A quick note on biographies...

​Writing about yourself is hard! So, students in our high school program learn to write biographies through writing about each other. Each biography below is written by someone else in the group after an interview and multiple rounds of drafts, peer review, and revisions.

Gilbert Town Fiddlers | 2024-2025

High School Program | 2024-2025

Middle School Program | 2024-2025

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Ariane Nannenga builds an impressive musical background as a sophomore at Gilbert High School, playing violin for five years and exploring fiddling for three with her private teacher Christy Porter. She offers an impressive musical background, playing violin and ukulele, often performing in her church ensemble. Along with her extensive musical background, Ariane often writes articles about her school in the Newspaper Club. As caring as she is hardworking, Ariane aspires to help communities by becoming a licensed psychopathologist at Stanford. 

​Written by Arianne Rencher

Arianne Rencher, a sophomore at Red Mountain High School, is a fantastic member of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers, now coming to theatres near you as a violist! In addition to playing the viola, she plays the violin, the piano, and the harp. Ari has two private teachers, Taylor Morris and Ryan Grieser. Being the fabulous musician that she is, Ari has made both Regional and All-State Orchestras. A jack of all trades, Arianne also loves dancing. Her passion is ballet, but she does several other kinds as well. Arianne would love to go into biomed when she is older, and hopes to study at either Brigham Young University or Arizona State University. In addition to all of her fantastic accomplishments, she has such a bright and amazing personality, definitely a joy to be around if you ever get the chance. 

​Written by Katelyn Stowe

The Gilbert Town Fiddlers are thrilled to have Bella Giauque continue sharing her incredible talent with us! Bella is an 18-year-old senior at Highland High School whose love for music started early—her parents met in a youth symphony, and Bella began playing violin at just 3 years old. By age 10, she had added fiddling to her repertoire and was playing in a band with her friends called Vintage Strings.
Bella’s musical talents don’t stop at the violin. She also plays the guitar, ukulele, and viola. Her passion for music extends beyond performance—she teaches violin lessons and participates in United Sound, a group at her school that helps students with special needs learn to play instruments. Bella’s impressive musical journey includes performing at Carnegie Hall for the American Protégé competition, a testament to her incredible dedication and skill.
When she’s not making music, Bella enjoys being a member of Highland’s Dance program, painting, and watching all kinds of movies—especially romance, Disney, action, and comedy films. She also loves spending time with her many pets, which include five cats, two dogs, and a bird. After high school, Bella plans on serving a mission for her church and then attending college where she will continue to pursue music. Bella’s dream is to have a family and to continue sharing her passion for fiddle and dance. 
We are so lucky to have Bella’s talent, kindness, and enthusiasm as part of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers.
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Written by Brooklyn German

The brilliant bassist Brendan Schaefer is back for another year with GTF! His bass journey began only three years ago, but in that time studying with Nathan Benitez, he has become quite the accomplished musician. He has fiddled for his entire upright bass career, but he also plays a wide variety of genres, and additionally doesn’t limit himself to solely upright bass, dabbling in guitar, bass guitar, and piano too. Similarly, Brendan enjoys listening to a large variety of different music too, from soundtracks of movies to Olivia Rodrigo to Dvorak.
Outside of music, Brendan is just as interesting. Right in character, he doesn’t limit himself to just a few hobbies, instead spreading his interests across many different activities. He plays chess, makes Youtube videos, codes, and runs cross country, all on top of his rigorous school schedule! Even though Brendan is only a sophomore, he loaded up on APs this year, relishing the challenge the courses provide. He particularly appreciates engineering, specifically the robotics and coding aspect of it, and because of that, is in the robotics club at school. Despite his crazy life filled with various interests, Brendan still finds time to hang out with his two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister, and would love nothing more than to just sit with them and talk over a delicious lasagna dinner. 
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By: Charlie Pabst

Meet Caden Rencher, a talented cellist who's been playing for 10 years. Caden is currently a senior at Red Mountain High School, and is going into his second year at GTF. Aside from his school’s Symphony Orchestra and GTF, Caden enjoys playing in his MC03 festive Christmas orchestra. He's also an active member of his school, you can often find him in swim meets, the robotics lab, or creating help forms for his link crew club! 

Caden has a strong love for anything airplane related, he even flies his own! This led him to join the Civil Air Patrol Scouts, where he's surrounded by others with the same interests. In-fact Caden loves airplanes so much he wants it to be his future. After his missions, Caden is to become a flight pilot and soar the skies, listening to Taylor Swift in style.

