Misha Amory

"I chose the viola because it 'fit' -- there was a much better physical chemistry for me than there had been on the violin, which I'd studied earlier. Also, nobody else would go near it!"

"Eating my first New York bagel was a defining moment; from that point my breakfast menu was set for life."

"My hobby is running around Central Park at a 'dignified' pace. It's my ambition to someday be able to remember -- without the use of a date book -- exactly what I'm doing for the next, oh, three days."

Serena Canin

"Becoming a musician was a matter of following a calling, though it took me a while to figure this out. In fact, as a young person I tried very hard not to be a musician. I chose a liberal arts college over a conservatory, determined to explore other fields. Unfortunately, nothing sparked my interest as much as playing music did. I eventually realized that music was what I loved best in spite of myself -- it simply became what I had to do."

"The happiest day of my life so far had nothing to do with music --it was undoubtedly my wedding day. The intense emotions involved and being surrounded by close friends and family in the beautiful state of Maine was a true joy."

"I want to have played all of the Beethoven String Quartets. I discovered my newest passion over the summer: fishing! Being out on a beautiful lake is wonderful even if you aren't catching anything, but when you finally do get a bite it is so exciting. I caught my first fish -- a lowly chub -- and I was hooked!"

Michael Kannen

"When I was in fifth grade in my hometown public school in New Jersey I was given a musical aptitude test. I must have shown some aptitude because they offered me the opportunity to play a stringed instrument, giving me the choice between the violin, viola and cello. To my 10-year-old mind, the violin was a girl's instrument and I didn't know what the viola was -- does anybody really know? What I really wanted to play was the bass, figuring that the biggest must be the best. However, they weren't offering the bass, so I took the next best -- biggest -- thing, the cello. A most momentous decision, made through ignorance and greed!

"I will never forget March 12, 1988, the day I traveled to Boston from Bloomington, Indiana, where I was working on my master's degree, to audition for the cello opening in the Meliora String Quartet. This was a young quartet that had just burst onto the scene, with big management and international tours. I was eventually chosen to join the group and this marked the real beginning of not only my life as a professional cellist, but also of my life devoted entirely to chamber music -- my fondest dream. There was no way to know how much more it would mean to me, for it was then and there that I met Maria, the violist of the Meliora Quartet, who would eventually become my wife and who is now the mother of my beautiful son, Daniel. Now that's a big day! It's a good thing I practiced so well for my audition.

"I have two ambitions -- to learn to play Klezmer music and to one day be in as good physical condition as Carl Lewis. Now, there are two things I love to do above all else -- reading and watching sports. If it's a sport I'll watch it except for auto racing; riding around in a car for hours is commuting, not sports. These passions will probably conspire against my achieving the Carl Lewis thing. You can't have everything."

Mark Steinberg

"I was introduced to the violin at the age of five by my grandfather, a passionate lover of music and especially the violin. In an ideal world, he would probably be a violinist himself, but he certainly is happy to have me playing.

"When I was nine I went to Switzerland with my parents and had my first Swiss dark chocolate. Much of my time since then has been devoted to repeating that experience.

"I'm addicted to watching Seinfeld reruns every night at 11. Some day I'd like to travel cross-country on my Pogo stick."