BM Mannes College of Music, MM The Juilliard School, DMA Yale School of Music, studied violin with Mischa Mischako, Guila Bustabo, Sally Thomas, Sidney Harth, and Gabriel Banat. Dr. Tieszen teaches violin and chamber music at Mannes College of Music and Tabor Community Arts Center, and orchestral violin classes at the Meadowmount School of Music in Elizabethtown, NY. He has taught at Yale University, the University of CT, Connecticut College, and Fair# eld University. He has been Concertmaster of the Norwalk, Meriden, Bridgeport and New Britain Symphonies, and is currently Concertmaster of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Second Violin of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Tieszen appears frequently with Wall Street Chamber Players, was a founding member of the Concord Chamber Music Ensemble, and is an active performer and lecturer in educational outreach programs.

Bio coming soon!

Year you joined the ECSO: 1983

Nancy Allen-Ziemski is a graduate from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelors and a Master’s Degree in Music Performance. She joined the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in 1983. Ms. Allen-Ziemski plays regularly with Opera Theater of CT and has performed with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Salt Marsh Opera, CT Gilbert & Sullivan Society and other various ensembles around CT. She was a member of the resident quartet Genesius for the Christ Church School of the Arts, performing in chamber concerts and teaching for the school as well.. Ms. Allen-Ziemski worked for the Norwich Public Schools for4 years teaching strings to grades 4 – 6. Currently, she is teaching strings to K – 8th grade at the Integrated Day Charter School, coaching the Norwich Free Academy Orchestra and teaching in their after school lesson program and maintains her own music studio in her home. She lives in Norwich and is owned by two rescued yellow labs and many foster labs.

Violinist Simon Bilyk maintains a varied freelance career in New York City and across New England. In addition to holding positions with the Hartford, Eastern Connecticut, and Allentown symphonies, Simon is the principal second violinist of the Bangor Symphony and New Amsterdam Opera. He has performed contemporary music with Ensemble Moto Perpetuo, Tactus, the United States Coast Guard Band Chamber Players, and the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, and he appears on Bridge Records with Mimesis Ensemble. Simon also performs regularly with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Symphony in C. Simon earned his degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.) and Purchase College (M.M.), where he studied with Milan Vitek and Laurie Smukler. He has studied chamber music with Julia Lichten, Calvin Wiersma, Karen Ritscher, Danwen Jiang, and the Portland String Quartet, and plays on a violin made by Raymond Melanson in 2006.

Year you joined the ECSO: 2002

Kathryn started playing violin in the public schools of Plano, TX.  When her family returned to Connecticut, Joan Winters, our principal second violinist in ECSO, convinced Kathryn’s mother to bring her to private lessons.  In time, Kathryn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Music from UCONN, and went on to earn a teaching certification and Master’s Degree in Music Education with Performance Emphasis from Hartt.  Kathryn has taught elementary, middle and high school orchestra in South Windsor, CT.  Her students have participated in state, regional and national orchestra festivals.  She continues to perform as often as her schedule allows, because playing violin was her first love.  She believes that music should be shared, and that performance and teaching are both ways to actively share the beauty of music with the world.  Violin teachers include:  Mickey Reisman, Peter Sacco, Theodore Arm, Stephan Teiszen, Stephen Wood.  

Lisa Gray is an accomplished violinist and dedicated teacher. Lisa has been a member of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in New London, CT since 2001. Lisa was honored to join the Stamford Symphony Orchestra in 2016-17 through a fellowship program. She enjoyed playing 2 seasons with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and in February 2005, Lisa had the privilege to solo with the Coast Guard Band. She also plays for the Salt March Opera, Con Brio, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus, and the Mystic River Chorale.

Lisa enjoys her role as educator at the Groton Middle School as the orchestra director and general music teacher. Lisa was delighted to join the faculty at the Thames Valley Music School in New London, CT in 2015 where she teaches Suzuki violin and conducted the Beginning Strings Orchestra. She maintains a private studio, taught at Music and Arts in Waterford and was a faculty member of the Community Music School in Essex for over 10 years. She has mentored students as a visiting artist at the Waterford and Groton High School orchestras and the Eastern Connecticut Youth Symphony Orchestra. She was a founding teacher of the Music City Strings program located in New London. In addition to orchestral playing, Lisa performs frequently throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island in solo and chamber music recitals often collaborating with other great musicians from traditional string quartet to guitar to harp and to voice. She was an active member of the Riverside String Quartet who performed regularly around Southeastern Connecticut. Lisa’s chamber music skill were further enhanced through the 20/20 Chamber Music program at the Hartt School. This program provided opportunities to work in a variety of chamber ensembles with coaching from members of the New York Philharmonic and the Julliard Quartet in addition to a full scholarship to the Hartt School.

Lisa began her violin studies at the age of five in the Suzuki program with Harriette Hurd and Ronda Cole and continued on to attend the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she studied with Mitchell Stern and Ilya Kaler. She graduated in May 2001 with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. Lisa returned to school graduating in May 2017 from the Hartt School of Music with a Master of Music in Violin Performance with Suzuki Pedagogy Emphasis where she studied with Katie Lansdale, Teri Einfeldt and Christie Felsing. This brought her playing and teaching to even greater heights. In 2018, Lisa continued her education at the University of Bridgeport earning a Master of Science with Education emphasis.

Lisa is grateful for the support of her husband and three children.

Favorite Composer or Era:
I have always enjoyed the Romantic era. Recently, I’m digging grooves from current jazz violinists.

What inspires you to play:
The joy and personal satisfaction I get from playing music with others. I feel a sense of community and connection with fellow musicians almost instantly when we discover music together. I don’t even need to know them previously. A bond is forged from the first note whether the music is a struggle, simple, or anywhere in between.

Hobby:
Soccer Mom

Favorite Quote:
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton

Bio coming soon.

Tessa is a member of the first violin section with the ECSO. Based in Providence, she freelances around New England and runs her own private teaching studio. She also writes and performs original music under her singer-songwriter name, Tessa Paige. When Tessa is not playing music, you can find her hiking or skiing in the mountains up north. tessasacramone.com