The Clara String Quartet was formed in 2002 by four Buffalo Philharmonic musicians and friends who wanted to share chamber music with the Western New York community. Eight years later, the Clara Quartet has performed in both traditional and alternate venues throughout the area, including appearances at the Montante Cultural Center, Kleinhans Music Hall, the Albright Knox Art Gallery, Unity Church, and Nietzsche’s. Described by the Buffalo News as projecting “…..virtuosity, togetherness and, maybe most importantly, warmth”, the Clara Quartet has made solo appearances with the Buffalo Philharmonic under the baton of Music Director JoAnn Falletta, collaborated with the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus, and performed at Niagara University as part of the Bravo Workshop. In 2008, the Quartet was invited to join the faculty of Buffalo State College, where they maintain instrumental studios, coach chamber music, and can he heard regularly on the faculty concert series in Rockwell Hall.

 

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Amy Glidden is currently the associate concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic, a position she has held since 2000. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Amy began playing the violin when she was three years old. She attended the University of Kansas, where she received a B.A. in Biology as well as a B.M. in Violin Performance. Subsequently, she received a Master of Violin Performance degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
 
Amy has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, and the Canadian National Ballet Orchestra. While a resident of San Francisco, Amy served as assistant concertmaster of the Marin Symphony and concertmaster of the Mendocino Music Festival. She travels west each summer to participate in the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the Grand Teton Music Festival.
 
Amy has often performed as a soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, including performances of the Chausson Poeme, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, and Vaughan-Williams The Lark Ascending. Other local solo engagements include performances with the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the Amherst Symphony, and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Amy periodically returns to her hometown of Wichita, Kansas to collaborate in the “Chamber Music in the Barn” series. Locally, she performs with the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival and Buffalo Chamber Players. Besides maintaining a private violin studio, Amy is a Suzuki violin instructor and teaches at Orchard Park Suzuki Strings.

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Violinist Jacqueline Galluzzo joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000 as Associate Principal Second Violin. Jacqui was introduced to the violin through her Connecticut Public School Music Program, and continued her studies at The Juilliard School Pre-College program. She then received a scholarship to study with Boston Symphony Concertmaster, Malcolm Lowe at the New England Conservatory of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music degree. She has appeared as soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the Cheektowaga Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic. Jacqui has performed both orchestral and chamber music as a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Jacqui joined the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami, Florida upon graduation from NEC where she toured internationally as well as touring as a member of the New World Symphony Chamber Players.

 

Jacqui currently performs as Associate Principal Second Violin with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She also actively performs with the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Music on Elmwood Festival, and the Niagara Chamber Music Festival. Jacqui is currently a faculty member of the BRAVO International Music Workshop as well as maintains a private teaching studio.

 

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Kate Holzemer has been a violist in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra since the fall of 2001. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kate began playing viola in the second grade as a student of the Suzuki Method. In high school she was a student of Alice Preves of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.  Holzemer holds a Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she studied with Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey.  After graduating in 1997, Kate continued her studies with Stephen Wyrczynski in Philadelphia.  As a student she was awarded a fellowship at The Tanglewood Music Center, and at the Taos School of Music in New Mexico.
 
While living in Philadelphia, Kate performed extensively as a member of the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia (now known as the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra), the Harrisburg Symphony, and the Haddonfield Symphony.  Holzemer has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Sun Valley Symphony, and the New Jersey Opera.  An avid chamber musician, Kate is a founding member of the Clara String Quartet along with Amelie Fradette, Amy Glidden, and Jacqueline Galluzzo, who are all members of the BPO. The “Claras” have performed extensively in venues across Western New York, including a performance of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro with the Buffalo Philharmonic.  Kate is also a member of the Buffalo Chamber Players which performs regularly at the Buffalo Seminary.  In addition to performing, Kate is on the faculty of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Keene, New Hampshire during the summertime, where she coaches chamber music to students of all ages from around the world.
 
Kate is an avid Buffalo Sabres fan and she writes a hockey blog called The Willful Caboose.

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Canadian cellist Amélie Fradette was born in Saguenay, Québec where she studied at le Conservatoire de musique de Chicoutimi. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Music and Master’s of Music degrees from le Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Guy Fouquet. She was honored with” le Prix avec Grande Distinction” , the conservatory’s most prestigious award. Amélie continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Aaron and at Yale University with Aldo Parisot. Since 2001, Amélie is a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

 
As a recitalist, she played several times for les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada and recorded live recitals for Espace Musique, the network of Radio-Canada. She received the “Excellence” scholarship from l’Institut des Arts au Saguenay and was the first prize winner at le Concours de Musique du Royaume. As a soloist, Amélie has performed with l’Orchestre Symphonique du Saguenay Lac-St-Jean, l’Orchestre de chambre de Montréal, l’Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal , Ars Nova chamber musicians and the Buffalo Philharmonic orchestra. The Buffalo News praised her as “a spectacularly gifted cellist” and La Presse in Montréal described her as “a beautiful talent”.
 
Amélie has been on the faculty of the Innsbrook Summer Institute in Missouri. She is teaching as an “Artist in residence” at the LAMBDA School of Music and Fine Arts in Montréal and as a founding member of the Clara string quartet she is teaching at the Buffalo State College. A sought-after chamber music player, Amélie has participated to numerous festivals in US and Canada including le Domaine Forget, le Centre d’Arts Orford, Sarasota Music Festival and the Banff Center for the Arts. She attended Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara on full scholarship and was awarded a fellowship to study at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado. On the local scene, Amélie regularly performs with the Buffalo chamber players and for the Roycroft chamber music festival.