String Faculty
String Faculty
The string faculty within the Community Music School at UNCSA are accomplished, dedicated musicians who bring decades of professional experience to private and group lessons. From symphony orchestras to the popular Carolina beach music stage, the string faculty encompass a wide range of musical styles and can help you reach your personal and musical goals.
Ryane Dunnagan
Charles Shafer
Violin and Viola
Charles Shafer received a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at UNCSA in 2010, where he studied with Joseph Genualdi. From undergraduate and beyond, Charles has been active in the music scene of Winston-Salem as well as throughout the region, demonstrating versatility and command of styles ranging from the classical symphony, to hip-hop, to traditional folk.
Charles says of his teaching: “Teaching is a great passion of mine, and I am dedicated to helping students learn their instruments, overcome obstacles, cultivate their senses, and become more fluent in the language of music and performance.”
*German-speaking faculty member
Delphine Skene
Violin
Delphine Skene first encountered the violin at the age of 10, but began her formal studies at 14 in Montreal, Canada. She has performed and participated in master courses at the Musica Mundi festival in Belgium with Ivry Gitlis and Maxim Vengerov, Domaine Forget and Orford academy in Canada and the Schleswig-Holstein Masterclass in Germany. She was a member of the Chrysalis Quartet in residence at UNCSA SummerStrings and is a current member of the Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute at UNCSA. Delphine is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the North Carolina School of the Arts, under the tutelage of Ida Bieler and Janet Orenstein. Delphine also teaches violin in Winston-Salem elementary schools as a Vivaldi Project fellow under the direction of Ida Bieler.
Ben Therrell
Joshua Weesner
Suzuki Violin
Multi-talented Joshua Weesner is a violinist, composer, songwriter, arranger, orchestrator, and recording engineer. His violin training began in childhood as a Suzuki student under Margie Keller. At the young age of 14 his studies continued at UNCSA under the tutelage of Kevin Lawrence. He also attended competitive summer programs such as the Meadowmount School of Music, Killington Music Festival, and the Henry Mancini Institute.
Weesner has six years of experience teaching violin to students age four through adult, from beginner to pre-college level. He is currently managing the Suzuki Violin program at the Community Music School. He has been a contract member of the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, and the Chattanooga Symphony. As a recording artist and touring musician, he has performed with Ray Price and the Cherokee Cowboys, the Collection, Martha Bassett, and many more.
He has also enjoyed an extensive career providing custom music services for touring stage productions. For seven years, he worked for the music notation software company Notion Music. His positions there included Quality Assurance Lead, Sound Editor, and Manager of Live Services. With Notion Music as well as independently, Joshua has been the Associate Music Supervisor for the national and international touring productions of: Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, Baayork Lee's A Chorus Line, Jekyll and Hyde, Franco Dragone's India Circus, and Kung Fu Panda. Weesner is very knowledgeable about music technology and is an accomplished recording engineer, composer, song writer, orchestrator and arranger. He is currently composing original music for a video game with Razor Edge Games.
Courtenay Wynter
Upright Bass