Cecilia Alexander – Viola

Cecilia joined EMSO in 2024 and loves being part of the orchestra. She grew up in the Twin Cities area and now live in Minneapolis with three rambunctious cats. She works as a legal advocate for victims of domestic violence in the metro area. Outside of the orchestra, Cecilia love crocheting, reading, swimming, and watching

Neha Nagaraj – Viola

Neha Nagaraj joined EMSO in 2024. Neha has played the viola for over 12 years and started her journey in Maple Grove, MN. Music has always helped her feel connected to others, both with the audience or her fellow musicians. She’s played with her high school’s top-auditioned string orchestra and had been part of the University of

Becky Drath – Violin

Becky joined EMSO in 2024.  She has played violin for 54 years. Becky is an Insurance Advisor and lives in River Falls, WI. Prior to that she lived in Eau Claire for 32 years and grew up in Holmen, WI. In her spare time she enjoys quilting, making cards,  scrapbooking and gardening.  She and her

Vivian Quam – Oboe

Vivian joined the EMSO in the fall of 2024.  She plays oboe and English horn. Vivian is a homemaker and she and her husband take care of their two-year-old granddaughter two days each week. She also plays in the Gnu Woodwind Quintet which regularly performs at senior communities. She lived in Sweden, New Jersey and

Eugenia Meltzer – Violin

Eugenia Meltzer grew up in Champaign, Il. As a child, her summers were spent at Illinois Summer Youth Music and later Meadowmount.  She studied violin with Paul Rolland and Endre Granat, getting her Bachelor’s at the University of Illinois. She then got her Masters in Music at the University of Wisconsin where she studied with

Abby Bormann – Violin

Abby joined EMSO in 2023. A long-time resident of Moorhead, MN, she grew up in Moorhead, started playing violin in 5th grade, and went to college at Minnesota State University Moorhead where she studied chemistry. Abby moved to St Paul to work as a Regulatory Associate at Ecolab. Her hobbies outside of EMSO include drawing

Michael Grasley – Violin

Michael began playing the violin in the 3rd grade and continued to play in orchestras during college and into adulthood. He began playing with the 3M Club Symphony Orchestra during their final season in 2008-2009 and then continued with EMSO when it was founded during the 2009-2010 season. He played with the orchestra until the conclusion

Britt Peterson – Violin

Britt Peterson joined EMSO in the fall of 2023. Britt grew up in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and now resides in St Paul with her husband and two young children. She works as a project manager helping authors self-publish their books.  Her hobbies include camping, hiking, sewing, and playing violin and bass in a Kate