If you yearn every Christmas to hear holiday music done right, then you will finally get your wish when Quartet 515 plays Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. in the Perry Performing Arts Center in the Perry Fine Arts concert series.
All four members of Quartet 515 are Des Moines-based professional musicians who perform with the Des Moines Symphony and other community orchestras, but their deep appreciation for chamber music led them to begin producing holiday music concerts.
The four musicians — violinist Hanna Wolle, violinist Nina Liu, violinist Joyce Beyer and cellist Paul Virgilio — are young people with many years of musical experience and a variety of other interests.
Wolle is Des Moines native who started playing the violin when she was 4 years old with her father, a classically trained violist. After playing throughout her childhood, Wolfe graduated from the University of Iowa in 2011 with degrees in economics and Chinese. She currently works at the Principal Financial Group.
Besides playing with the Des Moines Symphony, Wolle performs with the Simpson College Community Orchestra. In her free time, she enjoys training for half-marathons and is active in various community organizations.
Liu comes from a family of musicians and is also a Des Moines native playing the violin since she was 4. She graduated from Drake University in 2015 with a degree in finance and a minor in music. She also works at the Principal Financial Group.
Music is Liu’s passion, and she performs with the Des Moines Symphony and enjoys playing music around the community. When she is not working or playing music, she likes to go rock climbing, bake desserts and volunteer at the Animal Rescue League.
Beyer graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Music in Education on piano and viola. She has served as head of the Northside Orchestra Program for the Des Moines Public Schools.
Besides performing with the Des Moines Symphony, Beyer also plays with Simpson College Community Orchestra and various community outreach programs. While at UNI, she met her husband, William Beyer, while learning to play the school’s carillon, the bells atop the school’s campanile tower.
Virgilio is cellist who began studying the instrument in his hometown of Pleasant Valley, N.Y. After moving Des Moines in 2009 to study cello performance at Drake University, Virgilio won a position with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Since then, he has maintained an active performing career in Des Moines and the surrounding area.
In addition to chamber collaboration and teaching, Virgilio enjoys brunch and bad jokes.
Quartet 515 promises to put on a lively holiday-themed performance.
Perry Fine Arts concerts are free, donations accepted, and open to all. The Perry Performing Arts Center at 1200 18th St. in Perry is handicapped accessible.
Please mark your calendars, and please attend. The Perry Fine Arts concert attendance is absolutely horrible. Perry Fine Arts does a terrific job of getting top-notch entertainers every year, and the Perry Performing Arts Center is less that one-quarter filled almost every time. The concerts should be filled with people. Why aren’t you attending?