Faculty
Artists in Residence Stephanie Skor, Kirsti Petraborg and Rosa Thompson-Vieira are members of the Lux String Quartet. Lux String Quartet is a Twin-Cities based ensemble, bringing a dynamic edge to performance and education since 2013. Avid recitalists, Lux maintains an active presence in a wide array of musical spheres, from concert halls and churches, to coffee shops and podcasts. Their concert series, “Lattes with Lux,” established an enthusiastic fan base and is currently hosted by several local, independent coffee houses around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Lux has performed in many concert series including the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, the Waverly Chamber Music Series in Waverly, IA, the Lakes Chamber Music Society in Alexandria, MN, and Music @ Lynnhurst in Minneapolis. Each season Lux presents three recitals at The Baroque Room.
Dedicated to music education and instilling a love for their art in the next generation, Lux regularly presents concerts and workshops at elementary schools and early music education programs. Lux served as a 19/20 MPR ClassNotes Artist and in the 20/21 season. Lux is currently quartet-in-residence at the Colorado Chamber Music Institute, and was quartet-in-residence at the Augsburg University Suzuki Talent Education and the Oskaloosa Music Festival.
A wide spectrum of musical backgrounds and tastes contributes to the group’s creativity, which is reflected in their collaborative projects with other artists. In addition to presenting the classics of the string quartet repertoire, Lux frequently collaborates with living composers such as Minnesota-native David Evan Thomas and Australian Nicholas Vines. Lux will perform at least one work by an African American composer each season.
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.
Andrea Glass - Cello
Andrea Glass received her Masters degree from the University of Northern Colorado and her Bachelors degree from Bowling Green State University, both in cello performance. She received her long-term Suzuki training in cello with Carol Tarr and violin with James Maurer at the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver, and has taught Suzuki group cello and violin classes with Longmont Suzuki Strings and Denver Talent Education. She has been a judge for the Solo and Ensemble Contest of Northern Colorado, and chamber music coach for CelloFest at the University of Denver. She has been an active recitalist and teacher in the music community of Colorado, and has played with the Fort Collins, Greeley, and Cheyenne Symphonies.
Ms. Glass has performed in master classes with David Ying, Janos Starker, and Yo-Yo Ma. She was also a studio musician at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, and has played with over twenty bands such as Rise Against, Drive By, Melissa Ivey, and Tickle Me Pink. She has recorded for Wind Up Records and Warner Bros. In 2009, Ms. Glass accepted the Suzuki cello faculty position at Macphail Center for Music in Minneapolis, MN. She is a former president of the Suzuki Association of Minnesota and committee chair for the annual S.A.M. Statewide Graduation Recitals. She is the founder and instructor for Cello Rock at MacPhail, a cello ensemble that performs rock and pop music, and also performs with Minneapolis-based Nirvana tribute band, NIVRANA. Ms. Glass enjoys coaching chamber music, and teaching her students non-classical music genres. She is also a Suzuki parent.
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.
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.