The Artisan Animal Quartet
We are a Chicago-based String Quartet performing a stunning variety of music from classical to contemporary and are so happy to be part of the Artisan Animal Collective
Eugene Kaler
Eugene graduated from the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts, and moved to Chicago where he studied at DePaul University, earning his BM and MM in violin performance. Along with an Artist Diploma from Long Island Conservatory, Eugene has performed with both national and international tours of award-winning musicals such as West Side Story, Annie, Bridges of Madison County, and Kinky Boots, and has performed with Lincoln Center Stage aboard Holland America Line’s Westerdam in the Mediterranean. He has toured Europe performing a symphonic celebration of the music of Prince, and spent 10 weeks performing in the People’s Republic of China. Prior to the advent of the international pandemic, Eugene was the concertmaster of the National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen. Eugene is also a member of numerous chamber groups including the Good Times Trio, the Artisan Animal Quartet, and the founder of the Artisan Animal Collective.
John Xia
John received his Bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude and Master’s degree with distinction from the Peabody Conservatory, as the recipient of the J.C. van Hulsteyn Award for Violin. His teachers and mentors have included Herbert Greenberg, concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Dmitri Berlinsky, Grand Prize Winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition. He completed his Doctoral of Musical Arts in Violin Performance at Michigan State University. As a chamber musician, John has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the Symphony Center Presents Series. He was also a member of the chamber orchestra group “International Chamber Soloists”. John has served as concertmaster for the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, MSU Symphony Orchestra and Ad Libitum Chamber Orchestra. An active freelance musician in the Chicago area, he currently performs with the Chicago Opera Theater. John is a faculty member at the Merit School of Music as well as a guest teacher for the Maine School District in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Lerryn Schaefer
Lerryn Schaefer Donatelle holds a Master of Music in Viola Performance from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers have included Rami Solomonow, Matthew Michelic, Leslie Straka, and Jacquelyn Schwandt. She has extensive teaching experience including DePaul University's Community Music Division and the Merit School of Music in Chicago. Lerryn is an active freelancer, symphony, theater, and chamber musician. She has performed in master classes for Michael Tree, Abram Loft, Charles Castleman, and the Pacifica, Ebéne, and Brentano String Quartets.
Nicholas Donatelle
Nick is a section cellist in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he worked as a freelance cellist in Chicago and performed on Broadway tours which took him all over the United States, Canada, and East Asia. Besides orchestral music, Nick is passionate about performing chamber music with his colleagues, especially exploring modern works for string quartet. He completed his Masters in Music at DePaul studying with Stephen Balderston and his Bachelors of Music at the University of Minnesota studying with Tanya Remenikova. He was also a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago while at DePaul. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Nicholas grew up in a musical family with his parents and sister all playing brass instruments. In his free time, Nicholas loves to spend time with his wife, Lerryn, and their two dogs, Daphnis and Chloe. He enjoys gardening, ice skating, and listening to all genres of music.