About Us
Fountain City String Quartet
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Meet our musicians
Carmen Dieker
Violin
Violinist Carmen Dieker, a native of Kansas City, grew up playing piano, violin, flute, and guitar. Though early on she primarily studied classical music, she has performed many genres of music, including pop, rock, jazz, sacred, funk, ambient and musical theatre. She has performed with local groups, like Quixotic Cirque Nouveau, Making Movies, My Brothers and Sisters, and Calvin Arsenia, as well as internationally recognized groups such as Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, 2 Cellos, and TransSiberian Orchestra.
She maintains a teaching studio, teaches orchestra at various schools, and performs at area churches and synagogues regularly as a violinist, accompanist, and vocalist.
Matthew Bennett
Violin
Violinist Matthew Bennett began his orchestral career at the age of 18 with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra as the youngest members at the time. Since then, Matthew has enjoyed performing in many orchestras in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the US.
In 2008, Matthew won the Oral Roberts University 20th Century Music Competition with Joan Tower’s Platinum Spirals. Winning that competition sparked Matthew’s interest in discovering and performing New Music. Soon after, Matthew premiered works for violin and piano by the Los Angeles based composer, Joshua Peterson. In 2012, Matthew worked closely with the Grammy-winning composer Michael Colina and premiered Stairway to a Midnight Cafe in New York City.
While studying at the University of Kansas, Matthew was the Director of Chamber Music at Bishop Seabury Academy. Later on, Matthew was invited to Pittsburg State University to teach as a guest. While traveling for concerts, Matthew gives master classes and presentations to young musicians across the country. These presentations provide insight into the vast array of responsibilities of a professional musician and promote entrepreneurship and creativity. In his own education, he is immersed in historical performance practice while performing with the Kansas City Baroque Consortium.
Alyssa Bell
Viola
Alyssa Bell Jackson is an American violist based in Kansas City. She has a passion for music performance and education and has made it a goal to share multi-genre music with audiences and students alike.
In 2019 Alyssa co-founded Soundwave Academy, a music academy focusing on holistic music learning. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri Kansas City, and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Peabody Conservatory where she studied under Victoria Chiang.
Throughout her studies, Alyssa attended various masterclasses workshops including the internationally acclaimed Aspen Music Festival.
Alyssa currently resides in Kansas City where she works with several regional organizations including the Kansas City Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and is a member of Rewound String Trio and Fountain City String Quartet. In 2022 Alyssa became a member of Board of Directors for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra serving as the Education Chair.
Alyssa has enjoyed the opportunity to record with several local and international recording artists. In recent years, she has been developing her writing and arranging. She has been a featured string writer for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, as well as on various recording projects.
Sascha Groschang
Cello
Sascha Groschang, cellist, has performed extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall numerous times, and gave her solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2009. She has been a soloist and lecturer at the Thailand International Composition Festival, performed for the King of Malaysia with the Kuala Lumpur International Festival Orchestra, and traveled all across China on two tours with the Mantovani Pops Orchestra. She has shared the stage with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Eagles, Vince Gill, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Sarah Mclachlan, Idina Menzel, Amy Grant and her recording credits include NBC, Atlantic, and Rhino Records. Sascha is the cellist and co-composer of the alternative string duo, “The Wires”, which explores a variety of non-traditional string techniques and styles through original compositions. The Wires have released three full length albums and their arrangements and original compositions are published with Mel Bay Publishing Co. They were also co-hosts/curators of “Sound Currents” on 91.9 ClassicalKC for 2 years – a weekly radio program that explored a broad range of new music. In addition, Sascha is principal cellist of NewEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, dedicated to playing the works of living composers. In 2022, she joined the St. Petersburg String Quartet. Their accolades include a Grammy nomination, “Best Record” honors in both Stereo Review and Gramophone, a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and hundreds of concerts on many of North America, Europe and Asia’s most prestigious series and festivals. Since joining, the group has performed in Estonia, Kazakhstan, France, Germany, Israel and across the United States. In 2023, Sascha also joined the Fountain City String Quartet, which performs across the Midwest with classical and pop Candlelight Concerts. Sascha lives in midtown Kansas City with her husband, four Persian cats, and two daughters. www.cellolady.com