Ms. Wendy’s Suzuki Violin Studio
Collaborations with Local Musicians
Joe strachan - group class accompanist
Joe Strachan (Piano) is an established pianist, composer, and arranger who has performed at nearly every venue in the Twin Cities. Joe plays regularly with Rogue Tango, Charanga Tropical, the Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra, Adam Meckler Orchestra, the Pete Whitman Xtet, the Jake Baldwin Quartet, and many other groups. In 2009, Joe won the prestigious Schubert Club Jazz Piano Competition and went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota where he performed with the top jazz ensemble. Beyond Latin music and jazz, Joe has provided music for community theater productions, numerous ballet and modern dance classes, a 16piece live hiphop band, and more. But we know Joe best as our generous Group Class Accompanist, giving 3 hours each Monday to come play with us and share his incredible talent and passion for music of many genres. We are very lucky and appreciative!
greg byers - regular clinician & guest artist
Greg Byers (Bass/Cello) uses his talents as a performer, composer, educator, and producer to share the wisdom and beauty of great music with people of all backgrounds. His relationship with music began at age two with Suzuki cello. In 2008, Greg graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami with a rare doublemajor of Instrumental Performance/Studio Music & Jazz on cello and bass. He went on to complete a Master of Music Performance (Strings) at McNally Smith College of Music. Since then, he has performed on ‘BBC Two’ and the Latin GRAMMYs, and has been a featured artist/clinician at NewDirections Cello Festival, Christian Howes’s Creative Strings Workshop, and Mark Wood's Rock Orchestra Camp. Greg is a recipient of a 2017 Artist Initiative Grant and was a finalist in the 2017 McKnight Fellowship for Musicians. Greg makes his home in Minneapolis where he lives in the historic AMill Artists Lofts. Check out Greg’s original compositions at www.cellogreg.com
Jay Stotsky - solo recital accompanist
Jay Stotsky is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Minnesota whose areas of interest include Mathematical Biology, Scientific Computing, and Numerical Analysis. Jay has an extensive background in accompanying vocalists and, when he’s not busy not researching, he plays classical and Tango piano. Jay performs regularly with Wendy in Rogue Tango and is a former member of the tango ensemble, Trio Con Brio of Boulder, CO.