VIOLIN, TETRA STRING QUARTET (ON LEAVE IN FALL 2026)

Native of Ottawa, Canada, Meghan Ruel has performed in chamber and orchestral settings in Canada and the United States, including the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Luminato International Music Festival, Durango Bach Festival, Southwest Arts, Austin Baroque Orchestra, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Arizona Philharmonic, Ben Verdery’s Hawaii Masterclass, Orford Arts Center and Domaine Forget. Meghan was Concertmaster with ProMusica Arizona Orchestra and Chorale from 2017 to 2023, and is currently a violin substitute with the Phoenix Symphony. She has taught and led music education programs at Harmony Project Phoenix, Phoenix Conservatory of Music, Arts at Nativity, Arizona String Teachers Association, and at schools including Pan-American Charter School and Desert Marigold, where she was the Instrumental Strings Teacher from 2016-2019. Meghan was additionally the Strings Director and Professor of Violin at Arizona Christian University from 2019-2022.

Meghan is currently a program manager at the Phoenix Conservatory of Music, where she holds a private studio and teaches for their award-winning College Prep Program. In 2021, Meghan and her husband Diego Miranda were awarded a Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts for their violin and guitar ElectroBach concert series. They participated in the 2021 Tafelmusik Summer Baroque Institute and the Dorothy Delay Pedagogy Symposium at Juilliard. From 2016-2019, they led community outreach programs for college students at Madeline Island Chamber Music, a string quartet summer program in Wisconsin.

Meghan earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto and her Master of Music in Violin Performance from Arizona State University. Her teachers have included Joan Milkson, Annalee Patipatanakoon, Timothy Ying, and Jonathan Swartz.

Meghan is passionate about joining the Tetra String Quartet and is excited to further their mission by serving the Phoenix Metropolitan Area through performance and music education.

VIOLIN, TETRA STRING QUARTET

Heidi Wright is a co-founder and violinist in the Tetra String Quartet. She has a thriving Suzuki-based private studio and has taught violin, piano, and harp for over 22 years. As a member of Tetra, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. Heidi is passionate about creating engaging educational performances that inspire audiences of all backgrounds and walks of life.

A native of Mesa, Arizona, Heidi has been a part of the local music community since she began playing the violin and piano as a young child. Heidi received a Bachelor's in Violin Performance from Northern Arizona University. She also holds a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Harp Performance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Pedagogy from Arizona State University.

Heidi has a strong background in education, both in and outside of music. She received a Master's in Mathematics Teaching Education from the University of Arizona and was a teacher of Junior High Math for a short time in Mesa Public Schools. Heidi also has taught in a variety of Suzuki Schools and Preparatory Programs. In 2018, Heidi volunteered as a music educator for the Daraja Music Initiative, an interdisciplinary program in Tanzania that bridges music education and conservation education. In 2023 she was selected as a judge for the Arizona Musicfest Young Musician Chamber Ensemble Competition. She has coached countless young musicians on chamber music throughout the valley through Tetra's TCMI Summer Workshops and Tempe Residency since 2013.

Heidi believes that music education can be used to connect and educate students about perseverance, awareness, communication, and empathy. She enjoys watching youth learn and win small victories over their struggles, witnessing that moment when a group of young musicians realizes that they can do hard things, create something beautiful, and then share that with others.

VIOLA, TETRA STRING QUARTET

Rose Wodarcyk is a violist, educator, and arts administrator based in Mesa, Arizona. She joined the Tetra String Quartet in June 2024. Rose is also the principal violist of the Sedona Symphony for the 2026-27 season, and a substitute violist with the Phoenix Symphony. 

Rose also maintains a private studio of viola students. Besides teaching privately, she is currently a viola sectional coach with the Chandler Unified and Gilbert Public School Districts and has worked as chamber music coach for the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, violin/viola instructor for the Bridges Music Program in Baltimore and Baltimore Symphony OrchKids, and strings coach for the Young Artists Orchestra of the Peabody Preparatory. Previously she taught violin and viola lessons at Baltimore School of Music and also held the position of Program Coordinator.

