About Us
Fountain City String Quartet
32
Meet our musicians
Carmen Aguilar
Violin
Carmen (Dieker) Aguilar is a versatile musician based in Kansas City. Spanning multiple genres, Carmen has made a name for herself in the local music scene through her emotive performances and ability to adapt in various musical settings. She tours with an alt-American trio, Barnaby Bright, performs her ethereal solo project (Meyadi), and works as a freelance musician all over the country. In addition to performing with the Fountain City String Quartet, Carmen elevates galas and corporate events (sometimes even riding a ripstik while playing violin) with DJ Ashton Martin, Quixotic, Lost Wax, and Twice on Sunday. She has also performed with internationally touring bands, including Lord Huron, Michael Buble, TransSiberian Orchestra, Lindsey Stirling, and The Eagles. Known for her ability to blend a variety of musical styles—ranging from classical to contemporary genres—Carmen blends her skills of improvisation and adaptability across multiple instruments to bring a unique voice and presence to every gig, from synagogues and churches to soundbaths to weddings, corporate events, curated shows, and more.
Matthew Bennett
Violin
Violinist Matthew Bennett is a founding member of the Fountain City String Quartet which performs standard quartet repertoire, film music, and dazzling arrangements of pop music throughout the region. Matthew has been a member of orchestras in the US and Europe including the Omaha Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Eutin Opera Orchestra in Germany, New Generations Orchestra in Italy, and Animato Der Stiftung in Switzerland. As a chamber musician, Matthew has collaborated with Owen/Cox Dance Group, Kansas City Chorale, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, New Ear Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and Spire Chamber Ensemble. Matthew has enjoyed many historically informed performances with the Kansas City Baroque Consortium, the University of Kansas, and Spire Chamber Ensemble’s Baroque Orchestra. As a champion of new music, Matthew has premiered works for violin by the L.A. composer, Joshua Peterson and Grammy-winning composer, Michael Colina in New York City. He has premiered new chamber works with New Ear Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and composer Brad Cox with Owen/Cox Dance Group. Performing recitals brought Matthew to the stages of Morse Concert Hall at The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music | The New School, Art in the Loop, The Lied Center of Kansas, and local concert series. Matthew has been the Concertmaster for local and touring musicals at Starlight Theater, Music Hall Kansas City, and the Kauffman Center.
Alyssa Bell
Viola
Alyssa Bell Jackson is an American violist, arts leader, and music advocate based in the Kansas City area. With a career that bridges performance, education, and nonprofit leadership, she is deeply committed to expanding access to music while championing Kansas City’s rich and evolving musical culture.
Alyssa currently serves as Executive Director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, where she leads the organization’s fundraising, operations, and long-term strategy. She oversees institutional growth, financial sustainability, and cross-sector partnerships, while working closely with musicians and artistic leadership to shape creative vision into organizational priorities. In collaboration with board members, donors, and community partners, she advances KCJO’s mission and expands its impact locally and nationally.
As a performer, Alyssa has appeared with the Kansas City Symphony, numerous regional orchestras, and touring artists including The Eagles, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Lindsey Stirling, Josh Groban, and Rod Stewart. She has also recorded with artists such as Boyz II Men, The Freedom Affair, and The Project H, and continues to work as a versatile freelance musician across classical, jazz, pop, and commercial genres.
A dedicated educator, Alyssa has taught private violin and viola since 2009 and co-founded Soundwave Music Academy in 2019, an enrichment program emphasizing chamber music training and music theory. She has served as Adjunct Professor of Violin and Viola at Northwest Missouri State University and William Jewell College, and remains passionate about mentoring young musicians and fostering inclusive music education.
Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance and her Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Victoria Chiang. While in Baltimore, she worked with the Baltimore Symphony, OrchKids, Occasional Symphony, and Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and attended the Aspen Music Festival for orchestral studies. Her additional training includes chamber music and masterclasses at the Heartland Music Academy and the Orford Centre d’Arts, where she studied with Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot.
In addition to her leadership and collaborative work, Alyssa is a founding member of the Fountain City String Quartet who performs regularly in Kansas City and the surrounding region, and continues to develop her voice as a writer and arranger for string ensembles and cross-genre projects.
Sascha Groschang
Cello
Sascha Groschang, cellist, has performed extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall numerous times, and gave her solo debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2009. She has been a soloist and lecturer at the Thailand International Composition Festival, performed for the King of Malaysia with the Kuala Lumpur International Festival Orchestra, and traveled all across China on two tours with the Mantovani Pops Orchestra. She has shared the stage with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, The Eagles, Vince Gill, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Michael Bublé, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Sarah Mclachlan, Idina Menzel, Amy Grant and her recording credits include NBC, Atlantic, and Rhino Records. Sascha is the cellist and co-composer of the alternative string duo, “The Wires”, which explores a variety of non-traditional string techniques and styles through original compositions. The Wires have released three full length albums and their arrangements and original compositions are published with Mel Bay Publishing Co. They were also co-hosts/curators of “Sound Currents” on 91.9 ClassicalKC for 2 years – a weekly radio program that explored a broad range of new music. In addition, Sascha is principal cellist of NewEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, dedicated to playing the works of living composers. In 2022, she joined the St. Petersburg String Quartet. Their accolades include a Grammy nomination, “Best Record” honors in both Stereo Review and Gramophone, a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and hundreds of concerts on many of North America, Europe and Asia’s most prestigious series and festivals. Since joining, the group has performed in Estonia, Kazakhstan, France, Germany, Israel and across the United States. In 2023, Sascha also joined the Fountain City String Quartet, which performs across the Midwest with classical and pop Candlelight Concerts. Sascha lives in midtown Kansas City with her husband, four Persian cats, and two daughters. www.cellolady.com