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WVU quartet named Resident String Quartet Teaching Fellows at Interlochen

Montani Quartet

Four West Virginia University students will share their passion for music this summer as the resident quartet at Interlochen Arts Camp. 

Montani Quartet, comprised of Doctor of Musical Arts students Lauretta Werner, violin; Yaniv Gutman, violin; Gabrielle Padilla, viola; and Master of Music student Ryan Phipps, cello, will serve as String Quartet Teaching Fellows. 

Interlochen is one of the oldest and most premier summer arts camps in the world. Known for their world-class faculty, Interlochen recruits students from around the globe to their camps.

“Having the opportunity to teach in an environment as well-respected as Interlochen will raise the bar for the quartet’s musicianship and pedagogical skills,” said Erin Ellis, assistant professor of cello and Montani Quartet advisor. “They will be around and work with high-level students and faculty consistently, and that will potentially provide collaborative opportunities in their future careers.” 

Montani Quartet formed in fall 2018 and have been working together tirelessly ever since. 

“Developing our quartet playing takes intense professionalism, both in and outside our rehearsals, as well as an extreme dedication to our art,” Padilla said. “We achieved a high level of musical communication and effectiveness in a short period of time.”

According to Padilla, the quartet’s time at WVU has well-prepared them for their new roles at Interlochen.

“At WVU, we receive constant support and instruction from our wonderful applied instructors. As a part of our assistantships, we meet several times a week for multiple hours a day for rehearsals, which allows us to develop our skills as a quartet,” Padilla said. “Also, we teach private lessons on our respective instruments to WVU students, and coach undergraduate chamber groups. All of these opportunities have prepared us for our positions as quartet teaching fellows at Interlochen Arts Camp. 

“We are excited to share the knowledge we acquired throughout our musical careers individually and as a group. Teaching at Interlochen Arts Camps offers us the opportunity to contribute to next generation of young musicians. We would like to give a big thank you to our chamber much coach, Dr. Ellis. We would not be where we are as an ensemble today without her. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to work with her.”