Please join us for an afternoon of music played by Deidre Vaughn Emerson (cello) and Melissa Martiros (Steinway). We are proud to present this free performance for the music lovers in our area.

• Beethoven, Cello Sonata in A Major, Op. 69
• Debussy, Cello Sonata
• Piazzolla, Le Grand Tango for Cello and Piano
• Shostakovich, Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op. 40

Mrs. Deidre Vaughn Emerson first started playing cello at the age of five. She received her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance magna cum laude at Birmingham Southern College, and her Masters in Cello Performance at University of Houston in the studio of Vagram Saradjian. She has studied at a number of music festivals in the United States and Europe.

Mrs. Vaughn Emerson has performed and taught in multiple genres including sacred, symphonic, chamber, modern, country, fiddle, opera, ballet, soundtracks, and popular music to name a few. She has led many all-state and regional clinics and has taught all ages and levels. She has been honored as guest artist and guest lecturer for a number of colleges and universities.

Currently she works and resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Matt, and young son, Archer. In Nashville she teaches at a number of schools and teaching studios and also maintains her own private teaching studio. She also does recording and performance work in this city’s vibrant industry, and is involved in many full time ensembles. Deidre is a board member of the Nashville Composers' Association, currently the Professor of Cello and Director of Orchestra at Tennessee State University, and is newly Instructor of Cello and String Ensemble at Martin Methodist College. 

Melissa Martiros currently holds the position of Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Music at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, TN where she is also serves as the Founder and Director of the CWN Community Arts Academy. Prior to her appointment at Martin Methodist College, she served on the faculties of Silver Lake College, the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Bluffton University, the Lindeblad School of Music, and as a teaching assistant at Bowling Green State University and Interlochen Arts Camp.

A strong advocate for inclusion in the arts and a firm believer that all children should have access to a quality music education, she has devoted much of her career to developing programs for underserved youth and children with developmental delays.  An active clinician, her recent engagements have included workshops at the International Society of Music Education World Conference (ISMEA), the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), the Canadian Federation of Music Educators Biennial Convention (CFMTA), the College Music Society National Conference (CMS), the Music Teachers  National Association National Conference (MTNA), the Australasian Pedagogy Conference (AAPC), and the Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education.

Melissa is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D) program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University.  She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy and a Master of Science degree (MS) in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison, a Master of Music (MM) degree in Piano Performance from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in Piano Performance from Westfield State University, where she was the recipient of the Presidential Merit Scholarship and Excellence in Music Performance Award.