The Cummings Quartet is a northern Michigan-based ensemble of professionals who perform with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra and the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. Named after the benefactors of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program, the quartet serves as teachers and artistic representatives of the Gerber program throughout the region.
The Cummings Quartet is committed to mentoring students by demonstrating the art of performance and engaging in a variety of teaching activities, including The Cummings Quartet Chamber Music Camp. The resident ensemble of the DGSP has performed throughout the region, including for the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra Sunday Recital Series, the Park Church (Grand Rapids) Music at Mid-day Series, the Traverse Symphony Cordia Concert Series and at the historic Cheboygan Opera House.
First Violinist
David Reimer is the Director of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program and serves as the quartet’s first violinist. He has degrees in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Ohio State University and recently was a professor of violin and Director of String Studies at Calvin College.
Violinist
Rodrigo Zafani Quintana started his career in music in Sorocaba in 2004. He attended Brazil's best institutions, including the Conservatory of Music and Drama, "Dr. Carlos de Campos" in Tatui, and the School of Music of the State of Sao Paulo. His primary teachers and mentors at those schools are Graziella Pagotto and Emmanuelle Baldini. Quintana has recently finished his Master's degree in music performance under the tutelage of Dr. Laura Talbott-Clark at Oklahoma State University. Rodrigo received the Patti Johnson Wilson Foundation Fellowship in String Orchestral Performance in 2021 with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rodrigo has been teaching since 2012 in private studio and music school settings. Mr. Quintana has taught students from all ages, from six years to fifty-three years. His teaching philosophy brings the concept of an infinite learning process that connects with personal growth. Rodrigo is currently in the process of acquiring a comprehensive Suzuki teaching certification.
Violist
Dr. Ryellen Joaquim is an accomplished violist and educator with an international performance and teaching career. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Texas Tech University, where she received the Excellence in Strings Award (2024), as well as an Artist Diploma and Master of Music from Duquesne University. Her undergraduate training includes a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance from the Faculdade Mozarteum de São Paulo and a degree in Music Education from the Faculdades Integradas de Ariquemes. Dr. Joaquim has performed as both section and principal violist with orchestras including the Erie Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Americas, Orquestra Sinfônica do Heliópolis, Orquestra Jovem do Estado de São Paulo, and the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she has appeared at festivals throughout Brazil and has held teaching roles at Texas Tech University, where she instructed violin and viola, conducted an adult orchestra, maintained a private studio, and served as a youth orchestra conductor.
Cellist
Elizabeth earned a degree in Music Education from the University of Toledo after initial studies at Michigan State and has now been a member of the Traverse Symphony for 40 years. She has performed with nearly every orchestra in northern Michigan and was recently on the faculty of Northwestern Michigan College.
