About Us
Railway String Quartet
6
Dr. Nick Hoy
Violin
Dr. Nick Hoy is a celebrated violinist known for his captivating musical interpretations and warm charisma, capturing the hearts of audiences worldwide both as a performer and Twitch Partnered music streamer known as newbaroque. His lifelong passion for the violin began at the age of seven when he studied the Suzuki method in Chattanooga, TN. In 2015, Dr. Hoy earned a Bachelors of Music degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and in 2017, he completed his Masters of Music at Florida State University. He also completed his doctoral degree in Musical Arts from the University of Georgia. Throughout his career, Dr. Hoy’s talent has graced numerous orchestras across the southeast, earning him accolades and respect. Notably, he was appointed concertmaster of the Rome Symphony in 2021, and he previously held roles as concertmaster of the Alpharetta Symphony and principal 2nd violin with the Georgia Philharmonic during the 2017-2018 concert season. Additionally, his artistry has led him to solo performances with Alpharetta Symphony, Florida State University, and Rome Symphony.
Sheri Peck
Violin
Sheri Peck is a native of Marietta, GA. At the age of 5 she began her violin training with Lynn Baughman at the Suzuki School of the Arts in Atlanta. In high school, she studied with Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse and toured the U.S. and abroad as a soloist and member of the New England Youth Ensemble (based in South Lancaster, MA). In 1989, she joined the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera as section first violinist. In 1992, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Violin Performance from Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, TN) where she studied with Mark Reneau. In that same year, she was named principal second violin of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, a position which she currently holds. Sheri also regularly performs with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Bryan Symphony Orchestra (at TTU) and Rome Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute with the Huntsville, Alabama, Nashville, and Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestras. As a chamber musician, Sheri performs weekly with the CSO String Quintet, was principal second violinist of the Chamber Orchestra of TN from 2002-2010, and has been first violinist with the Tempo Primo String Quartet since 1994.
Emily Drexler
Viola
EMILY DREXLER has played the violin since age 4 and now holds performance degrees from Chattanooga State Community College (viola) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (violin). Emily’s primary passion is playing in symphonies. She is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. She enjoys serving as a substitute in other orchestras throughout the region. Emily fills the rest of her time by teaching violin and viola lessons and coaching chamber groups. On a day off you can find her outside enjoying nature, playing video games, or knitting.
Ben Van Winkle
Cello
Ben Van Winkle is a cellist, singer and composer from Chattanooga Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee Tech with a 4.0 in Mechanical Engineering, then in 2016 he quit his engineering job to pursue music full time which he says was “all part of the plan”. Since then he has made frequent appearances in the cello section of the Chattanooga Symphony, and has had two of his orchestral works, “Pure Music No.1” and “Sense of Scale” performed by the orchestra. In 2021 he composed a piece that is featured in “The Light We Share” – a feature length film produced by the local group “The Popup Project”. Also in 2021 in collaboration with the Figment Chamber Ensemble, Ben released his debut album, “Saunter On” which is available on all platforms.