Strings Attached: A Valentine's Mixtape

DIANA LEGRAND, from Assisi, Italy, started her music studies at age two and a half, learning from her mother, a teacher of violin and piano. At age 15, she was accepted to  the North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) where she studied under the late Elaine Richey, first violinist of the Razamousky String Quartet.  

​

​She received both her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance and continued her studies at UNCSA with Robert Mann, the founding members of the Juilliard String Quartet, and with Nicholas Mann, second violinist of the Mendelssohn String Quartet. Returning to Italy, Diana continued her music studies at the Conservatory of Modena, receiving with honors her diploma in Violin Performance. Over the years, she has studied with such notable violinists as Vadim Brodski, first prize winner of the Wieniawski and Paganini International competitions, Paola Besutti  from Florence, Italy, and Emanuel Hurwitz, first violinist of the Melos Ensemble and Aeolian String Quartet. Diana is an active performer and teacher. Both have taken her around the  world to Europe, the Americas, and Asia. She was formerly the concertmaster and soloist  of the Pan American Symphony Orchestra, based in Washington DC, and the current violinist of the Tony nominated Broadway show Forever Tango. She is a 2021 Latin Grammy Nominated Artist in the category of Best Tango Album. Her newly released album “Tango without borders” has already received four nominations for the 2023 Gardel Awards in Argentina.

​A review, by the DC Metro Theatre Arts, has said that “Diana LeGrand was able to bring such passion and drive to her performance through her absolutely breathtaking  solos.”

STEPHANIE SIMS FLACK, violinist and teacher, enjoys a busy performing schedule as a freelance chamber and orchestral musician in the Washington DC metro area. Stephanie is excited to be serving as Associate Concertmaster and Co-Founder of Paragon Philharmonia. Formerly a first violinist with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra (PASO), she has had the opportunity to travel to the 2018 International Tango Festival in Medellin, Colombia where PASO was the only US orchestra invited.  Orchestral engagements have included the Cambridge (England) Philharmonic, Ely Sinfonia (Leader), Arizona Opera and Baton Rouge Symphony and she has performed with the American Pops Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Washington National Cathedral Choral Society and Washington Concert Opera among others. 

In demand nationally and internationally as a workshop clinician and performer, Stephanie is former Co-Director of the Greater Washington Suzuki Institute and has taught at the Bristol Suzuki Workshop in England, Phoenix Phest in Michigan, Inside Music Academy, based in Oregon, and Tamarack Arts in New York.  She has directed and performed on tours to England, Italy, Austria and Germany with Washington Preludio and looks forward to continuing to travel, teach and perform overseas in the coming years. Stephanie received her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Louisiana State University and Master of Arts degree from Indiana University with continuing education at the bi-annual Starling-Delay Juilliard Symposium on violin studies in New York. Stephanie maintains a private violin studio at her home in Alexandria, Virginia where she resides with husband, Sean, daughters, Emily and Shannon and their three dogs, Winnie, Bandit, and Pepper.  

As a violinst, violist, vocalist and arranger, Claudia Chopek is equally at
home on stage, in the studio and on Broadway.

Most recently she was on tour with Dexy’s, formerly Dexy’s Midninght
Runners, and is featured on their recently released live album. Other
tours include Little River Band, Bright Eyes, The Last Shadow Puppets,
Moby and the Jonas Brothers.

She has performed throughout the US and Europe with Justin Vivian
Bond, Linda Perry, Jenny Lewis, Father John Misty, Hurray For The Riff
Raff, Jennifer Nettles, Bruce Springsteen, Sam Fender, Eric Bazilian (The
Hooters), Wesley Stace, Jessica Vosk, Peter Moren (Peter, Bjorn and
John), Cassandra Wilson, Sarah Brightman, Anthony Roth Costanzo and
Donna Summer.

​

Recording credits include Father John Misty, Tommy Stinson (The
Replacements), Jesse Malin, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Franco Ambrosetti,
TV On The Radio, Ryan Adams and the soundtracks for the Broadway
musicals Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Some Like It
Hot.

​

She has arranged and performed music for “Sesame Street”, HBO’s
“Bored To Death”, the Academy Award winning documentary “The
Sentence” and most recently for ‘Catching The Light’ the album and
feature film by Jesse Malin.

She is the founding member of and principal arranger for New Retro
Strings and was cohost and co-producer of the popular online show
“That Jazz Show”.

​

After playing the revival of Cabaret on Broadway, she can be seen and
heard in the off Broadway show Heathers.

Rachel Sexton has been an active freelance chamber and orchestral musician in Washington D.C. since 2018. She trained under former Principal Cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra Stephen Geber at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Soloist Antonio Lysy at UCLA, working under renown composers John Adams and John Williams, beginning her professional orchestral career with the American Symphony Orchestra. Completing her last year of graduate studies as Cello Teaching Assistant to Julian Schwarz at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music 2017, she currently holds the position of Assistant Principal Cellist with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in addition to performing as Principal Cellist of the Paragon Philharmonia. Rachel also performs with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Brandon Harris is a freelance bassist in Baltimore City. He has been teaching and performing in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area since 2010. Brandon has performed with numerous ensembles including the Richmond Symphony, the Williamsburg Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, and the National String Symphonia. In addition to performing with these ensembles, he also performs musicals regularly with Montgomery College's Summer Dinner Theatre, has performed at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, VA. He has also led music-related panels at the Music and Gaming Festival (MAGFest) where he has also performed.

Brandon received his B.M. from George Mason University where he studied with Glenn Dewey (formerly of "The President's Own" Marine Band), his M.M. from The Catholic University of America where he studied with Ira Gold (of the National Symphony Orchestra), and his G.P.D. from the Peabody Institute where he studied with Paul Johnson.

Sean Mahon is an accomplished pianist, composer, and music educator, with an extensive career rooted in the DMV.  Sean performs a diverse range of musical styles, from classical to jazz, to tango, rock, and contemporary pop music.

Sean earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Maryland, where he studied under the distinguished mentors Dr. Cleveland Page, Santiago Rodriguez, and the legendary Andre Watts.  His academic excellence was recognized through numerous accolades, including winning the prestigious Homer Ulrich Piano Competition, being a finalist in the UMSO Concerto Competition, and receiving the coveted Music Director’s Scholarship Award.

As a performer, his talent has taken him to prominent stages across the U.S. and the world.  He has performed at the White House, Madison Square Gardens, Wolftrap, and recently performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for the Centennial celebration at the Kennedy Center with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra.  Sean continues to perform with different orchestras and touring acts around the country and is the musical director for several prominent D.C. event bands.