top of page
Indianapolis Musicians
Adam Lee, Cello
Adam Lee, age 25, is pursuing his master's degree at the Jacobs School of Music, where he also holds his bachelor's degree. He currently studies with Eric Kim.
Adam is returning to his studies following two years of employment at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Adam has won prizes from the Confucius Competition, the Society of American Musicians Competition, the DePaul Concerto Festival, the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, and the Walgreens National Concerto Competition. As a chamber musician, he is a prizewinner at the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, St. Paul String Quartet Competition, Discover National Chamber Music Competition, and was a gold medalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Adam has additionally appeared on NPR’s From the Top and is a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.
Adam is returning to his studies following two years of employment at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Adam has won prizes from the Confucius Competition, the Society of American Musicians Competition, the DePaul Concerto Festival, the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, and the Walgreens National Concerto Competition. As a chamber musician, he is a prizewinner at the Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, St. Paul String Quartet Competition, Discover National Chamber Music Competition, and was a gold medalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Adam has additionally appeared on NPR’s From the Top and is a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.
Amanda Baer, Violin
Amanda Jeanne Baer is a violin teacher, performer and Concertmaster of the Anderson Symphony Orchestra. She received her Bachelor’s of Music in violin performance from Indiana University in 2007 and her Master's of Music in violin performance from Butler University in
2023.
Mrs. Baer has maintained her studio, "Pizzicati Strings," for violin, viola and piano students for 15 years. Also, she teaches as an adjunct teacher at the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy. She is Suzuki Method certified and additionally has taken pedagogy courses at Indiana and Butler
Universities. From beginning to advanced levels, she has prepared students for competitions,
pageants and music school auditions. As a member of the Hendricks County Music Festival, Indiana Arts Festival, she prepares her students for competitions, where four have received 1st place awards at the state level.
In addition to her teaching career, Mrs. Baer has also performed 14 full seasons with multiple orchestras in Indiana, as a section violinist, Principal 2nd, Assistant Concertmaster and Concertmaster. In addition to current and past contracted orchestral positions with Carmel
Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Muncie Symphony, Marion Philharmonic, and Kokomo
Symphony, she is also a substitute violinist with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and has
been for eight years. Mrs. Baer resides in Indianapolis with her husband and four children.
2023.
Mrs. Baer has maintained her studio, "Pizzicati Strings," for violin, viola and piano students for 15 years. Also, she teaches as an adjunct teacher at the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy. She is Suzuki Method certified and additionally has taken pedagogy courses at Indiana and Butler
Universities. From beginning to advanced levels, she has prepared students for competitions,
pageants and music school auditions. As a member of the Hendricks County Music Festival, Indiana Arts Festival, she prepares her students for competitions, where four have received 1st place awards at the state level.
In addition to her teaching career, Mrs. Baer has also performed 14 full seasons with multiple orchestras in Indiana, as a section violinist, Principal 2nd, Assistant Concertmaster and Concertmaster. In addition to current and past contracted orchestral positions with Carmel
Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Muncie Symphony, Marion Philharmonic, and Kokomo
Symphony, she is also a substitute violinist with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and has
been for eight years. Mrs. Baer resides in Indianapolis with her husband and four children.
Angela Pulliam, Violin
Angela Pulliam is a freelance violinist and teacher based in the local Indy area. When she is not playing weddings or other events and outreach, she performs with many of the surrounding regional orchestras such as the Carmel Symphony and Anderson Symphony. She also loves performing with the local Indy group Forward Motion, a music group that loves to collaborate with new Indy composers and artists to premiere new musical works and art and engage communities in new and unique ways.
When not performing, Angela teaches private violin lessons all around the Indy area and also loves working with many of the different school orchestra programs in the surrounding areas, passing on a love of music to the next generation of young musicians.
When not performing, Angela teaches private violin lessons all around the Indy area and also loves working with many of the different school orchestra programs in the surrounding areas, passing on a love of music to the next generation of young musicians.
Lerryn Donatelle, Viola
Lerryn Donatelle holds a Master of Music degree in viola performance from DePaul University, a Bachelor of Music degree in viola performance from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Lawrence University. Her principal teachers have included Matthew Michelic, Rami Solomonow, Leslie Straka, and Jacquelyn Schwandt.
Lerryn is the current viola faculty member at DePauw University. Past teaching positions include the Merit School of Music and the DePaul Community Music Division (Chicago), and sabbatical coverage for the viola studio at Lawrence Conservatory (Appleton, WI).
While living in Chicago, Lerryn was an active symphony, opera, musical theatre, and chamber music performer. Since relocating to Indiana, Lerryn can frequently be found performing as a substitute violist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Outside of work, Lerryn enjoys spending time with her husband Nick and their two dogs Daphnis and Maurice.
