Pittsburgh String Quartet for Weddings and Special Events

Alyssa Pysola is a freelance flute player and teacher in Pittsburgh, PA. She regularly works with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Voces Solis, and the West Virginia Symphony. Before moving to Pittsburgh, she was a member of the U. S. Army Field Band in Washington, D.C., which performs concert and recital tours around the United States. Ms. Pysola received her Bachelor of Music from Duquesne University and her Master of Music from Indiana University, Bloomington campus. 

Olga Taimanov began her musical studies on viola as a native of Saint Petersburg, Russia,
where she attended the Special Music School for Gifted Children. She has a Master of Music
degree from the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory and an Artist Diploma from Duquesne
University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Before moving to the United States in 2000, Ms. Taimanov held numerous orchestra positions in Russia and Israel. She was the Principal Violist of the Saint Petersburg Chamber Orchestra “Mozarteum and toured extensively with them and Principal Viola of the State Symphony Orchestra “Klassica.” She was also Associate Principal Viola of the Israel Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra and performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under world famed conductors, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Yuri Temirkanov, Lorin Maazel, and Mariss Jansons, and many others.

Currently, Ms. Taimanov devotes the majority of her time to teaching violin and viola students and maintains a large studio in Pittsburgh. She is a faculty member of the Carnegie Mellon
University, Preparatory School, the position she has held since 2005, faculty member at
Johnstonbaugh's Music Center and a faculty member at "InterHarmony" International Music Festival (Germany/Italy).

Ms.Taimanov’s students achieved many honors and held principal positions in local Pittsburgh Youth orchestras, such as the Carnegie Mellon Young Artist Orchestra, Three Rivers Young People's Orchestra, Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as other Great Pittsburgh area orchestras, including PMEA Honors, District, Regional and State orchestras.

Chinese violist Si Yu received her Bachelor of Music degree from China’s Central Conservatory
and Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University where she was admitted as a whole scholarship student under the mentorship of Mr. David Harding. During her time at Carnegie Mellon, she was a member of the Matisse String Quartet which won Pittsburgh Concert Society major audition. She was invited to perform for the royal family of Qatar in Doha. Ms. Yu is currently a member of the Erie Philharmonic and an all female chamber group-- Kassia Ensemble. She has appeared at the Pacific Music Festival, Banff Centre, Beethoven Institute, Heifetz Institute and the Schleswig- Holstein Musik Festival. Ms. Yu played with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as section viola in 2018-2020 and she is still a regular substitute of the orchestra.

Cellist Katya Janpoladyan - Born and raised in Armenia, Ms. Janpolayan is a performer whose talents and musical passion extend beyond the stage. Audiences worldwide have enjoyed her numerous studio albums, countless national and international performances, and live radio appearances. Her teaching prowess has garnered international demand and she has taught masterclasses in the U.S., China, and Chile.

Ms. Janpoladyan is the founder, Executive Director, and cellist of Kassia Ensemble, a non-profit organization. Kassia Ensemble is a chamber music group comprised exclusively of women which promotes women’s contribution to classical music. Ms. Janpoladyan’s mission to serve social justice continues to serve Pittsburgh, where she created and is directing the PERSPECTIVES Festival of Chamber Music, created to amplify the voices of musicians of color, scheduled to launch in June 2022. Ms. Janpoladyan has also developed programs to serve aspiring musicians in the Pittsburgh area. She founded the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra’s Summer Chamber Music Seminar and has been its Artistic Director since its inception in 2016.  

Ms. Janpoladyan has collaborated with artists such as Cyrus Forough, James Dunham, Yehuda Hanani, Ross Harbaugh, Awadagin Pratt, Piotr Milewsky, and the Montclair Quartet. She has been featured as a soloist performing with the Yerevan Chamber Orchestra, the Camerata San Marco (NY), and the Mary Miller Dance Company. She has been a featured performer with the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and was a cellist in residence with the Charlotte New Music Festival. Ms. Janpoladyan can be heard on albums “Reverie”, “Presence” “Songs from the Lake Volta” and frequently on the Classical WQED Pittsburgh.