Karen Mendes, Violin

Karen Mendes was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where she began her musical journey through El Sistema, a renowned music education program that empowers children through orchestral training. From an early age, she performed with ensembles across Venezuela and the United States. In 2013, she performed as a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Venezuela at the Salzburg Festival. Karen has shared the stage with acclaimed conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, and Michael Morgan—experiences that deeply shaped her musical growth. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Performance from Furman University, studying with Dr. Thomas Joiner and Dr. Andrew Carlson, and completed her Master’s degree at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under the mentorship of Blair Milton. She has also participated in masterclasses with Ilya Kaler, I-Hao Lee, and Violaine Melançon. Karen has performed as a guest musician with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Charleston Southern University and teaches private lessons and sectionals in schools throughout the Low-country area. As both a performer and educator, she is passionate about helping students develop strong technique while discovering and expressing their unique musical voice.

Emilia Poirier-Molina, Violin

Emilia Poirier-Molina is a Canadian violinist, deeply passionate about the transformative power of music. She firmly believes in its ability to heal and unite communities and is dedicated to sharing her love for music and the rich legacy of her training both through performance and teaching the violin.

Emilia recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied intensively under the mentorship of Mr. Andrés Cárdenes, whose influence has significantly shaped her artistic development. Prior to Carnegie Mellon, Emilia pursued her violin studies at the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec in Montréal, Canada.

As an orchestral musician, Emilia has performed with a wide range of ensembles across Canada and the United States, gaining valuable experience in both symphonic and chamber settings. Her dedication to collaborative performance is matched by her enthusiasm for new musical challenges and environments. Emilia’s commitment to music is further reflected in her participation in prestigious programs such as The Josef Gingold Music Festival, Orford Academy of Music, and the Orchestre de la Francophonie.

Luis González, Cello

Luis González, born in 1998, is a Venezuelan cellist. He began his cello studies at age 11 in Venezuela’s renowned El Sistema program, launching a journey that has taken him across Europe and the United States.

In 2016, Luis moved to Paris to continue his training under Marie-Paule Milone at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris (CRR). He earned his Diplôme d’études musicales with distinction and unanimous jury honors in 2018. He then entered the Pôle Supérieur de Paris Boulogne-Billancourt in 2020, where he completed his National Advanced Diploma in cello performance in June 2023. As part of an Erasmus exchange, he studied during the 2021–2022 academic year at the Haute École de Musique de Genève, Switzerland, with acclaimed cellist Ophélie Gaillard.

Luis has distinguished himself in competitions and masterclasses, winning First Prize at the Louis Rosoor Cello Competition (2019) and the Vulaines-sur-Seine Cello Competition (2020), and performing in a masterclass with Gauthier Capuçon in 2019.

He is currently pursuing his studies at the Chicago College of Performing Arts in the studio of Richard Hirschl, cellist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Luis is a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and will join the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as a Fellow during the 2025–2026 season.

Paola García, Bass

Paola García is a native of Valencia, Venezuela, where she began playing the double bass at age 13 in a local children’s orchestra through El Sistema. By 15, she became principal bassist of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Carabobo. She studied with Maestro Felix Petit at the Academia Latinoamericana de Contrabajo and later served as assistant principal double bass of the Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de Venezuela, performing under conductors Simon Rattle and Daniel Barenboim.

From a young age, Paola found joy in teaching and began sharing her love for the double bass with young musicians at 17. Since moving to Miami, she has continued to teach and mentor students through the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, Miami Music Project, and Volta Music Foundation.

Paola has taken part in masterclasses with respected bassists Klaus Stoll, Jeff Bradetich, Eugene Levinson, Edicson Ruiz, Paul Ellison, and Dominick Wagner. She has toured nationally and internationally with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel, Christian Vásquez, Domingo Hindoyan, and Diego Matheuz, and has attended summer festivals such as Chautauqua and the Texas Music Festival.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Florida International University and completed her master’s degree at Lynn University Conservatory, studying with Timothy Cobb. Paola currently serves as Assistant Principal Bass of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and performs with the Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Symphony.

Paulina Flores, Viola
Paulina Flores is a violist from Altadena, California. She began studying viola at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music with Rachel Fabulich. Paulina continued her studies with the esteemed Donald McInnes at Idyllwild Arts Academy. She has performed with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, with whom she played in the Berlin Philharmonie, the Musikverein, and the Elbphilharmonie. Masterclass teachers include Roger Meyers, Caroline Coade, Jonathan Moerschel, Melissa Reardon, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, and Mai Motobuchi.

