The Aida Strings Ensemble

            On behalf of the members of the Aida String Ensemble (A.S.E.), I would like to extend my appreciation for your interest in the Aida String Ensemble to perform at your upcoming event, or celebration. It is imperative when choosing an ensemble with acoustical instrumentation for your special function that the size of your audience and the venue corresponds with the number of musicians you hire. Please take into consideration background noise (people talking and laughing); the acoustics of the venue where A.S.E. would be performing; and where A.S.E. is positioned in relation to where your guests are seated. 

The members of the Aida String Ensemble are courteous, experienced and professional musicians from Virginia, District of Columbia, and Maryland. The members are instructed to arrive at all performances 15 to 30 minutes prior to the time they are to perform.  A mandatory 15 to 20 minute break is allocated at the end of every hour to prevent any physical problems and ensure the best performance quality for our clients. For the above reasons, it should be noted that the Aida String Ensemble musicians are encouraged to decline engagements over a three-hour duration.  Certain exceptions are available for an additional charge and extended breaks per hour.  All fees, if applicable, including travel expense and hotel accommodations, performance times, and location information are contractual. A fifty percent (50%) deposit is required upon the signing of the contract.  A.S.E requires payments to be in the form of cash, money order or cashiers check. If the engagement is outside of the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, travel expense is charged. If the engagement is outside of Virginia, it is recommended that the client provide hotel room accommodations for all the members of the ensemble hired to do the job. Hotel accommodations are at the client's expense and are not part of the fee charged for the services rendered. 

Following is a list of ensemble sizes:

o         Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass or Vocal:  Recommended for those who would like just one instrumentalist or vocalist to perform at their event. Hotel accommodations and travel expense for the musicians are part of the client's expense. 

o         A Duo consists of but is not limited to Violin/Violin, Violin/Viola, or Violin/Cello.  This ensemble is recommended for intimate settings and with audiences of 50 to 100 people. Hotel accommodations and travel expense for the musicians are at the client's expense. 

o         A Trio consists of but is not limited to: Violin/Viola, Cello, Violin/Violin, Viola, Violin/Violin/Cello.  This ensemble is suitable for most medium to large audiences. A trio of musicians is recommended for its full and resonant sound. Hotel accommodations and travel expense for the musicians are at the client's expense. 

Thank you for considering the Aida Strings Ensemble. We at A.S.E. hope to hear from you soon.

Ms. Randall is a young Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano.  She is originally from East Machias, Maine and is the daughter of the Reverend and Mrs. Edwin Randall. Ms. Randall earned her Masters in Music in voice performance from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. She earned her Bachelors in Music Performance from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.  She has traveled the world performing and was fortunate enough to sing for the late John Paul II under the baton of the Grammy award winning conductor, Robert Shafer.  She has been heard in the many operas including The Medium as Baba, Albert Herring as Florence, A Midsummer Night Dream as Hippolyta, Hansel and Gretel as The Witch, A Love for Three Oranges as Smereldina, Miss Havisham's Fire as Sarah Pocket, and in Jack and the Beanstalk as The Giant's Wife.  She has also worked in dramas as well as several music theater productions, the most recent being Children of Eden as Eve.  Ms. Randall has been the recipient of many scholarships and grants and was a Metropolitan Opera Council Regional Finalist at the young age of 21. She was also a finalist in the Palm Beach Atlantic Opera Competition and a winner of two NATS competitions, the Shenandoah Concerto Competition, and the Bay View Concerto Competition.  She was an apprentice artist at the Bay View Summer Music Festival, the Mid-Atlantic Summer Music Program.  The Houston Chronicle deemed her "a musically interesting and well-sustained singer."  She is currently residing in the Washington, D.C. area working as a professional soloist at St. Luke's Episcopal Church as well as for private clients.  She opened her own voice studio, "The Little Diva Studio" in the fall of 2006 and helped to open The Northern Virginia Preparatory School in Leesburg, VA where they train and teach advanced vocal students about having a performance career. She also acted as voice instructor, assistant director and starred in their full scale production.

Tenor, Orson Van Gay, possesses a unique voice and charisma, which are of particular value among his generation of acting singers. His performances showcase a talent and voice that have brought him constant recognition in a multitude of venues.

Studying with Dr. Kerry Lee Jennings at Old Dominion University, Orson is originally from Beverly Hills where he began acting in several nationally recognized television series. He has since been featured in major television commercials for CBN, ABC, WVEC, has appeared on the Discovery Channel and served for two years as a co-host and performer for The Miss Virginia Pageant.

Virginia Opera's Musical Director, Joe Walsh, candidly introduced Van Gay to an audience as a "hybrid" new voice that is not only able to sing classical music but effectively sings other styles as well. This versatility has proven to be a strong commodity with today's increasing musical demands on young singers.

Gerard A. Battle began playing viola at the age of eight, and after a few years of private study, began to study abroad at the Levine School of Music under a six-year scholarship program studying with Phyllis Fleming. He continued his high school studies at both the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts and the Levine School of Music where he also began studying violin as well as viola with various artists: Phyllis Fleming, Eddie Drennon, Janine Parnell, and more. While studying abroad, Gerard A. Battle attended masterclasses with Ida Kavafian, Laura Wilcox, Carol Rodland, Peter Slowik, Daniel Panner, Sarah Johnson, Nicholas Mann, Yo-Yo Ma and Ulrich Eichenauer.

Mr. Battle has toured and performed throughout the United States and Europe. He has also performed at the White House, Kennedy Center, Lansburg Theatre, and the Lincoln Theatre.  Mr. Battle continued studies at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Killington Music Festival, and the Gateways Music Festival. He received his Bachelor's of Music Degree from the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts studying with Ulrich Eichenauer, former member of the Mendelssohn String Quartet.

Mr. Battle is currently teaching and performing Violin and Viola throughout the United States. Mr. Battle currently resides in Washington, D.C. and is an active freelance musician throughout the greater Washington, D.C. area. He also participates in performance with the "Soulful Symphony" and has participated with the Umoja String Quartet throughout the U.S. Mr. Battle appears at numerous recitals and concerts as a soloist and member of the Elegance By Deux Chamber Ensemble and Violist of the Aida Chamber Ensemble.

The physically and vocally agile soprano began the 2005-06 season by triumphantly singing the title role in Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's East Coast première of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, performed at Wake Forest University and Bucknell University in October 2005.  Hers was proclaimed "the most finished voice. she is a most winning Treemonisha" (Classical Voice of North Carolina).  She reprised the role in the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's 2006-7 national tour as well, having the honor of performing Treemonisha for Joplin's hometown of Texarkana, TX, whose audience included members of the composer's family, in November 2006.  A lover of new music, Ms. Addico was selected to be one of 6 Vocal Residents premiering new works for the Virginia Arts Festival's John Duffy Composers' Institute in May '06; and created the role of Dessie in the world premiere of Chandler Carter's Strange Fruit for the Long Leaf Opera Festival in June 2007.  Ms. Addico makes frequent concert appearances in the Southeastern Virginia region, where she currently lives with her husband and their two children.  Some of her teachers have included Bill Schuman and Adele Addison. She holds a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music; and a B.A. in Music from the University of Virginia, where she was an Echols and Achievement Scholar and was awarded the Morrison Prize in Music upon graduation.