Violinist Laura Burns received a double bachelors degree, with honors, in music education and violin performance from UW-Madison. She is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many ensembles in the Madison area including the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Oakwood Chamber Players, and Con Vivo. She taught middle and elementary school strings in Madison and Oregon before returning to the university last year to begin the Master’s degree in violin performance with Professor David Perry.

Michelle Kaebisch, violin, earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Instrumental Music Education, with honors, from UW-Madison.  She joined the Madison Symphony Orchestra in 1992 and has been teaching orchestra in the Stoughton Area School District since 1995. Michelle was selected as a "Who's Who of America's Teachers" three times in the last eight years, is currently a candidate for the "Disney Teacher of the Year Award" for creativity in the classroom, and has been named an Outstanding American Teacher of 2005-06 by the NHR.

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. In addition, she has worked with William Preucil, Martin Fischer, Dee Martz, and members of the Pro Arte String Quartet. Marie is also certified in the Suzuki method and currently teaches private violin and viola lessons in the Madison area.

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 Chancellor‚s Concert Series.

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.