sinatra. On period instruments, she has performed with the F.S.U. Baroque Ensemble, Baroque Southeast, the Apollo Ensemble, and is Principal Violist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. She plays on a 1760 Locky Hill viola. Back to Top
Marnie Kim Jones
violoncellist, holds a Bachelors in Music degree and an Artist Diploma from McGill University (studio of Antonio Lysy) and a Masters in Music degree from the Eastman School of Music (studio of Steven Doane). While at Eastman she also studied string pedagogy with Louis Bergonzi and Baroque performance practice with Paul O'Dette and Christel Thielmann. Kim is originally from Calgary, Alberta, where she studied with John Kadz; she has also performed in masterclasses for Anner Bylsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Franz Helmerson, Desmond Hoebig, Steven Isserlis, Laurence Lesser, Siegfried Palm, Aldo Parisot, Fred Sherry, Janos Starker, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. Previously a tenured member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, she now serves as associate principal cellist with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and maintains a private studio of over twenty students. Back to Top
Karyl Louwenaar Lueck
joined the faculty of the Florida State University School of Music in 1972 as an Assistant Professor of Piano. Over time, harpsichord, fortepiano, basso continuo, Baroque Ensemble, and courses in keyboard literature and performance practice were added to her assignment; and during the last six years of her tenure she also served as Coordinator of the Keyboard Area. Since her retirement in 2007, she has continued as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Music. In 1981 The Tallahassee Bach Parley was founded by Karyl and friends Lillian and Clark Pearson; later she founded also the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition under the auspices of the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society. She has appeared as soloist and ensemble harpsichordist in Germany, Costa Rica, and in many major cities and institutions of higher education in the United States, especially in the eastern half of the country. Back to Top
Melanie Punter
is Associate Professor of Double Bass at Florida State University. As a member of the Juilliard MAP faculty, she coached chamber music and bass ensembles and taught double bass. She is a member of New York's prestigious Orchestra of St. Luke's performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and is principal bassist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra of New York, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. She performs regularly at the Caramoor International Music and has participated in Festival of Two Worlds in Charleston, SC and in Spoleto, Italy. An active chamber musician, she is a member of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra performing on period instruments. Back to Top
Elizabeth Ronan Silva
is noted for her "delightfully clear fresh singing" (Opera News) "rich voice. deepening embodiment" and "canny use of her wide dynamic range," (San Francisco Classical Voice). She performs a broad range of repertoire that spans many styles including renaissance and baroque, contemporary and children's music. Since receiving a Master's degree from Mannes College of Music in 1997, she has performed with various early music ensembles including Teatro Lirico, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Reconstruction, Company of Strings, Lizzy and the Theorboys, Albuquerque Baroque Players and the Camerino Band. Her opera roles include Valletto (L'incoronazione di Poppea), Cherubino (Nozze di Figaro), Nerone (Agrippina), and Venere (Ercole Amante). Elizabeth was a founder and President of Caprock Early Music Association in Lubbock TX, where she performed and taught voice for 4 years. She relocated to Tallahassee in August 07 and is happy to make her first appearance with the Bach Parley. Back to Top