The Johnson City
Symphony Trio

The mission of the Johnson City Symphony Trio (formerly the Johnson City Symphony Quartet) is to represent and promote the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra (JCSO) through high quality performances of classical music and educational outreach. Past performances as a string quartet included a concert for the 2017 Virginia Highlands Festival and a JCSO Benefit Recital at St. John’s Episcopal Church that raised $1,000. More recently, in November 2019, the ensemble performed Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro as soloists with the JCSO and their 2nd JCSO Benefit Recital at St. John's Episcopal raised over $2000. Their educational outreach included a recital for the Bill Jones Music School in Knoxville and a performance and string instruction for the Indian Trail School ACC Camp in Unicoi. Members also participated in JCSO’s collaboration with Coalition For Kids, through performing for and teaching music fundamentals to children in need. The members of The Johnson City Symphony Trio would like to thank our supporters for your generous donations to the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra.

First violinist Helen Bryenton has been concertmaster of the JCSO since 1991. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music and holds a Masters degree in Suzuki Pedagogy from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and a B.A. in European History from Smith College. Ms. Bryenton lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she maintains a Suzuki violin studio and performs regularly with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

Abigail Boone earned her B.M. in Music Education from Brigham Young University. She has enjoyed coaching youth orchestras, teaching kinder music, private teaching, and performing the last 12 years in Utah, Nebraska, Oregon, and now here. She happily spends the majority of her time as a stay-at-home-mom of 5 children, ages 2-12. She began playing with the JCSO in 2016 and became principal second violinist in 2018.

Cherylonda Fitzgerald earned a B.A. in Performance and Music Education from the University of Louisville and a Masters degree in Performance from the State University of NY at Stony Brook. She is a former adjunct at East TN State University and currently teaches at Milligan College in addition to maintaining a private cello studio, "The Cello Underground" at her home in Johnson City, TN. In addition to the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Fitzgerald performs with The Paramount Chamber Players, the Asheville Symphony and the Symphony of the Mountains. She has been playing with the JCSO since 2004 and became principal cellist in 2006.

Violist Shelley Armer (former member of the Johnson City Symphony Quartet) is an avid chamber, orchestral, 
and new music performer. She completed her B.M. in Viola Performance at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music and her M.M. in Viola Performance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as a Teaching Assistant and violist of the Graduate Quartet.