Sommer Altier
Violinist and educator from Sarasota, Florida, Sommer Altier (she/her) serves as the first violinist for the Trillium String Quartet. Sommer joined Trillium in the Spring of 2024 and went on to receive a performance certificate with the group as the resident string quartet at Montclair State University in 2025. A passionate musician since childhood, Sommer studied at the Sarasota Music Conservatory with Sean O’Neil, and developed a strong inclination for collaborating with like-minded artists in intimate settings from an early age through their chamber music programs.Sommer has worked with distinguished artists, participating in masterclasses and coachings with members from ensembles such as the Danish String Quartet, Time for Three, JACK Quartet, Calidore String Quartet, and Attacca Quartet.
Committed to performing contemporary works, Sommer has collaborated with many emerging composers including Nicholas Batina, Alexander Rodin, Felix Jarrar, and Kebra-Seyoun Charles, and is passionate about presenting new and old classical music in accessible, engaging settings.
As an orchestral musician, Sommer held principal roles in her collegiate ensembles and has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, and Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center. She also performed with ensembles across New York City, including Protestra, New England String Ensemble, Westside Chamber Players and the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra.
Sommer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and Mannes School of Music at The New School, where she studied with Corinne Stillwell and Rebecca Fischer, respectively.
Judith Kim
Violinist Judith Kim (she/her) was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has performed as a substitute in regional orchestras around Ohio and Washington and major orchestras such as the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. After starting violin in her middle school’s orchestra program, she began private studies with Ronald Patterson and continued with him at the University of Washington earning her Bachelor of Music. She then attended the Cleveland Institute of Music for her Master’s Degree instructed by Joan Kwuon, Jessica Lee, and Philip Setzer. Then she became a core member of The Orchestra Now at Bard College where she became a founding member of the Trillium String Quartet which is currently in residence at Montclair State University. Judith enjoys her time away from music birding, hiking, and biking and recently completed her first triathlon. When indoors she enjoys progressing her knitting, baking sweet treats, and hanging out with her cat.
Sydney Link
Violist Sydney Link (she/her) is a performer and educator based in the Cleveland area, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. A devoted chamber musician, Sydney is constantly exploring how music can create community and connection.Sydney is the founding violist of the Trillium String Quartet. Before founding Trillium, Sydney served as a viola fellow with The Orchestra Now in New York. She has performed in leadership positions with The Orchestra Now as well as the Youngstown Symphony.
Sydney holds a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was honored with the Helen Curtis Webster Award for outstanding graduate achievement. She earned her Bachelor of Music from McGill University and a Performance Certificate from Montclair State University, where Trillium served as the Graduate String Quartet in Residence. Her primary teachers are Lynne Ramsey, André Roy, and Kathryn Lockwood.
A committed educator, Sydney serves as artistic faculty for the Senior Session at Kinhaven Music School. She also is a certified Suzuki violin and viola instructor. Outside of music, she is a runner, triathlete, and avid reader who loves spending time with friends and family.
Amelia Smerz
Amelia Smerz (she/her), originally from Chicago, Illinois, began playing cello at the age of five after falling in love with the lowest sounds of the orchestra at a community symphony concert. Since then, she has grown up with an approach to music that centers upon expression, connection and enjoyment. Today, Amelia explores these values further as a founding member of the Trillium String Quartet and a passionate performer/educator based in Cleveland, Ohio.Amelia has played in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared in concert alongside Yo Yo Ma, ICE Ensemble, Time for Three, Third Coast Percussion Ensemble, Ben Folds, Blue Man Group, Bela Fleck and the Attacca Quartet. Amelia was honored as winner of the Brevard Music Festival’s Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition in 2019. From 2022-2024, Amelia served as a rotating Principal Cellist in The Orchestra Now at Bard College, serving as principal for three of the orchestra’s Carnegie Hall cycles and for the recording of their recent CD Exodus: Jewish Composers in Exile.
Amelia holds degrees from DePauw University, McGill University and Montclair State University. Her primary teachers have included Eric Edberg, Elizabeth Dolin, Tomoko Fujita, Eric Weiss and Si-Yan Darren Li.
In her free time, Amelia loves cooking, attending concerts, playing games and spending time with her friends, family, and pets.