Before moving her career to Arizona, Rose lived in Baltimore, Maryland and was a member of the Peabody String Sinfonia, a conductorless string orchestra with the mission of bringing healing and beauty to Baltimore residents in challenging situations. In her final season with Sinfonia, she served as Co-Director. In this role Rose curated concert programs that blended both classical and popular music, facilitated Sinfonia rehearsals, recruited new members, and engaged with local community organizations to arrange concerts. 

Rose holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Victoria Chiang.

CELLO, TETRA STRING QUARTET

Dr. Jenna Dalbey is the cellist and co-founder of the Tetra String Quartet and has been performing and teaching in the Phoenix Metropolitan area since 2009. As a member of Tetra, Jenna enjoys creating opportunities that link performance with public service in Arizona and engaging audiences from every corner of the community, which reflects our belief that access to the arts is an essential human right.

Dr. Dalbey earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance at Arizona State University. Her dissertation (Community-Based Chamber Ensembles: How to Build a Career that Infuses Performance with Public Service) focuses on the philosophy behind developing community-based ensembles and the entrepreneurship skills groups must develop to have a successful career. She also holds a Master of Music from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Music from Arizona State University, primarily studying with Thomas Landschoot, Evelyn Elsing, and Peter Wiley.

Dr. Dalbey strongly believes in the power of chamber music to teach students how to be better human beings. Some of her favorite memories as a chamber coach include seeing students use empathy and compassion to uplift their colleagues in difficult moments. She has also seen students grow tremendously over the years with leadership skills and confidence as a result of their learning chamber music. As a member of Tetra, Dr. Dalbey was invited to teach for two summers at Stanford University’s Summer Arts Institute, “Why Music Matters.” In 2014 and 2015, the quartet was also selected to present sessions on their educational curriculum and musical entrepreneurship at the American String Teacher’s Association National Conference.

In 2017, Dr. Dalbey was featured in AZ Central's Who's Next: Arts List (a monthly recognition program showcasing influencers in different fields). She is also a proud Class 39 graduate of the prestigious Valley Leadership Institute. VL is a 9-month program that teaches leaders how to deepen their impact within their community.

TETRA STRING QUARTET FIRST VIOLIN SUBSTITUTE, FALL 2026

TCMI FACULTY, SPRING 2027

Violinist Dr. Spencer Ekenes enjoys an active performance career as a recitalist, chamber, and orchestral musician. Since 2019, Spencer has been a member of the Burn City String Quartet and later cofounded its partner ensemble, Broke Fiddles. Spencer is currently associate concertmaster of Sedona Symphony, principal second violin of MusicaNova Orchestra, and performs frequently with The Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, AZ Musicfest Orchestra, and Cactus Chamber Musicians. Spencer spends a significant amount of time in Mexico performing in chamber ensembles as well as serving as concertmaster for the OperaMaya Orchestra. Spencer has performed solo and duo recitals throughout the United States, Mexico, and Norway. Additionally, Spencer has engaged as soloist with the OperaMaya Orchestra, BYU-Idaho Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Arizona College Symphony Orchestra, ASU Baroque Ensemble, BYU-Idaho Baroque Ensemble, University of Idaho Festival Orchestra, and the University of Montana Fall Festival Orchestra.

Spencer completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from Arizona State University. Under the mentorship of Dr. Katherine McLin (ASU) and Dr. Samuel Máynez Champion (Conservatorio Nacional de México), he compiled the first publication of the complete works for violin and piano by the late Mexican violinist/composer Samuel Máynez Prince as his culminating project for his doctoral degree. Dr. Ekenes has performed with the Tetra String Quartet and has participated in Tetra’s Chamber Music Institute as a coach and guest clinician. Dr. Ekenes has presented and taught masterclasses on violin and viola to high schools, colleges, universities, and festivals in Mexico and throughout the United States. Dr. Ekenes holds faculty positions at Phoenix College, OperaMaya International Music Festival, Tetra Chamber Music Institute, and additionally maintains an active studio of violin students in Mesa, Arizona.

VIOLIN/TCMI FACULTY, FALL 2026

Violinist Jennie Rhodes brings over 25 years of performance and teaching experience to share with her students. She has performed as a member of the Tucson, New World (FL), Flint (MI), and New Mexico Symphonies, Santa Fe New Music, and as a featured soloist with Utah Festival Opera Company. As a founding artist of the trio Salonnières, she is in her 13th season of performing themed, salon-style concerts and has released three full-length albums. She also served for twelve years as concertmaster for Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, frequently appearing as soloist.

