Melissa Bach, Cellist
Owner, Founding Member

DePaul University School of Music

If you work with Quartet Parapluie, you'll likely collaborate with Melissa on some level. As a founding member and client liaison, she plays a role in just about every aspect of Quartet Parapluie, whether performing on stage, or taking care of business details. Her clients are pretty much crazy about her – just read about it on Yelp or The Knot. Plus, she's a highly sought-after cellist. You can catch Melissa performing live around Chicago on a regular basis, with New Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Opera Theatre, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Northwest Indiana Symphony, or International Chamber Artists. She's performed live with artists such as Idina Menzel, Peter Gabriel, Michael Buble, Barry Manilow and Kanye West. Plus, she's appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, as well as the Oprah Show. In the world of Indie-Rock, she has performed with Bright Eyes, Kishi Bashi, Pinetop Seven, Rilo Kiley and a host of other Chicago bands, including Steve Dawson and Funeral Bonsai Wedding, as well as Sleeping At Last, which featured her in a music video.

Melissa's teachers have included Christopher Costanza and Robert Jamieson.

Andra Kulans, Violinist, Violist
Client Liaison, Founding Member

DePaul University School of Music

Every quartet needs a resident rock star. Yes, Andra’s classically trained, but much of her freelance work has been recording for and playing with local and national bands. She has performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, and Conan, and has toured North America and Europe with various bands including Grammy Award-winner Glen Hansard, Iron & Wine, Bill Callahan, Rilo Kiley, Belle and Sebastian, and was a member of Chicago-based band The 1900’s. When she’s not on the big stage or playing with QP, she also works as a private violin instructor. And did we mention that she plays violin and viola? That makes her a pretty valuable asset.

Andra’s teachers have included Mark Zinger, violin, and Rami Solomonow, viola.

Elizabeth Brausa Brathwaite, Violinist

Peabody Conservatory, University of Minnesota

QP is incredibly lucky to call Elizabeth one of our own, because a huge number of ensembles actively compete for her time. An alum of Chicago’s Civic Orchestra, these days you can catch her performing with Chicago Sinfonietta, Elgin Symphony, Fulcrum Point, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (and outside of Illinois, she’s performed with Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, American Ballet Theatre, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet, and the Minnesota Sinfonia). A champion of contemporary chamber music, she has been involved with the MAVerick Ensemble, Sonic Inertia, and Palomar of Access Contemporary Music, but one of her favorite projects is Picosa, one of Chicago’s premier chamber ensembles, of which is she is a founding member. Additionally, Elizabeth’s resume includes performances and collaborations with some musical giants: Yo-Yo Ma, Roberto Diaz, Earl Carlyss, Andrea Bocelli, Natalie Cole, Josh Groban, Bernadette Peters, Patti LaBelle, Wayne Newton, the Three Tenors, Celtic Woman, Led Zeppelin, Barry Manilow, Kurt Elling, Dee Alexander, and Madeleine Peyroux. Did we leave anyone out?

Elizabeth’s teachers have included Violaine Melançon and Jorja Fleezanis.

Brian Hoffman, Cellist

Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University School of Music

This guy is seriously talented. Brian has performed throughout the United States and abroad as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. First-prize winner of the North Carolina Music Academy Cello Competition, Brian's awards are numerous, including Northwestern University’s Esther Yochim Fellowship, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago’s Critser Endowed Cello Fellowship. How’s that for accolades? Brian has performed chamber music recitals at the University of Chicago’s Noontime Concert Series, the Millennium Park Pritzker Pavilion, the Midwest Conservatory, Merit School of Music, the Gail Borden Library, and live on WFMT's FolkStage. And here’s a fun tidbit: when the Portland Cello Project played live in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, Brian sat in during the concert, sight reading everything. He didn’t miss a beat. Brian is currently on the faculty of the Midwest Conservatory of Music.

Brian’s teachers have included Peter Rejto, Hans Jensen and Steven Doane.

