Faculty
Artists in Residence Stephanie Skor and Kirsti Petraborg are members of the Lux String Quartet. Lux String Quartet is a Twin-Cities based ensemble that brings a dynamic edge to performance and education. Since 2013, Lux has maintained an active presence in a wide array of musical spheres, from concert halls and churches to coffee shops and podcasts.
The members of this creative quartet contribute a wide spectrum of musical perspectives, and frequently collaborate with local and international artists. The group is committed to performing 20th and 21st-century repertoire, as well as works by living composers, including Twin Cities’ own David Evan Thomas and the Dean of Music at The Juilliard School, David Ludwig. During the 22/23 season Lux performed David Evan Thomas’s Trio innocente with Minnesota-based dancer and choreographer Danielle Ricci. In the 24/25 season, the quartet premiered the first work written for and dedicated to Lux, Confessions of a Pangolin by Australian composer, Nicholas Vines.
Lux performs in several concert series including the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, the Waverly Chamber Music Series, the Lakes Chamber Music Society, Music Among Friends Series at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, and the Music @ Lynnhurst in Minneapolis. Dedicated to music education and instilling a love for art in the next generation, Lux regularly presents recitals and workshops at elementary schools, early music education programs, and middle and high school orchestra programs in partnership with Schmitt Music. The quartet has served as MPR ClassNotes Artist for four seasons.
Stephanie Skor -LUX Artist in Residence
As first violinist of the Lux String Quartet, Stephanie Skor has performed in many prestigious concert series including the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, the Waverly Chamber Music Series, Bayfield Summer Concerts, Music Among Friends Series at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, and Lakes Chamber Music Society. Since Stephanie joined the quartet, Lux has been an MPR ClassNotes Artist three times
In addition to her work with Lux Stephanie is violin faculty at the St Paul Conservatory of Music and maintains an exciting freelance career in the Twin Cities. She has performed with many ensembles including the South Dakota Symphony, the National Lutheran Choir, VocalEssence, the Minnesota Oratorio Society, MPR concert events, the Loyce Holton Nutcracker Fantasy, the Joffrey Ballet, and the Georgia State Ballet.
Stephanie is an honors graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Nicholas Kitchen, a founding member and first violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet. While in Boston she enjoyed an eclectic performing career, in demand for her range as an artist. For six seasons she was of member of the critically acclaimed chamber orchestra Discovery Ensemble, founded and conducted by Courtney Lewis. She toured with Jethro Tull, appeared with Andrea Bocelli and in the HBO Game of Thrones tour, and was concertmaster at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. Passionate about 20th century and contemporary music Stephanie has premiered over 20 new works. She was a member of Callithumpian Consort and was featured in the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, México. Stephanie has performed with such artists as Kim Kashkashian, Paula Robison, Jorja Fleezanis, and the Pacifica Quartet. She has worked with many inspiring conductors including Osmo Vänskä, Michael Stern, Douglas Boyd, Joshua Weilerstein, James Ross, and Larry Rachleff. Stephanie has appeared in performances on WGBH, MPR, TPT, and Newstalk, a national radio station in Ireland.
Kirsti Petraborg -LUX Artist in Residence
Kirsti Petraborg is a versatile chamber musician and a passionate teacher. Currently the violist of Lux String Quartet, Kirsti refined her skills as a chamber musician as a founding member of the Meadowlark Quartet. Kirsti currently performs with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra as well as the Clear Water Chamber Players and is a regular guest at the Oskaloosa Chamber Music Festival. In 2016, she performed Hindemith’s Trauermusik with the festival chamber orchestra.
Not only a chamber musician, Kirsti has soloed with Exultate Chamber Orchestra and the Southwest Minnesota Orchestra and has played with the Duluth-Superior, LaCrosse and Sioux City Symphony Orchestras. Kirsti diversifies her schedule by playing musical theater with Artistry Minnesota and by performing with the one of the few Cuban-style charanga groups in the United States, Charanga Tropical. The Latin group takes her out of the concert hall and into places a viola normally would not travel, including the Minnesota State Fair and Chicago’s much-loved Summer Dance in Grant Park, and has given her the occasion to use her dancing skills on stage as well.
Kirsti has been an adjunct faculty member at Southwest Minnesota State University as well as Luther College. At her teaching studios in the Twin Cities area, her students hone their technique as well as learn the art of making music. She teaches at the Southwest Minnesota String Festival, and has spent several summers at Lutheran Summer Music Festival.
