Nancy Hair (cello)
B.M. (Indiana University and The Hartt School), graduate studies in pedagogy (Ithaca Talent Education); studies with Janos Starker, Raya Garbousova, Yehuda Hanani, George Neikrug, Timothy Eddy; study of Alexander Technique; performances with Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony, Opera Company of Boston, Rhode Island Philharmonic; former faculty, Longy and Powers music schools; faculty, The Hartt School, All Newton Music School.
Perri Morris (cello)
Perri Morris studied cello with Lawrence Lesser, Ronald Feldman, and Aldo Parisot. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, a master’s degree in Music Performance from U-Mass Amherst and a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College. She has participated in music festivals at Tanglewood, Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds, and The Waterloo Music Festival, Gerard Scwartz, dir. Ms. Morris has been a member of the faculties at Mount Holyoke College, West Texas A&M, Keene State College and Westfield State College. She served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, in Massachusetts, for 19 years. A resident of Bennington, Vermont, Ms. Morris performs with the Vermont, Springfield and Berkshire Symphonies and the Burlington Chamber Orchestra. In addition to her role as director of the strings program at the Village School of North Bennington, Ms. Morris also has private teaching studios in Bennington and Williamstown, Mass. Her students range in age from five to 70.
Adan Caldera Quintero (cello)
Adan Caldera Quintero is cellist of the Graduate String Quartet at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where he is pursuing his Master of Music degree. Festival participation includes the Round Top Festival Institute, Oberlin at Hidden Valley Chamber Music Intensive and the Dali Quartet International Music Festival. He is dedicated to performing music from a wide range of periods; from repertoire for the baroque cello by Bach, Telemann and Marais to works by such 21st-century composers as Kristin Kuster, Augusta Read Thomas, Shulamit Ran and Paul Desenne, among others.
Adan earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory, studying under Dmitry Kouzov; his chamber music teachers include Francesca dePasquale and members of the Verona and Dali Quartets.
Layla Morris (cello)
Layla Morris grew up in Hinesburg, Vermont, where she began playing the cello at age 3. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Oberlin Conservatory as a student of Darrett Adkins, with minors in creative writing and, as a student of Rebecca Landell (sister of GMSI Violin teacher Abbie Foster!), baroque cello/viola da gamba. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in cello performance at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, under the tutelage of Brian Manker.
Layla has participated in festivals, received performance scholarships, and performed as a soloist with organizations throughout Vermont and New England, including the New England Music Festival and the Vermont Philharmonic. Past summer studies include the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Kinhaven Music School, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Chautauqua Institution, and NOI+F. She has served as principal cello of Oberlin Orchestra and the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra, and has participated in Oberlin’s Advanced Quartet Seminar.
In 2024, her string quartet was selected to travel to Uruguay to teach, perform, and collaborate with local musicians. Recently, she was appointed section cello of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra in Glens Falls, NY.
Layla is the daughter of GMSI Director Pam Reit and GMSI Violin teacher Ira Morris. She is the niece of GMSI Cello teacher Perri Morris and she attended GMSI as a student from age 1 to age 14 at least. We are thrilled to have her back with us this Summer and so grateful that she could bring along her dear friend and colleague, Adan!