Honestly, he's one of the sweetest guys you'll ever meet. He doesn't hesitate to help those around him and it's really charming. Despite being an amazing cellist, and even better fiddler, Caden is so down to earth, it's an honor, and amazing to work with him. 
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Written by Carsten Werner

One of GTF’s longest-standing members, Carsten Werner, is a current senior in ASU’s online Preparatory Academy. He is a talented violist, honing his craft over 14 years of study. Combined with natural talent, years of playing in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and with a private teacher have made him an undeniably skilled musician. The world of fiddle music took his interest around 5 years ago, and he has been a member of GTF for 3 years. He is known for his unique ability to learn songs very quickly by ear; he often finds himself easily repeating music by memory, after only a brief taste of a tune. Not only that, Carsten also has a year of guitar experience. Outside of practice and performing, Carsten enjoys a broad range of music, including artists like Emcee KB and Claire Rosinkranz. 

Besides his extensive involvement in music, Carsten is very social and appreciates the finer things in life. A comprehensive range of fields including psychology, cooking, beach volleyball, board games (casually mentioning he won a chess tournament in school!), and cooking. The latter is an activity where he really shines, dabbling in several cultures’ culinary arts. Carsten, already being fluent in Chinese and currently learning French and Malaya, hopes to someday travel the world. He has lived in East and South Asia, and is determined to visit Europe - specifically the Netherlands. Pursuing his strong talent and love for music, Carsten also aims to help others by realizing a career as a musical therapist.
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Written by Caden Rencher

The Gilbert Town Fiddlers are overjoyed to have Charlie Pabst rocking away on the cello, staying humble and kind even with his massive accomplishments through his 12 YEARS of playing cello! Charlie has been learning from Wesley Skinner in private cello lessons, preparing for auditions and practicing vigorously. Taking private lessons with such a fantastic teacher has helped Charlie accomplish so much in his high school years. He bested two doctorates in cello performance to earn a spot in the Arizona Philharmonic’s cello section, he played in the Phoenix Youth Symphony, and he was the principal cellist of Interlochen Arts Camp as well as the Brevard Music Center Camp. Charlie aims to pursue a degree in engineering for college and plans to continue playing cello even as he moves on from GTF and high school after this year. 

Charlie is currently a senior at McClintock High School, and enjoys playing on the volleyball team there as he has for the past three years. Most of his time is spent practicing cello, preparing for volleyball games, playing chess, and training for his dive team. Some fun facts about Charlie are that he has six siblings and that he does not listen to music, despite being an exceptional musician! Anyone who hears Charlie play will notice how talented he is at playing both classical and folk music, but behind the cello is someone with a sweet personality who you can spend hours talking with. His final year in the Gilbert Town Fiddlers will be amazing!
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By: Brendan Schaefer

Meet Grace Guthrie, a spirited senior at Dobson High School and an 18-year-old violinist whose musical journey began 12 years ago. A career-long student of Heidi Wright and currently training under Jennie Rhodes, Grace brings depth and passion to every performance. She's played with the Youth Symphony of the Southwest, sung with Millennial Choirs and Orchestra, and explored the art of chamber music at the Tetra Chamber Music Institute.
As a first year Gilbert Town Fiddler, Grace contributes so much skill and creativity to the group. But Grace’s talents and interests stretch far beyond the violin. She also plays piano, lifts weights, hikes Arizona trails, and whips up Ninja Creami ice cream between lifeguarding shifts for the City of Mesa. When she’s not making music or mastering ceramics, you might find her thrifting, playing card games with friends, or savoring a plate of Greek Gyros—her ultimate comfort food.
Grace’s favorite fiddle style leans into the rich, expressive tradition of Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, and she’s inspired by both their albums and the artistry of the Haas sisters. She finds joy in both creativity and clarity—shown by her love for self-help and psychology books, and her favorite classic, The Princess Bride.
After graduation, Grace will head to ASU as a violin performance major and a proud member of Barrett, the Honors College. She also plans to serve a church mission after her first year. Her favorite life lesson? “Don’t worry about things you can’t control. You are in control of your time and the choices you make. You get to choose the life you want to live.” Grace is certainly living hers with heart, purpose, and plenty of music.
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Written by Hannah Buresh