Energetic about sharing her love of the viola with others, Kirsti is currently on the board of the Minnesota Viola Society in the capacity of Past President. She received her doctoral degree in Viola Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she also earned her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. She has studied with Korey Konkol, Sabina Thatcher, and Dr. Andrea Een.
Rosa Thompson-Vieira -LUX Artist in Residence
Rosa Thompson-Vieira, a native of Minneapolis, enjoys a dynamic and ever evolving career as a professional cellist and teacher in the Twin Cities. She serves as the new cellist of the Lux String Quartet, is on call as a substitute cellist for the Minnesota Opera and South Dakota Symphony, and was formerly the Assistant Principal cellist, (often filling in as Principal) of the Rochester Symphony. To name a few, Thompson-Vieira has appeared with touring professionals such as Michael Buble, 2Cellos and Broadway’s Tony and Grammy-winning Best Musical Hadestown.
Thompson-Vieira thrives in a broad range of musical avenues, which does not exclude her passion for chamber music. She has served as cellist in Roma Duo since 2014, cellist of Quartet Du Nord since 2019 and as a member of the Delphia Cello Quartet since 2018, participating as a Class Notes Artist for Minnesota Public Radio in both the 2018/2019 and 2022/2023 seasons. Thompson-Vieira finds great joy in sharing music through performance as well as education. In 2021 she became a cello instructor for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Harmony program, focusing on breaking down barriers in music education and creating a more accessible pathway for underrepresented students. She received her Suzuki book 1 Certification in 2015 and uses a combination of traditional and Suzuki teaching methods. In addition to being on faculty at MacPhail, Thompson-Vieira has taught at the University of Minnesota – Morris, and is currently managing a private home studio.
Thompson-Vieira received both her undergraduate degree and masters degree from the University of Minnesota studying under Tanya Remenikova, a former student of the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Previously she studied with Allison Wells at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. In her spare time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking meals with her partner and spending time with her son Guthrie, dog Lewis and cat Iggy.
Christopher Becknell – Guitar
Christopher Becknell has been passionately teaching Suzuki Guitar and Violin for 15 years. This work is primarily done at his private studio in Minneapolis Minnesota. He is also on the faculty at Minneapolis Community and Technical College working with students pursuing performance degrees in Music and Music Education.
In 2015 Christopher released an album of fingerstyle gospel and folk song arrangements for solo guitar called Just Beyond the River. It receives regular playtime on Minnesota Public Radio and is available on CDBaby or iTunes. Having grown up as a Suzuki student from age 5 himself, Christopher is now reveling in the chance to be a Suzuki dad to his own young son.
Annette Lee - Piano
Annette Lee has been a member of the MacPhail Center for Music since 1995. Ms. Lee is a frequent performer in the Twin Cities as an active collaborator with colleagues and students. As a Teacher Trainer, she has taught workshops in IL, WI, Washington D.C., TN, MA, Canada and was invited to teach at the International Teacher Trainers Convention in Matsumoto, Japan in October. In addition to her teaching students at MacPhail, she has created a Fellowship Program at MacPhail, training new Suzuki teachers in Minneapolis.
Ms. Lee began her teaching career in the Chicago area at DePaul University Community Music Program and the Music Institute of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Wheaton Conservatory of Music and was a fellowship student at the University of Michigan for her Master’s Degree. Additional training includes the Aspen Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival and the Chicago Suzuki Institute.
Emma Shubin – Flute
Flutist, Dalcroze, Suzuki, and Integrative education specialist Emma Shubin (www.emmashubin.com) has been joyfully making music her whole life and has the privilege of teaching not only Suzuki flute and Dalcroze classes, but also is the co-founder and artistic director the Colorado nonprofit Integral Steps (www.integralsteps.org) whose mission strives to support the balanced development of individuals, families & communities through integrative & multimodal learning. She is represented by the Wm.S. Haynes Flute Company as an Ambassador Clinician Artist and loves teaching Dalcroze musicianship and improvisation classes to students across the globe, and making music with ensembles big and small.
Currently, Emma is pursuing her PhD at the University of Luxembourg researching how the use of movement while playing impacts instrumental learning in the early years. When she isn’t playing the flute or teaching, she can be found exploring her new European home with her daughter, husband, and their two silly pups.