Teachers

Laura Mericle holds a Master of Music in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College in music and economics. 

An active orchestral and chamber musician, Laura is in the violin sections of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Middleton Community Orchestra, and La Crosse Symphony Orchestra in recent years. 

A dedicated educator, Laura teaches violin and viola. She maintains a private studio, and directs the strings program at EAGLE School. For over a decade she served as an orchestra coach for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. She lives in Middleton with her husband, violinist Tim Kamps, and their son, Julian, and daughter, Elena.

Violinist Katherine Floriano is a dedicated teacher, chamber music coach and avid performer.

Katherine is a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. During the summers Katherine performs with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in Concerts on the Square and teaches at HIMA USA Festival in Lakeside Chautauqua, Ohio. 

In addition to teaching privately, Katherine leads the EAGLE String Orchestra and works with the ensembles at Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. 

Originally from Rochester, New York, Katherine holds performance degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. 

Outside of teaching and performing, Katherine enjoys mountain biking with her husband and playing with their goldendoodle puppy, Ralphy. 

Aaron Fried is a cellist and music educator based in Madison. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Aaron serves as a Teaching Assistant and is the cellist in the Marvin Rabin String Quartet. Aaron performs frequently with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and also teaches for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO), where he coaches the cello sections of four orchestras and served as director of the Creative Music Ensemble at the WYSO Music Makers summer program.