THE MARIN STRING QUARTET & ENSEMBLES is a group of the Bay Area’s finest string musicians, many of  whom have worked together in the Marin, Santa Rosa, Sacramento and Oakland Symphonies for over twenty years.  Leader and Violinist Dennie Mehocich, native of San Rafael, California, established the Marin String Quartet & Ensembles in 1992. Dennie received her musical training beginning at age 5, first singing in the choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael under the direction of noted music educator Barry Mineah, in school choirs, and studying piano and ballet. At age eight she performed as a member of the choir of St. Paul’s Church for the Jazz Mass orchestrated by the late great jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and recorded on the Fantasy Studios label. A grade school instrumental program provided the vehicle for training a real interest that  blossomed into a passion which turned into a career. Her greatest teacher is Gennady Kleyman, formerly assistant principal violist with the Kirov Ballet Orchestra, the Leningrad Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony, and currently Chairman of the Violin Department at Stanford University. Other great teachers took the form of  serving as violinist for the San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater (the traveling branch of  the San Francisco Opera) playing with such noted opera stars as Deborah Voigt, Susan Patterson and Mark Delavan, and a five-year run of Phantom of the Opera at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. She has played many shows for the Best of Broadway series in the Golden Gate, Orpheum and Curran Theaters in San Francisco, as well as backing up distinguished popular singers Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick, Jeanne-Pierre Rampal, Burt Bacharach, and Johnny Mathis. Dennie has a passion for teaching and started the Albany Middle School String Ensemble in October, 2004. She has coached for the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra and served as Director of String Education at the Novato Charter School and the Marin Waldorf School. Dennie has been playing for weddings since 1975. ABOUT THE KEY PLAYERS: Violinist Peggy Brady serves as Principal Second Violin of the Marin Symphony. She received her studies at Rutgers University, Arizona State University and at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna. She has appeared as violin soloist with the Marin Symphony. Violinist/violist Ellen Gronningen graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She plays with the Oakland and Santa Rosa symphonies and appears as substitute violinist with many other fine Bay Area orchestras, including Earplay and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Violinist/violist Karen Shinozaki is Assistant Concertmaster of the Marin Symphony and Principal Second Violin of the Santa Rosa Symphony. She plays with the New Century Chamber Orchestra and has appeared as violin soloist in Ravel's Tzigane with the Santa Rosa Symphony. Violinist Mark Neyshloss received his training at the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music in Russia and with Raphael Bronstein at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He plays with the Napa, Marin and Santa Rosa symphonies and serves as Principal Second Violin with the Mendocino Music Festival. Violist/violinist Dana Phillips studied at the Manhattan School of Music and is a Suzuki strings teacher at the Marin Waldorf Afterschool Music Program. Violist Jenny Douglass is Principal Viola of the Marin Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alasdair Neale. Violist Meg Eldridge is a member of the Santa Rosa and  Marin Symphony and appears each summer as a member of the venerable Carmel Bach Festival. Cellist Amy Brodo studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She was a member of the Israel Philharmonic and played professionally in Italy. She is also a Baroque specialist on Gamba and has appeared as a soloist with the Marin Symphony. Cellist Robin Bonnell is a member of the Marin Symphony and Principal Cello for the Reno, Nevada Philharmonic. He is a member of the Grammy Award-winning New Century Chamber Orchestra. Cellist Dawn Foster-Dodson attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has played Principal Cellist with the California Symphony. She is a regular orchestra member with the Best of Broadway series and has played with the Grammy Award winning New Century Chamber Orchestra. Cellist Jeffrey Watson is a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra. He currently appears with the Best of Broadway series in the Lion King. He played for the long-running Phantom of the Opera at the Curran Theater in San Francisco. He was a founder of the Del Sol String Quartet and is a talented chamber musician. Cellist Beth Snellings attended the University of Arizona and has worked extensively in the Bay Area with a wide range of musical groups from the Best of Broadway series in San Francisco to the Santa Rosa Symphony to Jazz and experimental music. Beth served as Director of Instrumental Music at Albany High School in Albany, CA. Harpist Laura Simpson received her training at U. C. Santa Barbara, Dalcroze Eurythmics, London, and has done post-graduate studies at London University. She currently is resident harpist at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, CA. She has performed with the Oakland, Santa Rosa and Vallejo Symphonies as well as the Redwood Symphony and the Reno Philharmonic. She teaches currently at the Young School in St. Helena, CA. Pianist Phoebe Dong served as orchestra pianist for the New West Chamber Orchestra in Sonoma County. A respected accompanist among Bay Area violinists, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley and completed graduate studies in Music Education at USC. She is on the piano faculty at the San Domenico Music Conservatory in Marin County. Trumpeter and sound engineer Mark Nemoyten has performed with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the Marin Symphony and the Santa Rosa Symphony under the direction of Jeffrey Kahane. He plays regularly with the Napa Symphony, the Golden Gate Park Band, and in many Bay Area brass ensembles. He has an extensive resume of performing for musical shows and has backed up popular artists such as Dave Brubeck, Mel Torme, Andrea Marcovici, and John Tesh.