The founder and Artistic Director of ALIAS, violinist Zeneba Bowers earned both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music. As ALIAS’ artistic leader as well as a musician, Zeneba has collaborated with the Nashville Ballet, Nashville Symphony, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and others, to add to the vitality of Nashville’s classical music scene. Previously, Zeneba has served as concertmaster of Charleston Spoleto Festival, Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), and the New World Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. She currently holds the position of Assistant Principal Second Violinist of the Nashville Symphony.

Arlington, Texas, native Chris Farrell joined The Nashville Symphony viola section in 1999. Previously, he was a member of the Knoxville Symphony. Chris holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University.

Violinist Alison Gooding received her bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University where she studied with Karen Clarke and Julian Ross. There she was the recipient of the Mautz Award for Excellence in Performance. She received her Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where she studied with Dorothy DeLay and Kurt Sassmannshaus. She has worked with Robert Spano, Julius Rudell, and Robert Shaw. She has performed with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and is currently with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing, Alison has an extensive background in education. She began teaching at the Starling String program at Cincinnati Conservatory and went on to teach in Clarksville, TN, then at the Montessori School of Franklin and Franklin Road Academy. She has also served as a teaching artist with the TPAC/Wolftrap Early Learning through the Arts programs in Middle Tennessee.

Licia Jaskunas has been principal harpist with the Nashville Symphony since 1998. Previously, she played with the New World Symphony for two years and spent four summer seasons with the Utah Festival Opera Company. She also performed with orchestras of the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Pacific Music Festival, and the Spoleto Festival.  She studied at Indiana University, and the Eastman School of Music and was winner of the American Harp Society’s National Competition in 1987.

Lee Levine has recorded chamber music for the Gasparo Label, orchestral music on the Naxos Label, and popular and commercial music for many of Nashville’s top producers. She studied at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, received the Tanglewood Music Center’s Cabot Prize for Outstanding Instrumentalist, and earned two nominations for Outstanding Instrumentalist by Nashville Music Awards. She recently retired from a 30-year orchestral career, which included positions as principal clarinetist with the Bogota Philharmonic, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Nashville Symphony, but she continues to be an active chamber musician and recording musician.

Christopher Norton is Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Belmont University. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State University, and his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He often performs with the Nashville Symphony, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band. Norton’s dog really likes his solo marimba CD entitled “Christopher Norton: Creston Concertino for Marimba,” and his family doesn’t object to it. His favorite music is his children’s laughter and anything his wife plays on horn.

Leslie Norton currently plays principal horn with the Nashville Symphony and teaches at Vanderbilt University. She hopes to perform more chamber music with her husband Chris, provided it doesn’t take too much time away from her gardening and running in the park. Norton also serves as principal mom, head coach, and spiritual advisor to her children Emily and Elise.

Michael Samis has been a member of the Nashville Symphony since 1999. He performs chamber music regularly with Alias, the Eclectic Chamber Players, and other collaborations, as well as appearing frequently as a solo recitalist. Michael has participated in numerous music festivals around the world, including the Pacific Music Festival, where he sat Principal Cello under the baton of Michael Tilson-Thomas. Other highlights include Carnegie Hall performances with the New York String Orchestra, and the chamber music festivals of Sarasota and Kent/Blossom. Michael appeared as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at age 17 while under the tutelage of their late cellist, Geraldine Sutyak. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1999 with the Ellis A. Feiman Memorial Award in Cello. There, Michael studied with the Cleveland Orchestra’s longtime principal cellist, Stephen Geber. As recipient of the Nashville Symphony’s Kelingos Scholarship, Michael has subsequently studied with Desmond Hoebig.

Cellist Christopher Stenstrom received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1995 from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Andor Toth, Jr. and Vagram Saradjian. While at Oberlin he also studied viola da gamba, harpsichord, baroque cello, and pursued (but did not catch) a major in biochemistry. After spending numerous summers working in the laboratory, with fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he turned toward music. In 1998, he received a Master of Music degree from Bowling Green State University, where he was a member of the Graduate String Quartet and studied with Dr. Alan Smith. Since then he has played with the Colorado Music Festival and the Shreveport Symphony. He joined the Nashville Symphony in 1999, and is also an instructor in viola da gamba at Vanderbilt University and a member of Belle Meade Baroque.

Cellist Matt Walker was a founding member of ALIAS Chamber Ensemble; he became the group’s Executive Director in summer of 2009. A cellist with the Nashville Symphony since 1999, Matt has played with the Jacksonville Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and on his own recordings. Additionally, he has appeared on ALIAS concerts playing bass and guitar, and he is also a composer whose own works have been performed in the UK as well as locally and nationwide.

After 19 years of wandering, Roger Wiesmeyer came home to play English Horn in the Nashville symphony in the fall of 2001. Before settling here, he received a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and played in the Pittsburgh and San Francisco symphonies. Roger also plays oboe and piano and finds music a constant source of delight and solace.

Violinist Jeremy Williams is from Albany, NY. He moved to Nashville in 1998 when he joined The Nashville Symphony. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in music and psychology from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in music from Carnegie Mellon University where he studied with Andres Cardenes. Jeremy has played with many, many orchestras. In addition to Alias, he has played in chamber music groups such as the Excelsior String Quartet and the Red Springs Ensemble, which he founded. As an educator, he leads a string quartet which performs programs for young people in Tennessee schools. His dog has convinced him that Nashville summers are too hot, so they retreat north when they get the chance.