Strings 4 All Seasons string quartet - music for weddings, receptions, parties, churches

April Brenning comes from a very musical family, and her earliest childhood memories are of family jam sessions playing Western Swing and Bluegrass music with her dad on fiddle, her brother on piano and her uncle on the five-string banjo. Ms. Brenning began playing the violin in fourth grade in the Arlington Independent School District’s orchestra program and continued until she graduated from high school. She also learned fiddle music from her dad and played in many jam sessions during her childhood.

Ms. Brenning served in the U.S. Army Reserves while attending the University of Texas at Arlington. She studied violin under Dr. Robert McCashin and graduated with her Bachelor of Music in 1993.

Ms. Brenning began teaching private violin and viola lessons in 1996 for the Arlington Independent School District. After moving to Granbury in 1998, she started a private studio and began studies to become a registered Suzuki teacher. Ms. Brenning continues to play and teach fiddle music. She has been the instructor of the strings program at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Granbury since 2005.

Church music is a big part of Ms. Brenning's life. She has been playing on contemporary praise and worship teams since 1985. Playing in this environment helped develop her ability to play by ear and improvise. She knows her calling is to minister to the church through her music and is often asked to perform with other church worship teams and in small orchestras during the holidays. Ms. Brenning is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the Brazos Chamber Orchestra.

Other interests include teaching children’s Sunday school, reading, bird watching, playing the cello, pickin’ on her banjo and camping and hiking with her husband, Shawn, and two daughters, Shannon and Mandy.


April Brenning comes from a very musical family, and her earliest childhood memories are of family jam sessions playing Western Swing and Bluegrass music with her dad on fiddle, her brother on piano and her uncle on the five-string banjo. Ms. Brenning began playing the violin in fourth grade in the Arlington Independent School District’s orchestra program and continued until she graduated from high school. She also learned fiddle music from her dad and played in many jam sessions during her childhood. Ms. Brenning served in the U.S. Army Reserves while attending the University of Texas at Arlington. She studied violin under Dr. Robert McCashin and graduated with her Bachelor of Music in 1993. Ms. Brenning began teaching private violin and viola lessons in 1996 for the Arlington Independent School District. After moving to Granbury in 1998, she started a private studio and began studies to become a registered Suzuki teacher. Ms. Brenning continues to play and teach fiddle music. She has been the instructor of the strings program at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Granbury since 2005. Church music is a big part of Ms. Brenning's life. She has been playing on contemporary praise and worship teams since 1985. Playing in this environment helped develop her ability to play by ear and improvise. She knows her calling is to minister to the church through her music and is often asked to perform with other church worship teams and in small orchestras during the holidays. Ms. Brenning is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and the Brazos Chamber Orchestra. Other interests include teaching children’s Sunday school, reading, bird watching, playing the cello, pickin’ on her banjo and camping and hiking with her husband, Shawn, and two daughters, Shannon and Mandy.

Kimberly A. Payne began playing the violin at age eight. Ms. Payne is an accomplished musician of many methods and has played with various organizations throughout the states of Missouri, Florida and Texas. She began teaching in 1988 for an after-school program of string players and has continued her teaching on and off throughout the years. Some of her accomplishments include serving as Concertmistress for the Coral Springs Chamber Orchestra and the Cape Girardeau Civic Orchestra and Principal Second for the Broward County Symphony. Ms. Payne was a Naval scholarship recipient and a 1993 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a B.S. in Mathematics while playing for the University Philharmonic. She served six years as a Naval Officer, providing her an opportunity to play abroad in various countries and holds an M.A. from Webster University in Human Resources Development. Currently, she is the general music teacher at Granbury Christian Academy. She also teaches private violin lessons and plays for the Brazos Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Payne enjoys playing second violin with her string quartet, “Strings 4 All Seasons” and spending time with her husband, Eric, and two daughters, Claire and Grace.

Enikö Walter-Howard began playing the violin in fifth grade in the Fort Worth Independent School District's orchestra program, and has been continuously playing since then. She began to study with Laure Bruton, principal violist of the Fort Worth Symphony, while still in high school. Continuing her studies at UTA, she studied with Joni Baczewski and Cathy Forbes. She received her BM and MMEd from UNT where she studied with Dr. George Papich. After graduating form UNT, she has been teaching orchestra in the Fort Worth Independent School District. She has performed with various ensembles in the D/FW Metroplex, and currently is a member of the Waco Symphony Orchestra.

Rachel Jarvis grew up and studied music in Norman, Oklahoma. After moving to Texas, Rachel taught strings at Tarrant County College until creating Mid-Cities Strings music school in 2002. She presently conducts both a youth and adult string ensemble, and these ensembles have performed at the Capitol building in Austin, the Gaylord Texan Convention Center, and the Texas Motor Speedway. When not teaching and conducting, Rachel is a freelance musician and cellist in the Brazos Chamber Orchestra. Through Young Audiences of North Texas and the Texas Commission on the Arts. She also performs American and world music programs in schools across Texas with the band, Tin Roof Tango. Rachel is a member of the Texas Private School Music Educators Association, a performing member of the E. Clyde Whitlock Music Club of the Woman's Club of Fort Worth, and cellist in the Whitlock String Quartet.