During the summers, she has played in the Orvieto Musica Chamber Festival in Italy, Festival Napa Valley Orchestra. the Spoleto Music Festival Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Paulina graduated with a BM in Viola Performance and a Post-Graduate Studies Certificate in 2022 from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is currently in her last year of her master’s degree at the University of Southern California with Yura Lee. In fall of 2023, Paulina will begin her fellowship position with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina. Paulina plays on a Douglas Cox viola awarded to her by the Virtu Foundation. Besides playing classical music, Paulina enjoys rock climbing, collaging, and reading. 

Laura Herrera, Violin
Venezuelan violinist Laura Herrera began her musical studies at the age of 7 at “La Casa de la Cultura” in Carora, Venezuela. She was a member of “El Sistema” in Venezuela and served as the Concertmaster of the “Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Pedro León Torres.” In 2017, she attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and graduated with honors in 2018. She then pursued a bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance at the Chicago College of Performing Arts-Roosevelt University under the guidance of Almita Vamos and MingHuan Xu, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2022. Ms. Herrera has participated in well-known music festivals such as Interlochen Arts Camp, Chautauqua Music Festival, and Arthosphere Festival and has taken part in masterclasses led by renowned violinists, including Ilya Kaler, Robert Chen, Nancy Wu, and Jun Iwasaki.

Currently, she is in her second year of a master’s program in Violin Performance with Benny Kim at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, where she holds a prestigious position as part of the Graduate String Quartet Fellowship. Ms. Herrera joined the Kansas City Symphony sub list in the fall of 2022 and was recently recognized as one of the recipients of the 2023 KC Sigma Alpha Iota Scholarship Competition.

Timothy Ryan Parham, Violin

Timothy is a violinist currently based in Durham, North Carolina. He grew up in the Dallas Fort-Worth area and started studying violin at 5. From 2017-2021, Tim studied violin at Ithaca College in New York as a member of Susan Waterbury’s Studio. During his time at IC, he had the opportunity to play an extensive amount of chamber music as well as participate in leadership roles as a member of their Orchestra. In 2020, Tim was selected as a finalist for the IC School of Music’s Concerto Competition. Tim also holds a Masters of Music Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Joseph Maile of the Telegraph Quartet. Tim also played with a number of regional ensembles such as Cornell University Contrapunkt, Opera Ithaca, and the San Francisco Philharmonic. He also participated in the 79th season of the Brevard Music Festival in North Carolina.

In the fall of 2023, Tim relocated to North Carolina to begin playing with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle as a member of their Durham Fellowship String Quartet. Tim most recently had the opportunity to perform alongside the Verona Quartet and Balourdet Quartet for the COT’s season opener at the Carolina Theater of Durham. He is extremely grateful to be making music with the Durham Fellows, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Olivia Salas, Bass
Olivia Salas is a dynamic bassist, songwriter, music educator, and arts advocate. Equally at home in the concert hall and in the recording studio, she was appointed the Principal Bassist of the Savannah Philharmonic in 2023 and earned her first GRAMMY nomination in 2021 for her songwriting and bass playing contributions to Leon Bridge’s latest album, Golddiggers Sound. She is a graduate from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Classical Double Bass Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience; and she holds a Master of Music in Double Bass Performance from UCLA. She has worked with musicians from critically acclaimed ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and Vienna Philharmonic.

In addition to her performance pursuits, she is interested in the beneficial effects of music, and she has contributed to publications of neuroscience research focused on the potential of music to serve as an alternative treatment of various attentional disorders. Olivia has spent the last several years as a music educator and an advocate for access to music in historically underserved communities. Notably, she works as a Teaching Artist and Education/Curriculum Coordinator for the LA Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) program.

Amani Zouehid, Cello
Amani Zouehid is a cellist currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was born and raised in Venezuela under a blending of Arabic-Venezuelan culture. Zouehid begun her musical studies at 7 in the Venezuela program “El Sistema” which provided her cost-free access to music and a space to build fruitful relationships with many diverse people. In 2018, Amani moved to the States and pursued a Bachelor of Music in Violoncello Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. During her time there, she had the opportunity to play with the regional orchestras in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, as well as with different chamber music groups. During the summer, she has participated in the National Repertory Orchestra, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Eastern Music Festival. In 2023, Amani was one of the winners of the William T. Gower Concerto Competition.

In recent years, Amani has been teaching a small cello studio, where her philosophy emphasizes fostering a deep understanding of the instrument while encouraging students to express their unique voices. In the spring of 2024, Amani was selected as the upcoming cello fellow for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Inclusion Fellowship, showcasing her commitment to diversity and inclusivity within the classical music community.

She continues her studies at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as Violoncello Graduate Assistant under the mentorship of Icelandic cellist Sæeunn Thorsteinsdóttir.