Quartessence String Quartet was founded in 1999 and plays frequently for receptions, parties, and weddings. In addition to performing the standard classical quartet literature, they have developed a specialty niche playing music of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and other jazz standards.
Laura Burns, violin, is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, where she also performs with the Rhapsodie String Quartet, part of the Madison Symphony’s Heartstrings initiative that brings live interactive music programs to adults and children with disabilities. Laura Burns has performed at the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival and with many local groups including the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Oakwood Chamber Players and Con Vivo. Laura received a double bachelors degree, with honors, in music education and violin performance from UW Madison, and, as a student of David Perry, she completed the master of music degree in violin performance in 2007.
Ms. Perkinson, received her Bachelors of Music, magna cum laude, from Boston University in 1999 where she was a student of Bayla Keyes. In 2000 Ms. Perkinson toured North and South America with the musical “The King and I, ” and in 2002 she received a Graduate Performance Diploma from The Boston Conservatory, where she was a student of Magdalena Richter. She received her Masters of Music in 2005 and K-12 Instrumental Certification in 2007, both at UW-Madison, where she studied with the late Vartan Manoogian. Ms Perkinson has attended many festivals including Aspen, Brevard and Musicorda and was invited to perform at The Token Creek Chamber Music Festival in 2003 and 2006. She has recorded with The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and performs with the orchestra frequently. Most recently Ms. Perkinson won a place on the Milwaukee Symphony substitute roster.
Currently, Ms. Perkinson is pursuing the Doctorate of Music Degree in Violin Performance with a minor in Music Education at UW – Madison where she has the opportunity to teach with Music Makers, a non-profit outreach group run by Bonnie Greene. Ms. Perkinson studies with Felicia Moye and is a String Pedagogy Teaching Assistant to Dr. Janet Jensen.
Marie Pauls earned both the Bachelor of Music and the Master of Music degrees in viola performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with Professor Sally Chisholm. As an undergraduate, she received a full scholarship to attend UW School of Music. In addition, Marie has worked with William Preucil, Lewis Rosove, and members of the Pro Arte String Quartet. She currently serves as principal violist in the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with Oakwood Chamber Players and the Madison Symphony Orchestra. She is also trained in the Suzuki method and teaches private violin and viola lessons in the Madison area. Marie has been a member of Quartessence since 2002.
Sarah Schaffer studied cello at Indiana University, where she received advanced degrees in musicology and music theory, and with Uri Vardi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work in arts administration includes managing the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival, serving as assistant to composer John Harbison and, at the UW-Madison School of Music, overseeing a new series of faculty recordings and managing the Pro Arte Quartet.