DOWNTOWN POP QUARTET

Downtown Pop Quartet was founded with the goal of creating a professional group that performs in diverse venues with a broad repertoire spanning classical to pop and jazz. It includes professional musicians who play with leading orchestras and ensembles throughout the Washington DC area.

THE MUSICIANS

Erik Whitesides studied viola performance at Walnut Hill, New England Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, and Catholic University with principal violists of the Baltimore Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra. Erik has completed tours in Cuba, Italy, and Mexico, and performed with the Baltimore Symphony. He has also participated in the Aspen Summer Music Festival, and has taught with the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program. Erik has been freelancing as a chamber musician in the MD/DC/VA area for the last 10 years, performing 90-100 events a year.

Kat Whitesides has been living and working in the DC area since attending the Catholic University, where she graduated in 2005 with a BM magna cum laude and a minor in philosophy. Kat has performed with numerous ensembles as a freelance musician throughout the DC area, and has been a member of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra since 2003. In addition to teaching privately, she is on staff at The Mclean School of Maryland. Before moving to DC, Kat attended the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanites, where she toured the state as a member of the Honors Quartet to raise awareness and support for the arts in South Carolina. Not only did this instill in her a mission to share and spread her love of music, but it also gave birth to a passion for chamber music, specifically, the string quartet genre.

Gene Makely hails from a diverse musical background as an orchestral musician, studio musician, and chamber musician. Studying viola performance with Davis Brooks at Baylor University and Dr. Kenneth Sarch at Shenandoah University, Gene also credits music educators from his primary and secondary years with cultivating and nurturing his passion for music, inspiring him to hone and refine his craft. For over 20 years, Gene has performed with several orchestras and chamber ensembles in the metro DC area: Pro Arté Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, Washington Sinfonietta, McLean Symphony, and has performed with several DC-area string ensembles. He considers among his most exciting work to be performing with locale-specific orchestras such as The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess, Celtic Woman, and Roberta Flack’s Soul Symphony. He has also participated in several recording sessions for film soundtrack demos by local Austin, TX composer, Nathan Felix.

Tim Thulson is a veteran of the DC freelance scene, in high demand as a cellist both at home and abroad. Tours have included Japan, England, Germany, and the Middle East. As an orchestral musician, Tim’s engagements include principal cello for DC’s unconducted Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, as well as frequent appearances with the contemporary-focused Great Noise Ensemble. As a soloist, Tim premiered Iordanishvili’s “Character” for the Atlas Emerging Composer’s forum. But Tim’s key musical passion is for chamber music, and he has been privileged to perform and record with a variety of Washington’s best small ensembles. Tim holds degrees from Wheaton College, where he studied with Dr. Daniel Davies, and the George Mason University School of Law. He lives in Alexandria with his wife and their three boys.