Inger Petersen Carle, Violinist

Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Institute of Music

What makes a great studio musician? Someone who gets it right on the first pass. That's Inger. And the magic she works in the studio translates to live performances too, when you only get one chance. With training like Inger’s, she’s in high demand, performing with the likes of Lake Forest Symphony, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and the City Lights Orchestra – and nationally with the Sarasota Opera and the Key West Symphony Orchestra. You might also catch her with the Becca Kaufman Orchestra or the CoverGirls Violin Show. Don’t forget to listen at your next theater outing; Inger’s recorded the soundtracks for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, and American Players Theatre. Plus, she’s a first-call when touring musicians come through town, performing with Rod Stewart, Ray LaMontagne, Belle and Sebastian, Kishi Bashi, Sufjan Stevens, Poi Dog Pondering, Michael Bublé, Josh Grobin, the Pointer Sisters, Dennis DeYoung, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Brian Wilson – to name a few.

Her teachers have included Donald Weilerstein, Andrés Cárdenes and David Updegraf.

Vannia Phillips, Viola

Oberlin Conservatory of Music, DePaul University School of Music

We’ve had a musical crush on Vannia since she was an experienced grad student and we were lowly undergrads. She was that good then, and she’s that good now. To prove our point, just look at all of the ensembles she performs with. She’s a member of Chicago Sinfonietta, and also performs with the Chicago Opera Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, the Center for Black Music Research of Columbia College, and Elgin Symphony. And outside of the orchestral world, she’s played with some of the greatest musical acts ever, including Stevie Wonder, Bernadette Peters, Smoky Robinson, Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, and Barry Manilow. Oh, and she appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien with rap artist Common. But no big deal. Vannia also happens to be our resident Philosopher, with an undergraduate degree in it from Villanova University. If we start having an existential crisis, we’re calling Vannia first.

Her teachers have included Jeff Irvine, Lynne Ramsey and Rami Solomonow.

Elizabeth Choi, Violinist, Violist

Elizabeth Choi, Violinist, Violist

DePaul University School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

We could listen to Liz play all day long. Every day. We’ll never tire of her warm tone, musical phrasing, or virtuosic playing, whether she’s playing classical, contemporary, jazz, or pop music. An avid teacher, she’s dedicated much of her life to passing on that passion to the next generation. But undoubtedly, she gained much of that talent from being a prolific performer. She’s shared the stage with some of the greatest names in classical music, including Placido Domingo, Maxim Vengerov, Rachel Barton, Gil Kalish, and Daniel Barenboim. And if any of you are as nerdy about classical music as we are, you’ll know how cool it is that Liz won 1st and 3rd prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In fact, chamber music is one of her fortes. She’s performed with the International Chamber Artists, Fifth House Ensemble, Camerata Chicago, Accessible Contemporary Musicians, and CUBE, and co-founded Navitas Ensemble. Imagine our delight that QP is on her resume.  

Her teachers have included Ian Swensen and Mark Zinger.

Erielle Bakkum, Violist
Founding Member

DePaul University School of Music

We are all searching for our inner voice, right? That's where the viola comes in, and your search can end with Erielle. Don't let her humility fool you -- her talents run far. If you spend your summers hitting the musical festivals in Chicago, like Pitchfork or the Hideout Block Festival, you've heard our gal playing with the likes of The Duchess and the Duke, and with Hamilton Leithauser. And when she isn't performing with QP, you can catch Erielle singing with the Chicago Chorale, which has earned Chicago Tribune’s distinction of “Best Choral Performance of 2015," as well as several other Best-of-Year Performances in the Chicago Classical Review. Let’s not forget that she also spent several years as a middle school orchestra director in Orland Park. And how about the photography on our website? All done by Erielle Bakkum Photography. If only she could play viola, sing and take photos at the same time!

Erielle's teachers have included Christine Terhune and Rami Solomonow.

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