Maxim Baluyev (violin) is the founder of String Quartet / Trio Maxim, active soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician in San Francisco Bay Area - Maxim is currently serves as a concertmaster of the Solano Symphony Orchestra in Fairfield. His solo appearances include San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and Solano Symphony Orchestra. Maxim received his musical education at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His Teachers include Prof. Albert Markov of Manhattan School of Music, Prof. Zaven Melikian, Denis DeCoteau and Ian Swenson. He has been a member of Sacramento Philharmonic, Monterrey Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Marin Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Bear Valley Festival Orchestra and other ensembles. Mr. Baluyev is a very successful violin instructor with a number of prize-winning students. Please visit our sister site iplayviolin.com for more information.

Natasha Vinetskaya (violin) is a co-founder of String Quartet / Trio Maxim and is a graduate of San Francisco Conservatory of Music in violin performance. Mrs.Vinetskaya has soloed with Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra and San Francisco Concerto Orchestra. She studied with Albert Markov, professor of violin at Manhattan School of Music and with Zaven Melikian, Concertmaster of San Francisco Symphony. Mrs. Vinetskaya has performed with world renowned artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Andre Watts, Elmar Oliveira, Stephanie Chase, Sarah Brightman, Olga Kern and many others. Currently Mrs. Vinetskaya holds position of assistant concertmaster with Solano Symphony Orchestra.

Andy Tan (violin) a graduate of UC Davis, holds MA degree in music composition. He has studied composition with Ross Bauer, Kurt Rohde, and Mika Pelo. and studied violin/viola with Michael Sand, Dan Flanagan, and Ellen Ruth Rose. He has been a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) since 2006. His recent composition “Sonata Breve for Cello and Piano” has been published by J.B. Elkus and Son. During the 2009-2010 season, he participated in John Adam’s composition masterclass and was a composer-in-resident of the Berkeley Symphony’s “Under Construction” concert series. Andy’s concert music has been performed by the Empyrean Ensemble, New York New Music Ensemble, Arianna String Quartet, UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony, and Mercedes Gomez. Andy is an active film composer and has been writing and arranging music for various productions in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Vancouver, BC. Locally his film music has been featured in UC Davis Plant Science Department’s documentary “Out of the Past,” and Coldwell Banker’s promotional videos. Andy was recently commissioned by the Capital Dance Project in Sacramento to compose music for their summer ballet series at the Crest Theatre during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Jennifer Butler (cello) received her early musical education in Iowa, graduating from Drake University in Des Moines. While a student there she played with the Des Moines Symphony and was a soloist with the Drake University Orchestra on multiple occasions. She received her Master's Degree in Music from the University of Texas at Austin, where she performed as a soloist with the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. She has played with many orchestras, including the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, Savannah Symphony, Victoria Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Solano Symphony and Vallejo Symphony. Her primary teachers include John Ehrlich, Phyllis Young, and Anthony Elliott.

Alex Winter (cello) earned a master's in cello performance from Florida State University, and bachelor's degree from California State University, Sacramento, where was awarded scholarships for chamber music, historical performance, and solo performance. As a winner of his school's concerto competition, Alex performed the Schumann Cello Concerto with the CSU Sacramento Orchestra. He has performed chamber music at festivals in New York, Vermont, and Lake Tahoe, California, and has performed with orchestras including the Tallahassee Symphony, North State Symphony, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Merced Symphony, Northwest Florida Symphony, and Townsend Opera. 

Raphael Gold (viola) native of the Bay Area, Raphael plays extensively throughout the region in several orchestras and chamber groups. He has participated in several international music festivals including Avila, Spain, Tirol, Austria, Managua, Nicaragua, Guanajuato, Mexico and New York. Raphael lived in Yucatan state for several years where he was a member of the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra, touring extensively throughout Mexico.  While in Yucatan he performed chamber music in correctional facilities, retirement homes and church-run rehabilitations centers in an effort to bring classical music to disadvantaged communities.