"Working with Katherine and her team at Melodious Strings was wonderful! We were a bit tricky being an international couple and having to reschedule due to restrictions but Katherine was so understanding of everything. The process was really enjoyable, easy, and their repertoire list is incredible. It was the most beautiful soundtrack to our day with music during welcome drinks, before/during/after the ceremony, and all through cocktail hour. The music for the ceremony had everyone feeling all the good emotions - it was so perfect. A truly professional, incredibly talented team that went above and beyond for us!"
-Sarah Tappen, bride at the Marsh Estate in Bealeton, Virginia
![]() Anna Sammel began her violin and music studies at a young age. The nature of her father's profession provided her the opportunity to travel all over the world, which exposed and introduced to her many types and genres of music, greatly influencing Anna as a musician.
She received her Bachelor of Music in violin performance from James Madison University, studying classically under Dr. Wanchi Huang and Dr. Dina Nesterenko, and is currently pursuing her masters degree in violin performance at George Mason University, studying under Professor June Huang. In addition to performing professionally for weddings and other special events regularly, Anna enjoys being an active member of the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra in Fredericksburg, is a member of the pit orchestra at the Riverside Dinner Theater in Fredericksburg, and is a member of the Pan Am Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. Anna currently resides in Stafford, where she provides private instruction in violin and viola. Photography by Ashley Vanley |
Wedding at Early Mountain Vineyards. Photography by Natalie Jayne Photography.
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Stanley Beckwith is a full-time violist and teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia. Stanley is the principal violist of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra; additionally, he has worked with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, including such groups as the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Chamber Orchestra and the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra. He is also the violist of the Triforce Quartet, a string quartet that performs video game music for audiences both nationally and internationally. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Stanley has studied with teachers George Taylor and Helen Fall.
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