The Cloud Gate String Quartet is one of the most sought after Chicago based ensembles for wedding ceremony music, corporate events, and parties. The group performs both classical music as well as original arrangements of popular non-classical songs, bringing a level of artistry and professionalism that your guests are sure to notice.

Meet your Musicians

1st violinist, Emily Nash, began her studies at the age of 7. She earned her Master of Music degree in violin performance with Almita Vamos at Northwestern University. She also studied with Roland Vamos and chamber music with Mathias Tacke from the Vermeer String Quartet. While in school, Emily was Concertmaster of the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra and was asked to be Rachel Barton Pine’s alternate playing Bruch’s violin concerto with the orchestra. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign while studying with Simin Ganatra. At the University, she was a member of the Telos Quartet, and studied chamber music with the Pacifica Quartet, Ani Aznavoorian, Sherban Lupu, Rudolf Haken, and Stephan Milenkovich. She was awarded the Farwell Award from the Musicians Club of Women Scholarship Competition in 2011, and has performed twice for them. Emily frequently performed with Yo-Yo Ma during her time as Concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Emily will be joining both the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra this year. Emily is playing on a 1890 Julius Herberlein violin graciously loaned from Dr. Marylou Witz and James Sherry through the Paganini Foundation of Fine Violins.

2nd violinist, Katy Meiste, born in Aberdeen, Scotland, moved to Houston, Texas at the age of six where she graduated from Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts with Highest Honors. She continued her musical training at the Boston Conservatory where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a student of Lynn Chang and her Graduate Performance Diploma under the guidance of Irina Muresanu. While in Boston, Katy played with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Emmanuel Music of Boston, and The Orchestra of Indian Hill. In 2008, Katy moved to Lubbock, TX and was Associate Concertmaster of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra from 2008-2009. In 2009, Katy moved to Midland, TX, and from 2009-2012, she served as Principal Second Violin in the Midland Odessa Symphony and Second Violinist in the Permian Basin String Quartet. In 2012, Katy relocated to Illinois where she performs with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Renovo String Orchestra, Tenuto Orchestra, and Chicago Composers Orchestra.

Violist, Bruno Silva, began studying viola in 2004 in his native Brazil at the Escola de Musica de Brasilia. After one year, he placed in a solo competition and had the opportunity to perform with the Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia. He graduated from the conservatory in two and a half years, a program which normally takes eight, and then enrolled in the University of Brasilia. As viola principal, he performed with the Bensenville Chamber Orchestra, Renovo String Orchestra, North Park University Symphony Orchestra, Brasilia Philharmonic, University of Brasilia String Orchestra, Art-Brasilia Orchestra, among others. As a soloist, Bruno has won top prizes and has performed with Midwest Young Artists, Orquestra Sinfonica da Escola de Musica de Brasilia, North Park University Symphony Orchestra, Mode Ensemble and the Orquestra Art-Brasilia. Bruno Completed his Bachelor of Music degree at North Park University where he studied with Charles Pikler, Chicago Symphony principal viola and his Masters at DePaul University, studying with Rami Solomonow, Lyric Opera of Chicago former viola principal. Today Bruno is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion and Principal Violist of Skokie Valley Symphony.

Cellist, Allegra Montanari, has performed extensively in orchestras across the nation. She has had the pleasure of playing principal for orchestras of the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Round Top Festival Orchestra, and the Spoleto Festival USA. Allegra has served as an Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and a Finalist for the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida. A big lover of opera, Allegra is a member of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra and the Ash Lawn Opera Orchestra this summer. Also an avid chamber musician, she received chamber instruction from some of the foremost musicians of our time including Shmuel Ashkenasi, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Roger Chase and William Preucil. She has performed chamber recitals throughout the United States and has collaborated with artists such as the Pacifica Quartet, Stefan Hersh and Orion Weiss. Ms. Montanari graduated from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with High Distinction and a Business Minor. There Allegra studied with Professor Emilio Colon. Allegra completed her Masters at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where she was a student of John Sharp, Principal Cellist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.