As a teaching artist, Jennie has been on faculty at Rice University's Preparatory Conservatory in Houston and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Prep Conservatory. She currently maintains a private studio working with teen and adult players one-on-one, in technique classes, and in violin ensembles, helping fellow musicians grow as both individual players and collaborative artists. As a composer, Jennie writes primarily for string student solos and small ensembles. She is a two-time recipient of artist grants from the Arizona Commission for the Arts, and her works have been selected for national repertoire lists and new music reading sessions.

Jennie holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Michigan, graduating summa cum laude from both. She lives in Gilbert, AZ with her husband and their four children, three of whom have participated in TCMI.

VIOLIN
TCMI Summer Workshops

Hailed by a class of 2nd graders as “wreely nice and kind” and “the coolest man on erth,” Arizona native Taylor Morris enjoys blurring the line between violin and fiddle. Strongly believing we can learn more about the world through collaboration with others, he actively pursues musical projects in different genres. Currently, he is part of Tricia & Taylor, a genre-bending violin/fiddle duo with concert violinist Tricia Park, and a member of The Sound Accord, a string sextet that creates vibrant arrangements of folk music. After studying classical violin at Arizona State University with Dr. Katie McLin, he spent four years touring with Barrage, a world-music violin troupe based out of Canada. His travels, both with Barrage and personally, have led to performances in 48 states and 13 countries with musicians from a multitude of backgrounds, including Mike Block, Hanneke Cassel, Brittany Haas, Natalie Haas, Jeremy Kittel, Lauren Rioux, and the Tetra String Quartet.

Offstage, Taylor obtained a master's in education from Harvard University and is a passionate advocate for arts education. Since 2000, Taylor's teaching has taken him into classrooms around the country, from kindergartens to colleges, including as a continuing Guest Lecturer at Arizona State University. He frequently works with educators in professional development settings and has presented at the national conferences for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and at The Midwest Clinic. Cherishing his own childhood experiences at summer music camps, Taylor frequently teaches at camps around the country and directs his own camp for young musicians in the Phoenix area called StringPlay. During the school year, he is a committed private teacher with a dynamic studio of violinists and fiddlers. Additionally, Taylor is a founding co-director of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers (GTF), an extracurricular high school fiddle group that collaborates to create its own arrangements for performances. GTF students even designed and presented their own session on student-led arranging at the 2019 ASTA National Conference! Through his teaching, Taylor is ultimately on a mission to help students and educators alike experience the thrill of taking musical ownership and finding their own meaningful ways to make music.

VIOLIN/TCMI Teaching Assistant

Mia Kraker is a violinist based out of Tempe, Arizona. Originally from Flagstaff, she began studying the violin there before continuing her musical education in Duluth, Minnesota. She earned a Bachelor of Music in violin performance with a minor in German studies from Lawrence University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in violin performance at Arizona State University. Mia has performed throughout the Midwest and internationally, including recent performances in Austria. Her experience includes performances with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Ballet Orchestra, Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, and the Lawrence Chamber Music Festival, Zodiac Music Festival, and the University of Innsbruck Orchestra, as well as collaborations with violinist Alexander Markov and members of the Founders ensemble. She enjoys exploring a variety of musical styles and is passionate about making classical music accessible to a wider audience. In addition to teaching and performing, she has also published an article in American String Teacher.

VIOLIN/TCMI Teaching Assistant

Bonnie Burgess-Gay lives in Tempe, Arizona and  is currently getting her Masters in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at Arizona State University with Dr. Katherine McLin. She has her Bachelor’s of Violin Performance from Baldwin Wallace where she studied under Dr. Julian Ross and Dr. Barton Rotberg. Outside of school she plays traditional folk music, 19th century popular music, and music for reenactments. In high school she studied under Dr. Durbin and Deborah Barret Price, and participated in Chamber Music Connection as well as regional youth  orchestras.

TCMI PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Teresa joined the TCMI team in the summer of 2026. She brings experience from a variety of non-profit organizational roles. She is the parent of a TCMI alum, who is now earning a degree in violin performance.