About Us
5280 String Quartet
6
About Us
Chris Menter
Violin
Syracuse native Chris Menter began playing violin at age 8 in her public school’s orchestra program. By high school she was a proud “orch dork” and chose to spend many free periods (and perhaps some math classes) practicing alone on stage in the auditorium. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College and a Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Chris is principal second violin of the Fort Collins Symphony and Boulder Chamber Orchestra, and performs with Opera Colorado, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, and Pro Musica Colorado, and is a violinist with 5280 String Quartet. Chris has built a multi-faceted career as a musician in Denver. In addition to teaching private violin and viola students, she is personnel manager and librarian for Boulder Chamber Orchestra and Director of Live Music for dj Maestro. Although she has resided in the Denver-Boulder area since 2003, Chris still experiences “wait, I live in Colorado?!” moments thanks to the natural beauty of our state. She enjoys hiking and wishes she could spend more time exploring the mountains.
Mary Evans
Violin
Mary Malizia Evans is a musician, administrator and educator based in Colorado Springs, CO. A violinist since age 8, Mary holds a Bachelor’s Degree from University of Oregon and a Master’s from the CU Boulder, where she studied with Harumi Rhodes of the Takács Quartet. Since graduating, she has set to work building a career out of the many aspects of music she loves, making sure to follow her passion for theater, opera and ballet as well as symphonic and chamber music. She is a member of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the Colorado Ballet Orchestra as well as Sphere Ensemble in Denver, and has performed with Opera Colorado, Colorado Symphony, Opera Theater of the Rockies, and other ensembles all over the Front Range. During the summers she spends most of her time performing as a member of Listeso’s 5280 String Quartet. She also teaches privately and coaches chamber ensembles, which allows her to share her love of music with students of all ages. When she is not working you can usually find her in the kitchen making far too much food for friends, lost in a good book, or curled up on the couch with her knitting watching movies or TV.
Allyson Stibbards
Viola
Allyson Stibbards joined the Altius Quartet in June of 2020, and is a member of the 5280 String Quartet. A native to Colorado, she began playing the violin at the age of five and viola at
the age of ten. She has been a soloist with the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Longmont Symphony Orchestra, and Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra. Allyson received her Bachelors degree from the University of Colorado in 2018. She continued her studies at the New England Conservatory and received her Masters in Music Performance
in the spring of 2020. Allyson had the opportunity to study with incredible violists such as Geraldine Walther, Erika Eckert, Cathy Basrak, Stephen Wyrczynski, and Jeff Irvine. She has spent her summers at the Aspen Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Tanglewood. She has also been a substitute at the New World Symphony and a participant at
the New York String Orchestra Seminar. Community engagement has been an important part of Allyson’s work over the past few years. At NEC, she was a storytelling fellow and an ensemble fellow in the Community Programs and Partnerships program. The concerts she performed as part of this program were geared towards children of diverse backgrounds and took place in schools and libraries across Boston. In addition to music, Allyson enjoys camping, yoga, and hiking with her dog Ryder.
Erin Patterson
Cello
Denver based cellist Erin Patterson enjoys a multi-faceted career teaching and performing across Colorado’s Front Range. She is a member of the Boulder Philharmonic, Central City Opera, and the Sphere Ensemble, and regularly performs with Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet. A dedicated teacher, Erin is trained in the world-renowned Suzuki method and maintains an active studio in Lafayette, CO. Solo appearances include performances with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, CCM Orchestra, UBC Chamber Orchestra, and most recently the Colorado premier of Anna Clyne’s cello concerto, Dance, with the Boulder Symphony Orchestra. She holds degrees in cello performance from the University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music and McGill University. Her most influential teachers include Alan Rafferty, Avi Friedlander, and Matt Haimovitz.