Event Calendar
Arts at St. John’s: Elysium Quartet
Friday, May 31, 2019, 7:30 pm
GREAT MUSIC IN A GREAT PLACE!
St. John's Lutheran Church
37 S. 5th Street in Allentown
Programs are open to the public and free of charge.
Free-will donations are graciously accepted.
Julie Bougher, violin | Allentown Symphony Orchestra
James Finegan, violin | Allentown Symphony Orchestra
Steve Heitlinger, viola | Allentown Symphony Orchestra
Andrea Weber, cello
P R O G R A M
HAYDN String Quartet in E flat major "The Joke"
GOLIJOV Tenebrae
MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 1
Artist Biographies
The Elysium Quartet members have been playing together since 2008 and met while they were students at Temple University. Three of Elysium’s musicians are members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra where they have performed together for many years, including on the 2017 Emmy Award winning broadcast of “Peter and the Wolf.” As an ensemble, their first major performance was at the Kimmel Center for the Performance Arts before a concert given by Itzhak Perlman and since then, they have embarked on exciting musical journeys both individually and together. The quartet is engaged for over 45 performances each year, including public performances at the Great Allentown Fair, recording sessions, and many private performances. Violinists Julie Bougher and James Finegan, violist Steve Heitlinger, and cellist Andrea Weber also perform regularly as members of other ensembles such as the Philly Pops, Delaware Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Symphony in C, and the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra. They have performed with Andrea Bocelli, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Darlene Love, Steve Van Zandt, Chris Thile, Brandi Carlisle, Celtic Women, Jim Brickman, Peter Cetera, San Fermin, Ronnie Spector, Procul Harem, Celtic Thunder, and Vanessa Williams. As members of the Delaware Symphony they received a 2010 Latin Grammy nomination for their recording with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. The musicians also enjoy teaching the next generation of musicians and are active with such organizations as Tune Up Philly, and teach or have taught at Friends Select School, The Episcopal Academy, Muhlenberg and Lafayette Colleges, and Lehigh University.
MEMBERS
Julie Bougher, violin, received both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance from the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University where she studied with William DePasquale and Jonathan Beiler. She maintains an active schedule as a performer and instructor and has performed in orchestras and ensembles throughout the continental United States and Puerto Rico. Julie joined the Allentown Symphony in 2008, and she is a member of the Delaware Symphony and the Riverside Symphonia. She also performs regularly with the Reading Symphony and Philly Pops. Julie enjoys teaching and developing curriculum and is actively involved in string pedagogy. She has participated in the Starling-DeLay Symposium at The Juilliard School and taught at Temple University, where she was Artist in Residence. Julie is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and teaches at Lafayette College, at the Waldorf-based Circle of Seasons School in Fogelsville. She also maintains an active private studio at Twin Rivers Music in Easton.
James Finegan, violin, began his violin studies at the age of ten and is a graduate of Temple University, studying with William dePasquale. He joined the first violin section of the Allentown Symphony in 2011, and is an active freelance musician in the Philadelphia area, performing with the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Philly Pops, and other area groups. James has participated in numerous summer festivals, including the National Orchestral Institute, AIMS in Graz, Spoleto USA, and the National Repertory Orchestra, with which he was a featured soloist. He spends his summers performing with the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, CO. James is currently the Middle and Upper School Orchestra Director at the Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, PA.
Steven Heitlinger, viola, has been a member of the Allentown Symphony since 2013. He is a graduate of Temple University where he studied viola with Che-Hung Chen of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also holds degrees from the University of Maryland, where he studied with Daniel Foster of the National Symphony Orchestra and Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet; and Arizona State University, where he studied with Nancy Buck, Carol Rodland, and William Magers. He has toured the United States and Europe with many orchestras, and he appears regularly in the Philadelphia area. Steven is on the faculty of Temple University's Music Preparatory Division and the Newtown School of Music.
Andrea Weber, cello, has been performing throughout the Philadelphia region since 2005. She is currently an active member of the folk-music circuit, performing at venues such as The Beacon Theatre, Rockwood Music Hall, World Café Live, the Philadelphia Folksong Society Annual Folk Festival, the Bethlehem MusikFest, and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Her award-winning recordings with local songwriters and bands have been featured on national and international radio including Philadelphia’s WXPN. She has collaborated with and performed alongside notable songwriters including Amos Lee, Andrew Lipke, Matt Duke, and Andrea Nardello. Ms. Weber holds a B.M. in cello performance from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with David Ying. She also holds an M.M. from Temple University, where she was a scholarship participant under the tutelage of Jeffrey Solow. Ms. Weber currently teaches at the Friends Select School, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the Musicopia String Orchestra, and maintains a robust private studio.