The Fernwood String Quartet was formed in 2017 by section leaders of the Alterity Chamber Orchestra, an Orlando based chamber orchestra focused on performing the music of living composers.
The quartet focuses both on contemporary composers and on the classical repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to modern classics. Concerts in Central Florida in the past years featured works from local and international living composers - including some Florida and world premieres -, as well as 20th century classics by Maurice Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg and Dmitri Shostakovich.
We also regularly play with other orchestras across Central Florida including the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach Festival Orchestra, and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. And we share a passionate love for chamber music that we want to share with audiences in our region.
Meet the Players.
Julia Gessinger
Julia M. Gessinger, a native of Germany, studied violin at the University of Miami School of Music. Her violin teachers since age 7 included Friedrich Rüstig, Thomas D. Moore, Nicholas Mann, and Robert Rozek. Julia began her professional career in Europe with the renowned ensemble “Internationale Bach Akademie Stuttgart.” In America, she has performed with Southwest Florida Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, and Opera Tampa. During her orchestra career, she has played with renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Branford Marsalis, Andrea Bocelli, and Sarah Brightman, to name a few. She has been a core member of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra since 1996. In addition, she performs with Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Winter Park Bach Festival Orchestra, and regularly presents professional chamber groups such as Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra, Fernwood String Quartet, and Cadenza Piano Trio.
Andreas Volmer
Andreas Volmer moved from Germany to Orlando in 2013. His passion is chamber music: Back in Germany, he played first violin in a string quartet that performed on a regular basis, covering a repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to Debussy, Bartok, and Shostakovich. With his quartet ensemble, he took part in several chamber music master classes with members of the LaSalle Quartet, Buchberger Quartet, Carmina Quartet, and Auryn Quartet, in Germany, Austria and Italy. In Orlando, he made his public debut as a chamber musician with a piano trio recital at the Timucua Arts Foundation in the summer of 2017. He is a core member of the Alterity Chamber Orchestra, founding member of the Fernwood Quartet, is regularly performing with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and has performed in multiple projects with Opera Orlando and Orlando Ballet.
Marla Morgan
Marla Morgan is an active professional violist native to the Central Florida region. She has been the violist for the Fernwood String Quartet since 2018. She is a frequent performer in a variety of groups including the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Winter Park Bach Festival Orchestra, the Orlando Contemporary Chamber Orchestra, and St. Andrew’s Chapel Sinfonia. Additionally, she has performed with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in Punta Gorda, the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orlando, and the Orlando Ballet. Marla Morgan has shared the stage with notable artists including Chris Thile, The Eagles, Yuja Wang, Gil Shaham, Yo-Yo Ma, John Williams, Midori, and was a part of the Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2021 which is televised on Disney Plus and Hulu. Marla was featured as a soloist with the Stetson University Choir in 2013 performing “Reflections from Yad Vashem” written by Daniel J. Hall and in 2014 for a Stetson Alumni recital performing Johannes Brahms’ work “2 Songs for Contralto, Viola, and Piano.”
Marla Morgan earned her Bachelor of Music in viola performance from Stetson University where she studied with Dr. Jesus Alfonzo and was the violist for Stetson University’s endowed string quartet, the "Barron String Quartet." Marla has served principal and assistant principal violist roles and utilized her leadership skills to hold a private studio for several years. In 2015 she was the assistant director for the Stringmania Summer Camp.
Jean-Marie Glazer
Jean-Marie Glazer was born in Laval, Québec in 1998 into a musical family. He started performing in public at three years old, playing every style of music imaginable.
He started studying cello performance at 6, and began acquiring a lot of ensemble experience with FSYO, where he played for 13 years. He has since studied at Stetson University, in Domaine Forget, and in Firenze in conjuction with Colorado State University.
Mr Glazer has played with the Orlando Philarmonic, the Space Coast Symphony, and the Bach Festival Society. He also helps run the events organized by the Timucua Arts Foundation, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to bringing music to the Orlando community,
He brings a love of chamber music and a great energy to Fernwood Quartet, with whom he is happy to make music as often as possible.