About Us
Bella Musica is a notably respected and sought after professional string ensemble based in North Georgia. We are highly trained, degreed musicians who have played together for over twenty five years.
Heather Strachan
Heather Baird-Strachan, violinist, mainly studied in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, under Sally Thomas, Anne Setzer, Michael Davis, Jaropolk Lassowsky, and Paul Sladek. She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from The Ohio State University, where she was concertmaster of the touring orchestra, under Robert Shaw, for the Robert Shaw Choral Institute. Ms. Strachan is a former member of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, Georgia Sinfonia, Macon Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and the Brevard Chamber Orchestra (NC). She is a former substitute for the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra (SC), Asheville Symphony Orchestra (NC), and the Augusta Symphony Orchestra (GA). She is a regular solo recitalist in the tri-state area and a clinician and lecturer; especially in helping young musicians with stage fright.
Ms. Strachan is concertmaster of the GAMAC Orchestra, ("Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium“) (SC). She performs and contracts for weddings and other events with her string ensemble, Bella Musica, as well as other Northeast Georgia organizations. She has a home studio of violin, piano, and music theory students in Clarkesville. As well as being a founding member of the Piedmont Camerata as Artist-in-Residence at Piedmont College, Ms. Strachan is also adjunct strings faculty there. She also holds adjunct string faculty positions at Toccoa Falls College and Truett-McConnell University, where she is director of the string orchestra.
Wendy B. Baker
Wendy (Bassett Bratton) Baker received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, where she studied cello with renowned cellist and teacher, Louis Potter. Graduate work at Eastern Michigan University followed. Through the years, she has performed as a member of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Port Huron/Sarnia International Symphony, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Chamber Orchestra, Austin Community Orchestra and twenty-seven years with the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra.
Mrs. Baker plays in a variety of other ensembles, including Piedmont College, North Georgia University, Truett McConnell University and church and community groups throughout North Georgia, sometimes serving as soloist or musician contractor as well. Besides performing, Mrs. Baker taught cello and piano students for many years, as well as violin and cello classes for students at two of the Hall County elementary schools. She continues to enjoy teaching cello students of all ages through Preparatory Music, Incorporated at Brenau University.
Elizabeth Jobson
Elizabeth Monroe Jobson received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance, from Louisiana State Univerity, where she studied with Sally O'Reilly. She participated in several summer music programs, including Tanglewood Youth Orchestra, Sewannee, and Congress of Strings. While working on a DMA at UGA, she studied with Alexander Ross, served as concertmaster of the UGA Symphony, and performed in numerous chamber ensembles. After moving to Gainesville, she joined the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra, occasionally performing as concertmaster, and played with them until the orchestra folded. Originally, she taught at the Brenau Suzuki School, but she now runs a private studio, which has included all five of her children. She has been a soloist and ensemble musician for numerous weddings, theater productions, and community orchestras throughout northeast Georgia. She has played with the South Arkansas Symphony, the LSU Symphony, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Alexandria (Louisiana) Symphony, and the Augusta Symphony.
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn W. Jones studied violin in New York, Tennessee and Ohio under Teri Einfeldt, Ruth Iogha, Hiroko Driver, Peter Horodysky and Alejandro Mendoza. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Crane School of Music, State University of New York where she was part of a scholarship quartet that performed during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Carolyn has a Master of Music in violin with emphasis in Suzuki Strings Techniques from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She is a former clinician for Suzuki workshops all over the southeast. She has played professionally with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra in SC, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and GAMAC Chamber Orchestra in SC. She currently performs with Bella Musica Strings, contracts as a violinist in Atlanta and southeastern US and is a private violin instructor.