Hannah Buresh, 18, has been playing the violin for seven years and is currently a senior at Desert Mountain high school. She has been fiddling for five years and loves playing in her church orchestra, taking fiddle gigs, and teaching occasional fiddle lessons. Hannah studied with Taylor Morris for four years, expanding her musical knowledge on the violin. Not only does Hannah play the violin but she also excels at the guitar and ukulele. In addition to her musical endeavors, Hannah also has a deep passion for athletics! She is currently an athletic training intern with HonorHealth where she spends seven hours after school assisting with physical therapy and injury rehabilitation. She enjoys both playing and watching volleyball as well as working out at the gym. When she’s not at the gym, you can often find Hannah jamming out to her favorite country and Christian artists like Luke Combs, Riley Green, and Jason Aldean while cooking her favorite Korean dish, kimbap. Rumor has it she will often bribe her friends with delicious baked goods. In the coming years, Hannah plans to attend a well respected exercise science school where she aspires to study athletic training and medicine or become a trauma surgeon. GTF is so lucky to have Hannah in her fourth year with the group!
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Written by Grace Guthrie

Jameson Parker, a man of many unique and spectacular talents, is sixteen and a senior at the Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy for Gifted Students (or H.Y.S.A. for short). For the past thirteen years of his life, Jameson has played the violin, although he has only explored fiddle styles for the past six years. For the past few years, he has studied with Taylor Morris, allowing him to achieve his current and fantastic skill level. Along with the violin, Jameson has learned an absurd amount of other instruments, including the piano, organ, mandolin, ukulele, and, best of all, the kazoo. When playing these instruments, Jameson has also learned to sing, allowing him to sing the melody of songs and play the chords at the same time. 

Along with his gift in music, Jameson is also known for his intellect. His dream job, one of which is economist, involves some sort of math. To continue, Jameson has also done multiple math competitions in his experience at H.Y.S.A., doing amazing in all of them. He also enjoys participating in Quiz Bowl matches, one of these matches leading his team to the nationals. In GTF, though, Jameson is currently most famous for his strange love of the famous fiddle tune, “The Crawdad Song.” which he taught fellow GTF students to play and sing at our summer retreat.
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Written by Sam Smith

Katelyn Stowe is currently 16 and attending Higley High School as a junior. She has been a member of the Gilbert Town Fiddlers for 2 years now as a remarkable cellist. She has been exploring cello for 5 years with her teacher Sarah Langford. Katelyn not only participates in the Gilbert Town Fiddlers but also in the Tetra Chamber Music Institute, helping her further her cello skills. Other than playing in her school orchestra, she was also elected vice president of her school’s orchestra’s council. Outside of orchestra she participates in Future Doctors Club, Art Club, and Track and Field.

When she isn’t keeping up with her cello studies or after school clubs, Katelyn participates in various other activities. Just a few examples include practicing her piano, and baking her favorite desserts, which at the moment is chocolate cake. She is also recognized as an incredible and talented artist who enjoys drawing. In addition to  being an amazing artist, piano player, and baker, she excels at languages. She has taken Latin for four years and is currently learning Scottish Gaelic. Katelyn is more than a sum of these skills though, she is funny, creative , and always a great person. To spend time with. Katelyn has traveled all over the world with her school’s orchestra and family! These many places include Greece, Italy and all over the USA(as well as Hawaii!). When she is older she not only  hopes to be an architect and is even considering studying abroad. The Gilbert town fiddlers can not wait for another amazing year with our kind-hearted Katelyn Stowe!
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Written by: Ariane Nannega

Kiyana Ghersini is a fun, crochet-loving junior at Mesquite High. She has been playing her chosen instrument, the violin, for 6 exciting years. Kiyana also plays the string bass and the bass guitar. She is 16 years old and finally getting to drive. At school, she participates in extracurricular activities like her school orchestra and the golf team. She is currently taking some difficult AP classes like Pre-Calculus, Physics, and History. When Kiyana is able to go to college, she wants to go into professional music of some sort. We at GTF are so lucky to have Kiyana with us for the 3rd year in a row!
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Written by Madeline Thompson

