Who We Are
Our team of professional musicians maintains active performing and teaching careers. Our expertise will make your event run seamlessly and enhance your learning experience as a student. Tap each musician's name to learn more about their background. We look forward to working with you!
About Star City Strings
Star City Strings, LLC is a professional performing ensemble and a thriving music lesson studio serving Lincoln, Nebraska and surrounding areas. We believe maintaining an active performance career is essential to inspiring our students, and we prioritize excellence in all endeavors.
In the summer of 2016, Star City Strings was founded by current Director Korynne Bolt and former director Rebecca Vieker. After both completing graduate degrees at UNL and Boston University, the two founders decided to collaborate and formed an ensemble that has played in a diverse array of settings. When Rebecca moved out of state, Korynne expanded the lesson studio branch of Star City Strings and continues to add new musician performers and teachers to the team.
All of our musicians are professional caliber players with degrees in classical music performance. We specialize in a wide repertoire of music, from traditional Classical pieces to arrangements of pop, rock, jazz, and fiddle tunes. Star City Strings has played at a variety of locations for Lincoln’s First Friday festivals, at the Haymarket Farmers’ Market, Indigo Bridge Books, the Burkholder Gallery, and more.
Students of Star City Strings enjoy individualized mentorship from professional musicians. Our students have successfully auditioned for ensembles such as the Youth Ensemble of Strings, Junior Youth Orchestra, Lincoln Youth Symphony, and SAIL Camp Honors Orchestra. Former students have won high school concerto competitions, earned a place in the All-State Orchestra, and gone on to major in music at UNL and other colleges.
Our teaching philosophy emphasizes healthy playing habits, including good posture to support longevity and a strong foundation of technique. We believe music is part of a healthy life, and encourage students of all walks of life to join us. To support our community of students, we offer chamber music ensembles and encourage students to connect with other groups at their schools.
The Star City Cello Choir, formed in 2023, is a community ensemble open to cellists of all ages. It is recommended to be able to read music and play at a Suzuki Book 2 level or the equivalent. The cello choir performs in our full studio recitals as well as community outreach concerts, beginning in August 2023 at Tabitha Health Services.
Full-Length Biographies
Korynne Bolt holds a Master's degree in Cello Performance from UNL and a Bachelor's degree from Boston University, summa cum laude. A full-time member of Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra, Korynne also performs as Associate Principal Cello in the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, section cello in the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, and substitute cello in the Rangbrook Ensemble and Omaha Symphony Orchestra. Korynne is the founder and director of Star City Strings, both a professional performing ensemble for events and a multi-teacher studio offering lessons on violin, viola, cello, and piano. Korynne has over 13 years of private teaching experience and also oversees studio Suzuki group classes and small chamber ensembles.
While enrolled at UNL, Korynne studied with Greg Beaver of the Chiara String Quartet. One highlight of her career was performing the Schubert Cello Quintet with the Chiara Quartet in March 2016 as winner of the annual "Play with the Chiaras" competition. Korynne's other previous teachers include Marc Johnson, Karen Buranskas, Carol Ou, Emilie Grondin, and Soo Bae.
In high school, Korynne's piano trio, Trillium, won the Geoffroy Prize at the 2007 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in her hometown of South Bend, Indiana. Korynne also played in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, earning a spot in the selective Encore Chamber Orchestra. As winner of the Young Artist Competition, Korynne performed the Dvorak Concerto with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
Korynne pursued chamber music at summer festivals including Vianden Music Festival in Luxembourg, Manchester Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and UNL Chamber Music Institute. In college, Korynne premiered several solo cello works by colleague composers and has performed in BU’s new music ensemble, Time’s Arrow.
While studying at BU, Korynne became a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society and was named the 2012 Presser Scholar. Korynne worked as a Teaching Assistant for philosophy and interdisciplinary courses at Gordon College and has earned national awards in French, Latin, and writing. Korynne's experience as a TA continued at UNL, where she served as the Graduate Teaching Assistant for Chamber Music Outreach.
Korynne has experience organizing concerts, beginning as a senior in college when she initiated and presented the Boston Strong Benefit Concert, a fundraiser for the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. She coordinated volunteers to perform and staff a three-hour program of music, including a 12-member cello ensemble, at the Old South Church on Boylston St. on May 4, 2013.
Korynne was a member of the Global Leaders Institute in 2020, completing a year of coursework in music entrepreneurship and traveling to Chile to participate in the full cohort residence. For the 2023-2024 season, Korynne performed as auxiliary cello in the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.
Korynne Bolt
Lucy Collins is a performer and teacher based in Lincoln, Nebraska. She recently completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at the Glenn Korff School of Music where she studied with Professor David Neely. Her past teachers include Kim Osborne Salistean and Hyeyung Yoon of the former Chiara String Quartet.
