Felicity Chamber Music

Felicity was founded in 2024 by a group of passionate musicians and friends. Based in Central Virginia, members come from communities across Madison, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro, Crozet, and Charlottesville. Recognizing a need for accessible chamber music in the region, Felicity set out to create a space where exceptional music could be enjoyed by all. Concerts are open to everyone and admission is free. Donations are welcome from those able to contribute, but all are encourage to attend regardless.

Emma Candelier is a member of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra and performs with Ibis Music Group. She studied cello and chamber music at Rice University under Norman Fischer and Paul Katz. She was a finalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and attended Music Academy of the West, Musicorda, and Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival. Her early arts administration career included positions at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras, and the Brevard Music Center. She currently serves as Director of Marketing and Communication at the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science. Emma resides in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Eric Franzen moved to Virginia from Minnesota, where he earned a piano performance degree from the University of Minnesota and later studied organ at Augsburg College. With nearly 30 years of teaching and global performing experience, he specializes in jazz and classical music, blending traditional methods with improvisation and contemporary skills to engage his students. Eric is a certified Royal Conservatory of Music teacher and a member of MTNA and the Charlottesville Music Teachers Association. As music director at Immanuel Lutheran Church, he incorporates genres like Motown and rock into services. He lives in northern Albemarle County with his wife, Sarah, enjoying family, pets, and various hobbies.

Patrick Keese was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, studied at Berklee College of Music and Virginia Commonwealth University, and is the founder of Ibis Music Group. He currently performs and teaches throughout central Virginia. He has played with Loren Maazel of the New York Philharmonic, Peter Wilson of White House renown, and the internationally famous Triforce Quartet. Patrick believes that music belongs to everyone.

Brooke Mahanes performs professionally on violin and viola with Melodious Strings, Cville Strings, Ibis Music, Listeso Music, and in the Roanoke Symphony. She teaches private and group lessons (violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, and piano) at her music studio in Crozet, Virginia. She is an orchestra teacher at the Village School in downtown Charlottesville, a private middle school for girls. She is a bookkeeper for Central Virginia Accounting and Payroll. Brooke has a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from James Madison University, an Artist Diploma in String Quartet studies from Shenandoah Conservatory, and a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is married to Charles Moore.

Patrick Shaughnessy has performed with ensembles such as the Pensacola Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Boston Civic Symphony, and Loudoun Symphony Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, Shaughnessy has collaborated with artists like pianist Max Levinson and cellist Allison Eldrige, and performed at venues such as New York’s Weil Recital Hall. He was a member of the Neave String Quartet from 2009 to 2010, appearing in several concert series and collaborating with cellist Sergey Antonov. Shaughnessy holds degrees from Florida State University and The Boston Conservatory, studying under Yehonatan Berick, Eliot Chapo, and Irina Muresanu. He lives in Winchester, VA, where the quartet is in residence for the 2019-20 season at the Shenandoah University.

Dan Stern has performed with choral groups and on stages in Charlottesville, singing classical and popular music and performing in opera, musical theater and plays. Featured roles include The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with New Lyric Theatre and Heritage Theatre Festival; Benoit/Alcindoro in La bohème with Charlottesville Opera; Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music with Live Arts; and, most recently, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes at Four County Players in Barboursville. He sang for ten years with The Virginia Consort and studied voice with Lucy Owen Hoyt.

Ethan Wagner performs as a chamber musician in the DC, Baltimore, and central Virginia areas. He has toured nationally and internationally with the Reba Ensemble and Amit Peled’s Peabody Cello Gang. His trio was the first ensemble selected to perform for Leon Fleisher’s masterclass series. Ethan has performed as a member of the Huntington and Waynesboro symphonies, and has served as principal cellist for the Peabody Chamber Orchestra, Blue Hills Chamber Orchestra, James Madison Symphony, and University of Tennessee Symphony. Ethan earned his masters in cello performance and a graduate performance diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.