Avanti String Quartet
Musician Biographies
The Los Angeles Times has praised Tamsen’s playing as “both intuitive and lyrical”. They described her ensemble playing as “having a unique synergy”.
Tamsen is an active soloist, chamber, studio and orchestral musician, performing over 125 concerts a year. Being a promoter of new works, Tamsen has given several world and area premieres of concertos, chamber music, operatic and orchestral works. Her career over the last 25 years has included performances with such notable artists as: Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Zubin Mehta, Henryk Szeryng, Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, The Beaux Arts Trio, and The Sequoia Quartet. In addition to these classical musicians, Tamsen has performed and recorded with the following popular artists: Lalo Schifrin, Frank Capp, Ray Charles, Diane Schuur, George Benson, Barry White, Doc Severenson, Jay Leno, Michael Jackson, James Galway, Roger Williams, David Foster, and Bobby Vinton.
Tamsen has been concertmaster of the Crystal Cathedral Hour of Power Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Robles Master Chorale, and West Coast Symphony. She performs with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and New West Symphony and has been principle second violin with these ensembles as well as for the Glendale Symphony. Her other orchestral and recording experience includes The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, and Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra. Tamsen has been a violinist for the Los Angeles Piano Trio and the Calvarola String Trio that have been finalists in competitions and have toured. She has taught the violin and viola for over 25 years. Tamsen is an avid tennis player, loves painting and drawing and holds a patent for the violin and viola shoulder rest, “Acoustifoam”.
Elizabeth Harrington Blake, Violin
A native of Pasadena, Elizabeth Harrington Blake has studied violin since the age of 3. She attended Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating with a degree in Violin Performance, and returned to Southern California to begin a freelance career. She served as Principal Second Violin of the Riverside Philharmonic, as well as holding positions in the San Bernardino and Redlands Symphonies. In 1990, Ms. Blake was invited to join the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee, where she became the Assistant Principal Second Violin. During her time in Knoxville, Ms. Blake appeared as a soloist with the Knoxville Chamber Orchestra on several occasions, as well as performing regularly on the Knoxville Museum of Art's Chamber Music Series. She also met her husband, David, who held the Bass Trombone chair in the Knoxville Symphony.
In 1997, Ms. Blake returned to Pasadena. Over the last 8 years, she has played with many of the orchestras in the Los Angeles area, including the California Philharmonic, and has worked on several recordings, as well as touring the United States with Michael Crawford's orchestra in 1998. She also teaches string orchestra classes at Los Cerritos Middle School in Thousand Oaks, where her husband David directs the band. In her free time, Ms. Blake enjoys reading, traveling, and chocolate
Fang Fang Xu, Cello
Fang Fang Xu began her musical career in Beijing, China. She attended the Central Conservatory of Music at age nine and performed thru out China and Singapore. Since her move to the United States she has won numerous solo awards, some of which include Peninsula International Young Artist Competition, Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity Competition and Beverly Hills Young Artist Concert Series. She has performed as soloist with the Pacific Symphony, Pasadena Community Symphony, USC Thornton Symphony and Thornton Chamber Orchestra. She has been invited to prestigious international music festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, and Guadalajara Music Festival in Mexico, working with eminent conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Kurt Sanderling and Helmut Rilling.
Fang Fang has served as principal cellist of the USC Thornton Symphony under Maestro Commissiona for the past two seasons. She performs with LA Chamber Orchestra, LA Philharmonic and collaborates in chamber recitals with Los Angeles musicians. She is currently a DMA candidate in Cello Performance at the University of Southern California with a full merit scholarship. She has served as faculty at New California Conservatory as well as cello teaching assistant instructor at the University of Southern California. She is an active member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Education Program and has performed in Hollywood Bowl SummerSounds for Kids as well as classroom demonstrations. Her latest engagements include a new CD release in the fall with EDI Records, Inc.
Marda Todd, Viola
At the age of 10, after two years of playing the violin, Marda heard her public school music teacher demonstrate the viola and she immediately knew that the viola was the instrument she wanted to play. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from CSULB. She has studied with Thomas Tatton, Donald McInnes, Benson Headley and Brian Dembow. Winner of the 1988 National Wendall Irish Viola Competition, Marda has appeared as soloist at the Music Educators National Convention and has performed in chamber music concerts throughout the country.
Marda has worked with renowned conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Pinckas Zukerman and Zubin Mehta. Her festival experience includes Kneisal Hall Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Gamper Festival, Oregon Bach Festival and the Sedona Chamber Music Festival. She is very active in the greater Los Angeles area as a freelance orchestra, studio and chamber music artist and is currently the principal violist with the Saint Matthews Chamber Orchestra and violist with the Avanti String Quartet. Marda has performed on recording projects with Kanye West, Christina Aguilara, Celine Dion, Meatloaf, Barbra Streisand and Josh Groban. She has performed live with artists such as Elvis Costello, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keyes, Jamie Fox, John Legend, Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt. Marda’s recent work can be heard on The Incredibles, The Family Stone, Alias, Lost and Mission Impossible III.
In addition to her music career she enjoys gourmet cooking, interior design consulting and working with charitable organizations. She lives in California with her husband Richard and her children Haley and Hunter.