GTF is delighted to introduce Lenore Carey, a driven and talented violist. As a junior in her home school, she has already accomplished so much! Lenore has played viola since 2021 and violin since 2020. Her musical talents also extend to guitar, piano, and ukulele, and she even did a stint on saxophone. She has played in MYS for 2 seasons and plays the electric guitar in a Weezer cover band. Lenore is an amazing audio engineer/producer, music marketer, and songwriter. Currently in her second year of the Radio/Audio Production program at EVIT, Lenore is the program director at 88.7 The Pulse (KVIT-FM), America’s #1 high school radio station. She also hosts The Gatekeepers, an Arizona local music show (1 of 2 shows in Phoenix dedicated to local music) and was nominated for the following John Drury High School Radio Awards: Best PSA (autism awareness), Best Sportscast, Best Public Affairs show (for an interview with Fran Mallace, President of Make-A-Wish Arizona), Radio Station of the Year and Broadcaster of the Year (she will find out if she won these awards in November). And if this wasn’t already enough, she also has 3 dogs (2 Weimaraners and a Lab-shar Pei mix) and two African spotted frogs. She shows dogs in AKC and is the secretary of the Valley of the Sun Weimaraner Club. But dogs are not all! Lenore also used to breed Guinea pigs for 4-H, holds two national titles for guinea pig knowledge, and is one of the youngest people ever to have a cavy registrar’s license from the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Lenore enjoys paddle boarding in the sun on the peaceful Saguaro Lake. Her ideal vacation would be a peaceful quiet forest with a lake and a scrumptious bowl of ice cream and maybe even watching her favorite show X-Files. Her other favorite things include Frappuccinos, reading about finance, and volunteering on the production team at Generation Church. She also is a political journalist, attending events and covering local politics, and holds a HAM radio license: KK7NHY. Next year, she plans to start college for electrical engineering. Her favorite piece of advice: you can’t do ordinary things and expect extraordinary results. 
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Written by Samantha Manning

Gilbert Town Fiddlers is extremely excited to have 16-year-old Madeline Thompson join another year. Madeline, a junior at Heritage Academy High School, is in her 7th year of playing the violin. She has been a part of GTF for a very long time because she was in the middle school program when it first started. Not only has she been playing violin, but she has also been playing the piano since she was very young. Recently, Madeline has been taking lessons with Jamie Platt. She wants to go to business school, and after she graduates she already going to have 2 associate's degrees. She loves to read while admiring her pet fish, Shooting Star. Madeline is very fun, caring, and loveable and GTF looks forward to seeing what she does this year.
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Written by Kiyana Ghersini

We are enthralled to welcome back vivacious violist, Oceana Anders, for her second season with the Gilbert Town Fiddlers! Oceana is a 16-year-old sophomore at Gilbert High School and performs with the school’s prestigious Symphony Orchestra. Ever since she began playing the viola six years ago, Oceana’s love for music has motivated her to expand her repertoire by diving into the worlds of classical music, which she performs in orchestra, and fiddling, which she is currently exploring in our very own program! If you were to look into Oceana’s playlist, you would find an incredibly diverse selection of music, including but most definitely not limited to: Gracie Abrams, an influential pop artist, The Fretless, an innovative Canadian fiddle quartet, pop icon Taylor Swift, and modern jazz artist Laufey. However, Oceana’s interests go far deeper than just her passion for music. She can often be found working tirelessly, blue Gatorade in hand, on her variety of writing projects as one of the editors of Gilbert High’s yearbook and a notable staff member of the Tiger Tribune newspaper. In fact, Oceana aspires to attend university for journalism! Oceana’s fun-loving personality and humor lifts the mood in any atmosphere, and she is a loyal, fantastic friend to everyone she meets. As a senior Girl Scout, Oceana is highly involved in giving back to her community! Her favorite part of being in Girl Scouts is bonding with her friends and getting to live through incredible experiences she wouldn’t have done otherwise (though the thin mints are pretty great, too). A humongous history fan, Oceana loves to read about historical events and someday wishes to visit the infamous Palace of Versailles in France. She also enjoys Van Gogh’s artwork and hopes to see his paintings in person. Even beyond writing, music, and history lies Oceana’s number-one love in life: her dog P-Nut! Between her myriad of interests and hysterical sense of humor, Oceana is easy to become friends with and is loved by many. We are thrilled to have such an exciting, lively, and beloved member of our organization back at GTF for another season! 

Written by Reegan Van Patten

The Gilbert Town Fiddlers are ecstatic to welcome the radiant Reegan Van Patten to our program! One of the few freshmen in Gilbert High’s symphony orchestra, she has been playing the bass for four years and exploring fiddling for three (a fun fact about Reegan is that she was a member of GTF’s own middle school program for two years!). She takes private lessons from one of GTF’s very own alumni, Adam Gurczak. When she isn’t rocking out on the bass, Reegan also enjoys playing piano and ukulele! Her love for music doesn’t end at playing it, she loves listening to it. You can find her listening to artists such as Queen, David Bowie, The Beatles, Weezer, and Wasia Project, an alt-pop jazz fusion duo. With Reegan’s passion for music, it’s no surprise she hopes to attend university at either ASU or in Boston for music education or music performance. 
Reegan has a multitude of other hobbies she loves to engage in that aren’t music related. An avid reader, some of Reegan’s favorite books include Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. With Reegan’s deep love of books, it’s no wonder that she is also a member of her school’s book club. She doesn’t just enjoy reading the words written by the pens of others though, she is a writer herself! Reegan is a talented staff member of Gilbert High’s student newspaper, The Tiger Tribune. She even aspires to write a book of her own one day! With all of these amazing accomplishments, Reegan still has one more. Reegan is a talented artist, creating all sorts of art, including jewelry, paintings, and drawings. 
When you talk to Reegan, it’s not hard to see why she is so beloved by her GTF peers. She is always there for you whether you need someone to laugh with or to talk to. The Gilbert Town Fiddlers are so lucky and thrilled to welcome Reegan to our community! 
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By: Oceana Anders

