Guest Artists

Paula Sisson Akbar attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and received her Master of Violin Performance degree from the Yale Graduate School of Music. Prior to joining the National Symphony Orchestra in 1991, she was a first violinist in the Oregon, New Haven, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Ms. Akbar has since performed with the 20th/21st Century Consort, the Library of Congress Summer Chamber Players, the Sunrise String Quartet, the National Chamber Players, and the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and is a founding member of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra.

A proponent of world and ethnic music, Ms. Akbar collects music from all around the world. She has since performed with Mexican musicians in San Miguel de Allende's Angela Peralta Theatre, toured to Costa Rica and Buenos Aires (and recorded a CD entitled "To Buenos Aires With Love") with the WAMMIE award-winning group QuinTango, in 2010 completed a two week cruise to the Caribbean as a member of the Symphonic Voyages Orchestra, and, with her (NSO) Viva Violins/Fiddle Sessions colleagues, has participated in almost every NSO United States Residency since 1992. Ms. Akbar is the creator of Madame Mavis Pugh's School of the Violin/Viva Violins Kinderkonzert, and Bears, Bears, Everywhere, NSO Teddy Bear programs which were presented in the Kennedy Center Family Theater for three consecutive seasons.

Ms. Akbar retired from the National Symphony in 2014. In Asheville, she is concertmaster of the Blue Ridge Orchestra and the 4 Seasons Chamber Orchestra in Hendersonville, is a member of the Cafe String Quartet, and performs regularly with the Carolina Primrose Quartet. Her violin is crafted by Black Mountain luthier Kate Rickenbacker.

Rhona Reagen was a music educator for over 40 years. She graduated with a BM and MS with honors and distinction from DePaul University. Rhona founded her private studio in 1980 in the Chicago area, and while her educational philosophy was Suzuki based she also received advanced training in the Rolland and O’Connor Methods. She frequently adjudicated local festivals and competitions including IMEA district auditions. She was a frequent presenter at IMEA and the National ASTA conference. Rhona was a founding member of Midwest Young Artists in Highwood, IL in 1992 and coached chamber music and conducted an orchestra there until her move to North Carolina in 2020. In 2008 Rhona was named Studio Teacher of the Year by Illinois ASTA and in 2013 published her technique book for beginning and intermediate string students. In 2010 Rhona was in the first class of teacher trainers of the O’Connor Method and has taught at Mark’s internationally famous summer camp for 5 years. Rhona is a former faculty member of Elmhurst College, University of Illinois at Chicago, and National Louis University where she taught classes on the use of music for special needs populations in addition to private studio teaching. In 2020 Rhona was awarded the “Take Note” Award from Midwest Young Artists for outstanding contributions to the organization and the coveted Illinois ASTA Service Award for extraordinary contributions to Music Education.

Since moving to North Carolina Rhona is devoted to performing in solo concerts, with her quartet for a number of not for profit events, and orchestral playing. She is a member of the Blue Ridge Orchestra, the 4 Seasons Chamber Orchestra, and Musicke Antiqua which is a Baroque Orchestra performing on period instruments.