Avalare Strings

Testimonials: Hear what people are saying about Avalare!

Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, the Beatles played by a string quartet. Get ‘outta’ here! You guys were terrific. Our DELCO First Holiday Mixer was a hit because of your music. There were guys flicking their Bic’s when you went into your string rock set. What a blast. Classical, Holiday and Rock all rolled into one. As Ethel Merman said, “Who can ask for anything more?” Hey, there’s a good idea; how about a show tunes set. Again, thanks for making our event a success.

Tore Fiore, Executive Director, Brandywine CVB

Avalare Strings captivated the attention of Type-A-personality business owners and left us speechless (not an easy thing to do at a networking event) as we listened to your unique, electrifying sound. We were so blown away how you played classic rock music with violins! We never heard anything like it and were so mesmerized and impressed! What a memorable performance! I've been a member of the Delco Chamber for 17 years and I can't recall us ever having live music at our holiday mixer. Thank you for sharing your musical gift!

Diane McNitt, McNitt Marketing

I received your demo disc and enjoyed the professionalism, clarity, brilliance and talent portrayed. Your recommendations are a great way for brides to get a feel of your talent and experience.

Kerry Fair, Event Planner for Robert Fair Caterers

Highly esteemed for their skillful versatility, playing Classic Rock/Indie, Latin Ballroom, Celtic and Classical music, Avalare has years of experience performing for special events (concerts, corporate, and weddings). They can be amplified to your preference and accompanied by hand drums.

As classically trained professionals, its members have varied musical experiences. Each one brings unique personal and musical qualities to the group making it wonderfully diverse. One can sense the chemistry of four, and sometimes five, people who enjoy playing music together.

Diana Vuolo (Violinist and Contractor)

Diana is the founder of Avalare Strings and President and CEO of SWAN (Scaling Walls A Note at a time) a foundation that provides music and mentorship to children whose parents have a history of incarceration.

Diana earned a Bachelors degree from the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts where she was awarded a full scholarship to study with the famed teacher, Dorothy DeLay. Consequently she has had a variety of performing experiences, including a concert tour of Germany with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Philly Pops Orchestra, and was Assistant Concertmaster for the International Lyric Festival Opera Orchestra in Italy. She also served as a substitute for the Saint Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin.

Greg Lipscomb (Violist and Musical Arranger)

He holds a Masters degree from The Peabody Institute of Music where he was a recipient of the George Castelle Award. His album, “Living My Life,” which features him as a violist, singer, songwriter and arranger, has been played on radio stations throughout Costa Rica and on XPN in the Philadelphia area. As an orchestral violist he has performed with such artists as Patti La Belle and Smokey Robinson and as a vocal soloist he has performed in France and Switzerland under the baton of Mislav Rostropovich, and in Japan under Yutaka Sado.

Currently Greg is a musical director/teacher at the Solebury School and writes many of the musical arrangements Avalare plays, primarily the Rock, Pop and Indie songs.

Valerie Vuolo (Violinist and Keyboardist)

Valerie began her studies at the age of five under the tutelage of her mother, Diana Vuolo. After high school she continued her studies at the Hartt School of Music with violinist Emlyn Ngai. She has performed in master classes by Pamela Frank, the Miami String Quartet, Anton Miller, and Felicia Muy. During her studies at the Hartt School, Valerie was the recipient of several generous awards including the Louis T. Carabillo Scholarship for Violinists. She graduated with honors from the Hartt School in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance. Valerie has performed extensively in solo recitals, and has collaborated with the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Boy's Choir, the Savoy Opera Company, and recording artist Ashton Allen (Livewire).

Recently, having collaborated with numerous Rock bands, Valerie now plays regularly with the Alfred James Band.

Brooke Beazley-Cyzewski (Cellist)

Brooke earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Soon after graduation she won a position with the North Carolina Symphony. Upon meeting her future husband, she relocated to Philadelphia where she became a member of the Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philly Pops.

Brooke now performs throughout the Delaware Valley with a number of ensembles including Orchestra 2001, the Delaware Symphony, Ocean City Pops, and the Philadelphia Classical Symphony. She frequently plays in Atlantic City with such artists as Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, and other top name performers.

Michael McVey (Drummer)

Mike started out on guitar and vocals for a local cover band. Then one day at a show he sat on a cajn and his life was changed. A cajn is a unique type of Latin percussion. At first glance just a wooden box, a cajn when played properly can produce an array of sounds that can easily adapt to almost any form of music.

For the past 5 years Mike has been playing percussion for various musical acts throughout the Greater Philadelphia area covering genres of Rock, Latin, Jazz, Irish Folk and more. Recently he joined Avalare Strings in an act that fuses classical sound with rock arrangements backed with Latin percussion. What a magnificent collaboration!