RYLIE LOWINGER is a senior and distinguished musician at Mountain View High School. With nine years of violin experience, she plays a vital role in her community. Rylie is a proud alum of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, where she dedicated seven years of her musical careerlife and received a Director's Award for her outstanding musical excellence. Currently, she is involved in a small ensemble that accompanies the Arizona Saints Chorale, bringing her exceptional talent to inspiring performances. In addition to the violin, Rylie has excelled at the harp, honing her skills for the past five years. 
Beyond the world of music, Rylie leads a life full of adventure and curiosity.  You might find her rigorously studying for ACDEC, fueled solely by caffeine, or perhaps you might not find her at all because she’s piloting a solo plane to Show Low while rocking out to her favorite alternative rock tunes. With her busy schedule, Rylie finds solace in curling up on the couch with her three dogs (Blaze, Cooper, and Piper), watching anything from calming iceberg videos to the intense drama of Hell’s Kitchen. She is captivated by contemporary musicals such as Hadestown and Heathers, enjoys immersing herself in a variety of novels, and loves working on intricate diamond puzzles. 
Always eager to connect, she never turns down an invitation to meet new people or spend time with friends. Rylie’s down-to-earth nature and warm energy make her a joy to be around. With her unwavering dedication and her infectious friendliness, Rylie is truly a fantastic addition to GTF.
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Written by: Sarah Jester

Multi-talented violinist Samantha Manning couldn’t be more excited for her first year with the Gilbert Town Fiddlers! This freshman at Mountain View High School never ceases to impress others with her skills in both music and sports. Although she has tried nearly every sport under the sun, her absolute favorite is tennis. It’s not uncommon for her to show up to GTF rehearsals after getting a few games in. 

Amazingly, Sami has studied the violin for over ten years. She currently takes lessons from GTF’s own Taylor Morris. In her school orchestra, Sami is known to dabble with the harp. She also had the honor of being named concertmaster of the Junior High Festival Orchestra for both years that she was in it. Sami also played in Metropolitan Youth Symphony for seven years. Once she graduates, Sami plans to become a violin teacher and introduce others to the wonderful world of music.

Outside of her musical studies, Sami can be found hiking, boating, skiing, and enjoying any other hobby which gets her outside. Always surrounded by friends, Sami admits that she could “talk about anything with anyone.” She is obsessed with regency-era romances (stories set in the medieval era), and the fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson. She has a self-described “crazy” music taste, but we think she’s just eclectic! Overall, Sami is a loving, positive friend, and we are so glad to have her joining us this year. Welcome to Gilbert Town Fiddlers, Sami!
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Written by Lenore Carey

We are delighted to have the incredible violinist Sarah Jester, a junior at Basha High School, joining us again for her 2nd year in the Gilbert Town Fiddlers! Sarah has been playing classical violin for six years, with experience in solo, chamber, and full orchestra work. She first took lessons with GTF alumna Olivia Breen, and for the past 3.5 years she has been learning from Taylor Morris. She has participated in Tetra String Quartets, and she applies that experience to her school orchestra, forming quartets with her friends and performing in the orchestra concerts. Additionally, she has been accompanying her school’s choir on the violin since her sophomore year. Sarah contributes to her orchestra as the council’s Media Historian, attending all musical events at school and doing photography for the Basha Orchestra Instagram page. Over the past two years, Sarah has been a proud member of the Regional Honor Orchestra! For Sarah, “music is everything.” While she makes a quiet first impression, you’ll find Sarah to be a kindhearted girl who is always caring for her peers. In her free time, she enjoys driving around town with her friends or spending time with her army of pets: three cats, three dogs, and a snake! She has exciting plans to double major in violin performance and civil engineering at ASU. Sarah has made an incredible impact in GTF with her fresh musical ideas and her warm character, and we're so glad to have her back this season!

Written by Katie Dancho