2016 Ad Astra String Quartet

Out of the many mediums of performing, violinist Michael Cervantes is drawn to the intimate nature of chamber music. Favorite previous collaborations and performances include the Schumann Piano Quintet, Grieg String Quartet and Brahms Viola Quintets. Michael currently studies violin in his home state at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of renowned violinist and pedagogue Julia Bushkova on modern violin and Cynthia Roberts on Baroque Violin. He has participated in masterclasses with Axel Strauss and Fredi Gerling, as well as coachings with Paula Bird, Bruce Berg, George Papich, and Steve Harlos. Through the UNT Early Music program, Michael has had the opportunity to perform at the Boston Early Music Festival along with being a featured soloist in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins within the past year. Besides being active in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he has also performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. Michael is looking forward to upcoming solo and chamber performances including works by Biber, Bach, Conus, contemporary composer Kenji Bunch and more. 

Jasmine Gomez is a violinist studying Music Performance at the University of North Texas. She studies with brilliant violinist and teacher, Julia Bushkova. Jasmine enjoys performing around the Dallas area as well in her hometown of El Paso. She has participated in masterclasses with Soovin Kim, Ik-Hwan Bae, MingHuang Xu, Jinjoo Cho, Faure Quartet, and the Baumer Quartet. Also majoring in Music Education, Jasmine dedicates her time both to teaching and her studies. She plans to student teach and graduate in the fall of 2017. Currently she is working on Grieg, Wieniawski, Haydn, and more for her upcoming recitals and chamber performances at UNT.  Enjoying a wide range of repertoire, she also performs pop music and musical theatre. 

Julius Adams is a sophomore pursuing a degree in viola performance at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). He studies with Rudolf Haken and Elizabeth Freivogel, violist of the Jupiter String Quartet. Julius’ orchestral achievements include performances with some of the world’s most prestigious youth orchestras including the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and the American National Honors Performance Series Orchestra. He has performed at venues across the United States and China including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and the Oriental Arts Centre in Shanghai. Julius is currently co-principal violist of University of Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Julius also actively performs in chamber ensembles at the university and is coached by members of the Jupiter String Quartet. Julius was a member of Chicago Youth Symphony’s Giving Trills String Trio coached by MingHuan Xu and members of the Kontras Quartet.

Alyssa Aubuchon will be a junior at Truman State University studying cello performance and is in the studio of Brian Kubin. She performs with the Truman State University Orchestra, Truman State President's String Quartet, and previously with the Kansas City Youth Symphony, the Stanford Youth Orchestra, the Missouri All-State Orchestra, and the Kansas City String Quartet program. She has toured Europe with ensembles twice and participated in masterclasses with Yo Yo Ma and members of the St. Louis Symphony. She was a finalist in Truman State's Gold Medal Competition and a winner of the Heritage Philharmonic Concerto Competition. This summer she will participate in the Rocky Ridge Young Artist Seminar in addition to being the cellist in the Ad Astra String Quartet.