Lerryn is the current viola faculty member at DePauw University. Past teaching positions include the Merit School of Music and the DePaul Community Music Division (Chicago), and sabbatical coverage for the viola studio at Lawrence Conservatory (Appleton, WI).
While living in Chicago, Lerryn was an active symphony, opera, musical theatre, and chamber music performer. Since relocating to Indiana, Lerryn can frequently be found performing as a substitute violist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Outside of work, Lerryn enjoys spending time with her husband Nick and their two dogs Daphnis and Maurice.
Maria Cherkassova, Violin
Hailing from Vladivostok, Russia, Maria Cherkassova attended Moscow State Conservatory studying with Prof. Alexander Trostiansky and Prof. Alexey Koshvanets, before coming to the United States in 2022 to continue her studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she is working with Prof. Grigory Kalinovsky.
Maria is a prizewinner of multiple Russian national and international competitions, including 1st Prize at the X International Erdenko Violin Competition, 3rd Prize at the VIII Demidov International Youth Violin Competition, and has participated in the Viktor Tretyakov and Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competitions. In 2023, she won the Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition with Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
As a soloist, Maria has appeared with numerous orchestras, including the Jacobs School of Music University Orchestra, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, the Gnesins’ Academy Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Bashkortostan Republic, the Kuban Symphony Orchestra, and Yuri Bashmet’s International Youth Chamber Orchestra. In 2014, she performed at the Musikverein in Vienna with the Youth International Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Vandelli.
In recent years, she has given recitals across Germany with renowned pianist Eugeny Sinaiski and frequently performs solo recitals at the Jacobs School of Music, presenting a wide range of repertoire.
Maria is a prizewinner of multiple Russian national and international competitions, including 1st Prize at the X International Erdenko Violin Competition, 3rd Prize at the VIII Demidov International Youth Violin Competition, and has participated in the Viktor Tretyakov and Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competitions. In 2023, she won the Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition with Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
As a soloist, Maria has appeared with numerous orchestras, including the Jacobs School of Music University Orchestra, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, the Gnesins’ Academy Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Bashkortostan Republic, the Kuban Symphony Orchestra, and Yuri Bashmet’s International Youth Chamber Orchestra. In 2014, she performed at the Musikverein in Vienna with the Youth International Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Vandelli.
In recent years, she has given recitals across Germany with renowned pianist Eugeny Sinaiski and frequently performs solo recitals at the Jacobs School of Music, presenting a wide range of repertoire.
Rebekah Wilhelm, Cello
Rebekah Wilhelm is a cellist from Batesville, Indiana. She studied at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in cello performance. As an undergraduate, she won principal cellist of the University Symphony Orchestra and held the position of cellist in the Klinder Graduate String Quartet. Rebekah has performed in various masterclasses including Keith Lockhart, Joel Smirnoff, Laura Metcalf, Craig Hultgren and Adriana Cantino. Rebekah finished her Masters degree in cello performance at Butler University in 2019 under Dr. William Grubb.
She has since hiked the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail and enjoys learning a variety of genres on her cello. She performs for special events in the tri-state area.
She has since hiked the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail and enjoys learning a variety of genres on her cello. She performs for special events in the tri-state area.
Sophie Lyman, Cello
Cellist Sophie Lyman is pursuing her master’s degree in cello performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with Peter Stumpf. Previously, she studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Melissa Kraut, and earned her bachelor’s degree with Brooks Whitehouse at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).
Sophie earned third place in the Grand Teton Music Festival’s Scholarship Competition, and was a national finalist in the MTNA and Coltman Chamber Music Competitions. A fellow at
the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival last summer, her quartet performed in Vermont and
at the University of South Florida as recipients of the Rutenberg Fellowship Award. A passionate
teacher, Sophie established a Suzuki cello program at UNCSA’s Community Music School, and serves as assistant director of the Lamar Stringfield Music Camp. She plays with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.
In past summers, Sophie has attended festivals in China, Czechia, Germany, and Spain, as well as the Heifetz Institute, the Credo Chamber Music Festival, and the Brevard Institute.
Sophie earned third place in the Grand Teton Music Festival’s Scholarship Competition, and was a national finalist in the MTNA and Coltman Chamber Music Competitions. A fellow at
the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival last summer, her quartet performed in Vermont and
at the University of South Florida as recipients of the Rutenberg Fellowship Award. A passionate
teacher, Sophie established a Suzuki cello program at UNCSA’s Community Music School, and serves as assistant director of the Lamar Stringfield Music Camp. She plays with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.
In past summers, Sophie has attended festivals in China, Czechia, Germany, and Spain, as well as the Heifetz Institute, the Credo Chamber Music Festival, and the Brevard Institute.
bottom of page