March/April 2025 Cecelia Scholar: Melissa Brun
Melissa Brun is a professional cellist and freelance teaching artist. Holding a Bachelors of Music and a Performers Certificate from SUNY Purchase College Conservatory, she has recently been on faculty at Millersville University, UArts, and currently hosts her own private studio. She has performed and soloed with various orchestras and choral associations in the Philadelphia area, and manages the Chester County Youth Orchestra. Non-classically, she is a founding member of the chamber-folk sextet, The Sound Accord, and a former member of Irish […]
A Massachusetts native, Clarinetist Sarah Connors is obtaining her Master’s Degree in Clarinet Performance at Temple University as a student of Paul Demers. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory/Composition and Clarinet Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying with Bixby Kennedy, Romie de Guise-Langlois, and Salvatore Macchia. She has participated in masterclasses with Steve Cohen, Alicia Lee, Philip Paglialonga, and Welsey Ferriera. Sarah can be heard on the album “Synchronous,” recorded by Greg Spiridopoulos and the UMass Wind 
Philadelphia-area native Shannon Merlino began violin lessons at nine years of age. Immediately upon receiving her rental instrument (and before having had a lesson), she declared that she would become a professional musician, and the rest, as they say, was history. Dr. Merlino completed her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance at Rutgers University as a student of Matthew Reichert and Lenuta Ciulei. She received her Master of Music degree in violin performance as a scholarship student at the Mannes College 
Harpist Zora Evangeline is 21 years old and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Harp Performance at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University, where she studies with Elizabeth Hainen, Principal Harpist of The Philadelphia Orchestra. In addition to her frequent ensemble performances in school, Zora has performed with the New World Symphony, the Maryland Symphony, and the Allentown Symphony. Over the summer, Zora served as the harp fellow for the National Orchestral Institute and Festival, and the Brevard Music 
Faith Wasson is an international performing artist, having performed throughout Europe and North America as orchestral, chamber musician and soloist. She manages her own chamber music series, Flute with Faith & Friends, featuring an array of diverse repertoire and instrumentation. As classical music artist in residence, Faith presents the classical performance series at the Media Arts Council. She is the piccolo/3rd flutist with the Southeastern PA Symphony of which she is also the chamber music series curator. Faith teaches flute, piccolo and chamber music online 
Steven Heitzer, a native Philadelphian, is an active classical trumpet player in the tri-state area. He is a member of 
A Philadelphia native, Elena Kauffman maintains an active career as a performing and teaching artist. She is the cellist and manager of Blue Line Quartet, and she performs frequently with Fairmount String Quartet, Elysium String Quartet, and many other chamber ensembles in the Philadelphia area. She is the principal cellist and personnel manager of the Wayne Oratorio Society and Haverford-Bryn Mawr Chorale Orchestra, and she has performed with the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra, Reading Symphony, Bay Atlantic Symphony, Riverside Symphonia, and West Jersey 
Tess Varley is a Philadelphia based violinist who performs with a number of orchestras and ensembles. She is currently Acting Principal Second Violin of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Delaware Symphony.