Since 2020, The Foundry has curated young artists in a variety of genres including music, theater, dance, and comedy, offering them a professional platform and audience on Tuesday evenings in our black box theater.
The Gioia String Quartet was assembled in June 2022 under the direction of Alla Zernitskaya, beloved orchestra teacher for all four students at both Pittsfield High and Herberg Middle Schools. Before Alla’s retirement in June, the four musicians all participated in Early Morning Orchestra for many years, rehearsing with Alla every school day at 6:30am before the start of school. They embarked on this musical journey this summer for the pure joy of making music together – and to give them another opportunity to unlock the musical treasure that is Alla.
Chenyang Lin is a violinist local to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He started playing violin at the age of 8 and would later go on to study under Alla Zernitskaya. He participated in many local and regional ensembles such as the PHS Chamber Orchestra, Stockbridge Sinfonia, Massachusetts Western District Orchestra, and Massachusetts Allstate Orchestra. Chenyang is entering his senior year at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he is studying Computer Science. He currently plays with the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra and Red Brick String Quartet.
Daniel Lin is a violinist from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He has been playing violin since the age of 6 through the Berkshire Music School until he started learning with Alla Zernitskaya at the age of 8. He currently studies under Alla Zernitskaya through private lessons and formerly through the Herberg and PHS Orchestras. He has participated and had experience with the Massachusetts Junior Western District Orchestra and Stockbridge Sinfonia. He is now entering his 8th-grade year at Herberg Middle School.
Nathan Cracolici, violist from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, began studying violin in the 3rd grade with Juliet Wright. At Herberg Middle and Pittsfield High School, he studied with Alla Zernitskaya as part of the orchestra and early morning chamber groups. With Alla’s encouragement, he learned both the viola and the chin cello in 2018, and was selected for second chair viola at the Massachusetts Music Educators Western District Orchestra in January 2020. He is currently a sophomore at Manhattan College majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Music. He currently plays in the Stockbridge Sinfonia, the Manhattan College Orchestra and Music Ministry, and plays weekly at his church, St Charles Borromeo in Pittsfield.
Zoë-Ruth Brizan is a pianist/cellist from Pittsfield, Massachusetts who started out playing the violin in 3rd grade at her elementary school and piano in 2nd grade at the Berkshire Music School. After playing the violin under the tutelage of Alla Zernitskaya in 6th, she was introduced
to the cello in the summer of 2019. She started her first lessons with Gerdrose Jean Louis. By that fall, Zoë-Ruth joined Kids 4 Harmony and began playing the cello with that orchestra and with the Herberg/PHS orchestras. By 9th grade, Zoë who has always wanted to play the cello,
switched that instrument. Through Kids 4 Harmony she has had the opportunity to travel to Boston to participate in the Longy El Sistema Side by Side Orchestra. Zoë-Ruth is a member of the Stockbridge Sinfonia and participated in the early morning orchestra at PHS throughout her freshman year. She is a recent recipient of two of the BMS Talent and Merit Scholarship Programs. She won the Chopin Scholarship and Gia Cox Caird Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Zoë-Ruth is a rising sophomore at PHS.
The Pluto String Ensemble is a classical music group that is focused on building community and highlighting the voices of POC and queer musicians in the classical world, by creating and managing spaces for musicians to meet, rehearse, and perform.
Gerdlie Jean Louis is a violist and violinist from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. They were a member of the El Sistema inspired program, Kids 4 Harmony. They’ve participated in several orchestras and music based programs such as Longy Sistema Side by Side, the YOLA National Festival, the YOLA National Institute and the Empire State Youth Orchestra. They now are attending Clark University as a viola performance major and are a member of the Clark Sinfonia and are a founder of the Pluto String Ensemble.
Gerdrose Jean Louis is a cellist from western Massachusetts. They began playing cello at the age of 7 at Kids 4 Harmony (an elsistmea inspired program). Through Kids 4 Harmony they have gotten many opportunities such as traveling to California for the Yola National Festival, traveling to Boston to participate in the Longy El Sistema Side by Side Orchestra and many other opportunities. They are currently studying cello performance at Ithaca College with Professor Gregory Hesselink. At Ithaca they participate in the school Ithaca College Symphonic Orchestra and Chamber music as well.
Leila Fiana Paredes is a local violinist in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She has learned to play violin through an El Sistema program called Kids 4 Harmony. She’s been a part of many programs such as Longy sistema side by side, YOLA National Festival, and Empire State Youth Orchestra. She has learned under Alla Zernitskaya in the PHS orchestra and Early Morning Orchestra. She is going into her freshman year of college at UMass Amherst where she is studying under Elizabeth Chang for a Major in Music Performance with a focus in violin.
Gerdlie Jean Louis is a violist and violinist from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. They were a member of the El Sistema inspired program, Kids 4 Harmony. They’ve participated in several orchestras and music based programs such as Longy Sistema Side by Side, the YOLA National Festival, the YOLA National Institute and the Empire State Youth Orchestra. They now are attending Clark University as a viola performance major and are a member of the Clark Sinfonia and are a founder of the Pluto String Ensemble.
Bella Penna is a recent graduate of Pittsfield High School. She has been a part of the public schools’ orchestra programs since the third grade and hopes to continue through programs at Colorado State University, where she will be attending just three days after the concert! Bella was also a member of the Stockbridge Sinfonia for three years, a participant in the early morning orchestra at PHS, and played in the junior and senior Massachusetts Western District Orchestra’s.
Geivens Dextra is a violinist that is going into his senior year at Pittsfield High School. He has been playing the violin for over 10 years through the El Sistema music program Kids 4 Harmony. Playing the violin has opened opportunities for him to travel places that include Tanglewood, Boston, and California, and programs that include the Longy Sistema Side by Side Orchestra and the Yola National Festival. Dextra also plays in his high school orchestra formerly led by Alla Zernitskaya.
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