Lucy concertizes frequently with her rock band Vera Devorah, the Trace Chamber Society, and as a substitute for the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. Vera Devorah recently released their self-titled EP on all streaming platforms. A champion of contemporary music, Lucy has collaborated with many composers and given over 50 world-premieres of pieces in the last decade. Lucy is also a member of the Atelier Piano Trio with cellist Sam Stanley and pianist Cameron Berta. The ensemble formed in 2018 at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln where they studied with Jonah Sirota of the former Chiara String Quartet and Dr. Karen Becker. In 2020, the ensemble launched a call for scores project that culminated in a recital showcasing five original works by composers from around the country.
Lucy has attended the Cortona Sessions for New Music, the Brevard Music Center Institute, the Wintergreen Summer Music Academy/Festival, and the Texas Strings Festival. She has collaborated with the Nebraska Chamber Players, the Sounding Light Chamber Choir, and has performed as a part of the Vesper Concerts Series.
Lucy has been teaching violin, viola, and chamber music for six years.
Lucy Collins
Mee-Hwa Roche is a performer and teacher based in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 2022, Mee-Hwa received a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, studying under Clark Potter. In their time attending UNL, Mee-Hwa participated in orchestra, chamber music, and played as an instrumentalist in five operas. They were also a winner of the 2020-2021 Glenn Korff School of Music Concerto Competition.
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Mee-Hwa started playing the viola at age eight through the University of Northern Iowa Suzuki School, studying with Ms. Ute Brandenberg and Dr. Julia Bullard. More recently, Mee-Hwa has attended the Brevard Music Center Institute, performed as a substitute in the Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney, and Sioux City Symphony Orchestra viola sections, and is a frequent gig performer. Mee-Hwa also served as co-arranger and performer in Madeline Reddel’s Garden Party concert series in Omaha, Nebraska. Mee-Hwa aims to help students discover and cultivate a love for music, just as their teachers have done for them throughout their journey with the viola.
Mee-Hwa Roche
Sarah Wibben
A current Master of Music student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Sarah Wibben is a vocal performer and music educator, having previously taught piano and voice in the Northeast Nebraska area. Her hometown is Wayne, NE. Sarah also enjoys teaching guitar, percussion, and ukulele. As a piano teacher, she taught at the Wayne State College Music Academy for several years. She also had a group of privately taught students. Sarah earned her BA from Wayne State College in K-12 Vocal Music Education and Vocal Performance.
Sam Stanley
Sam Stanley has a Bachelor of Music Degree in Cello Performance and a minor in music technology from the UNL Glenn Korff School of Music. They studied cello under Dr. Karen Becker, composition under Dr. Greg Simon, and have also studied composition under Dr. Tyler White. They were awarded the Vreeland award in Music Composition by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing arts in 2021 and received honorable mention for their piece “Black as the Void” in the Sheldon Art Gallery’s art competition: Conversation Black in 2019.
In 2021, Sam was commissioned to write incidental music for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s production of Dracula: Mina’s Quest. Sam also enjoys film scoring, and has written music for over 5 short films. They were a fellow at the Cortona Sessions for New music in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Sam is passionate about teaching music, and studied Music Theory Pedagogy under Dr. Gretchen Foley in 2021. They currently teach private piano, cello, and composition lessons at several studios in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Alec Doyle
Alec Doyle holds a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He started on the cello at age 9 and has played in orchestras ever since, participating in South Dakota’s All State Orchestra for all four years of high school as well as the South Dakota L. Laiten Weed Honors Orchestra for three years. In 2018 he won the junior division of the Black Hills Symphony’s Young Artist Competition playing Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major. Throughout his undergrad he often served as principal cellist in UNL’s symphony orchestra.
In 2023 he played with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra as a substitute cello in the American Ballet Theatre’s production of Giselle at the Lied Center. He also plays with the Des Moines Symphony as a substitute cellist under the direction of Joseph Giunta, having played in both Pops and Masterworks concerts including repertoire such as Shostakovich’s Symphony #9 and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with soloist Joyce Yang.
Over the summer of 2023 Alec played in the National Repertory Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern, giving 18 concerts across 8 weeks in Breckenridge, Colorado and surrounding locations, performing repertoire such as Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Mahler’s Symphony #5 and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. The orchestra also worked with violinist Midori in a performance of Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s “Symposium”, and Alec participated in a cello/bass sectional run by Joseph Conyers, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s current principal bassist.
As a part of the Bachelor of Music degree, Alec has given numerous solo performances of repertoire including the concerti of Dvorak and Shostakovich (#1 in Eb Major), Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, and Kodaly’s Sonata for Solo Cello. He has performed in masterclasses given by cello professor and Juilliard graduate Jennifer Kloetzel, Calvin Wiersma of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Weigang Li of the Shanghai String Quartet.
Aside from orchestral and solo music, Alec regularly plays in chamber ensembles. Most notably he was recently a part of the Ravnan String Quartet, which plays on new instruments made by British luthier Robert Brewer Young. Brewer Young has built instruments for the likes of Glenn Dicterow, Steven Isserlis, and Mstislav Rostropovich, and he created the Ravnan collection (two violins, one viola and one cello) upon request of a Glenn Korff graduate who donated the necessary funds for the project in honor of Audun Ravnan, a late piano professor of the school. Alec played almost exclusively on the Ravnan cello for two years, before returning to his personal 2015 William Harris Lee model.