About Us
314 String Quartet
6
Holly Huelskamp
Violin
St. Louis native Holly Huelskamp has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster internationally. Ms. Huelskamp received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Columbia with professors Eva Szekely and John McGrosso and a Master of Music from Indiana University Bloomington with professors Alex Kerr and Paul Biss. After graduation, she was invited to play numerous solo recitals, including one in Carnegie Hall, New York. She played with orchestras across the US, including the New World Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and played two seasons as violinist and concertmaster of the International Bachakademie in Stuttgart, Germany, under the tutelage of Helmuth Rilling. At the age of 30, she won the position of concertmaster of National Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago, Chile, becoming the first female concertmaster of a major theater in South America. She led the orchestra in all three genres of orchestral music including opera, ballet, symphonic programs. During her tenure in Chile, she performed as a soloist several times with the Philharmonic and surrounding orchestras and founded Chile’s premier chamber group, the Philharmonic Ensemble, recording and performing chamber repertoire in every major theater in Chile and several in Europe. She was a professor of violin at the University of Chile and the University Mayor, where she prepared her students to win many competitions, scholarships, and entrance to major conservatories. Since her return to St. Louis, Mrs. Huelskamp remains an active educator and performer. She is a founding member of the Zafira Quartet that explores genre-bending repertoire on both acoustic and electric instruments, and the St. Louis Chamber Soloists, an elite musician-led chamber orchestra. She collaborates on educational concerts and maintains a private studio .
Sam Moraes
Violin
Carolina Neves
viola
Ranya Iqbal
Cello
St. Louis cellist Ranya Iqbal maintains a busy performance schedule and an eclectic mix of musical output. She performs regularly with Union Avenue Opera, Winter Opera, and the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis. Recently, she performed with Stages St. Louis for the world premiere of The Karate Kid the Musical. Additionally, she is a founding member of the Zafira String Quartet, the first and only electric string quartet in St. Louis. She is also the principal cellist and co-founder of the conductorless chamber orchestra, the St. Louis Chamber Soloists. In addition to orchestral and chamber work, Ranya is often collaborating with great local Jazz, Hip-Hop, World, and Folk musicians in special concerts and on albums. She regularly records as a session cellist in many of the St. Louis recording studios. Outside of performing, most of Ranya’s time is spent working with the St. Louis String Collective, an educational non-profit she co-founded with two other St. Louis string musicians. The St. Louis String Collective promotes creative, multi-genre string instrument playing through educational programming and performance opportunities . https://linktr.ee/ranyacello