"Serenade String Quartet"
Registered Trademark
State of Arizona

A native of Ohio, Pat began her performance career while pursuing her Bachelor degree in Violin Performance with Artists-in- Residence, Ivan and Carmen Prii-Romanenko at Thiel College (PA). She performed as a first violinist with the Erie (PA) Philharmonic , Youngstown (OH) Symphony, and the Warren (OH) Chamber orchestra. A move to SE Florida, found her freelancing from West Palm Beach to Miami, and led to her tenure as a 1st violinist with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since her husband's job relocated her to Phoenix in 1990, Pat has performed numerous symphonic, ballet, theatre, church, quartet, and soloist jobs including first violinist with the Musica Nova Orchestra, the Symphony of the West Valley, Bach Choir, and the Arizona Ballet. She has also performed as a substitute violinist with both the Phoenix and Tucson Symphony Orchestras. Pat has taught violin privately and is currently the Strings teacher at Benchmark Charter School in Phoenix.

Marj Sherman grew up in Salem, Oregon, playing piano since she was 5 and then violin at age 10. She studied with Dr. Robert Culver (former University of Michigan professor) in high school, and LeRoy Bauer at the University of Idaho, where she majored in Music Education. Both of these men are former American String Teacher Association (ASTA) past-presidents.

Moving to Phoenix in 1973, she and her husband Dick raised two sons. Soon she was playing in local orchestras and formed Serenade String Quartet in 1981. Marj has free-lanced with her violin extensively in Phoenix, playing in the back-up orchestras for: Henry Mancini, Yanni, Rod Stewart, Dionne Warwick, Johnny Matthes, Ann Jillian, Bernadette Peters, just to name a few.

Mary
Harrah
Viola

Mary Harrah is a violist and teacher in the greater Phoenix area. She is the Dirctor of Orchestras at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Instructor of Viola at Mesa Community College. She has frequently performed in the viola section with the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, and West Valley Symphony. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, and cooking.

Solo Viola and Ensemble Performances for all occasions, Director of Strings, Chaparral High School, Redfield and Cochise Elementary, Scottsdale, AZ, Instructor of Viola, Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ.

Marla Wills is in her fourteenth year in the Gilbert Public Schools. She is the Assistant Orchestra Director for Gilbert High School, and the Orchestra Director at Gilbert Junior High School.

Mrs. Wills earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1993. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree from Northern Arizona University.

She has been a cellist in the Tempe Symphony Orchestra for the last fourteen years, and does a lot of freelance work.