About Us
Meet The Quartet
Artful Noise was established in 1997 as a performing group for concerts and events. Since then, we have provided music for thousands of guests at weddings and parties, private ceremonies and in concert halls.
In recent years, we have enjoyed accompanying Portsmouth ProMusica, the Seacoast Community Chorus, Amare Cantare, the Community Chorus of South Berwick, the Granite State Choral Society, the Rockingham Choral Society, Women Singing Out, and Voices from the Heart.
In August 2014, Artful Noise gave the world premier performance of Kevin Siegfried’s string quartet, “Land of Pure Delight,” at the Canterbury Shaker Museum’s Village Rising Festival, which we then reprised for concerts with Amare Cantare in 2015 and Portsmouth ProMusica in 2016.
In 2003, we were selected to work with the UNH Symphony on Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and Orchestra, rehearsing as the featured quartet with the orchestra in preparation for their performance with the world-renowned Shanghai String Quartet. During this time, we were honored to perform for a masterclass with the Shangai String quartet.
Although we are all trained in traditional classical repertoire, we enjoy playing in other styles, and frequently join pit orchestras for musical theater productions. With our extensive collection of string quartet arrangements, we also entertain audiences with Celtic and American fiddle, jazzy showtunes and contemporary pop tunes.
For a list of upcoming public concerts, join our mailing list!
Gary Hodges has been performing in the North of Boston area for over forty years. In addition to being a founding member of the Artful Noise String Quartet, he is a member of the Mosaic String Quartet, the Kelsh Trio, and is a freelance artist performing throughout New England. He is principal cellist with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and has served as principal cellist of the New Hampshire Philharmonic, performed with the Great Bay Philharmonic and worked with Amare Cantare, Granite State Choral Society, the Nashua Choral Society, the Community Chorus of South Berwick, Portsmouth Pro Musica and the Seacoast Community Chorus. He also accompanied Peter Mayer on tour. Mr Hodges studied with Mary Rasmussen, Larry Veal, Sato Knudsen, Andres Diaz and David Wells. In addition to the cello, Mr. Hodges also plays the viola da gamba. He has been a member of the Goodmorrow Consort, the Portland Early Music Consort, and the Woodman Consort.
Lynne White McMahon holds degrees in violin performance and music education from Smith College and has studied under Phillip Naegele, Giorgio Ciompi, and Ani Kavafian. She has played with many chamber ensembles as a freelance artist throughout the New England region, including Portland Symphony Orchestra, Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, and many community choruses in the seacoast region. In addition to performing regularly as a member of the Artful Noise String Quartet, Lynne has taught in many area schools including Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine, and the York, Maine public schools. She teaches at Portsmouth Music and Arts Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and in her studio at home in Cape Neddick, Maine.
Margaret Bruziak Hopkins was born in Poland, where she began her musical journey at the age of seven with violin studies, adding piano at age twelve. She was a member of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (formerly GBYSO), performing with the ensemble for six years.
Ms. Hopkins earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, followed by extensive Suzuki teacher training at institutions across the United States. Her performance career has taken her around the world, including appearances in Poland, Switzerland, Israel, England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, and throughout the United States.
An active leader in music education, she served as Orchestra Vice President for the Maine Music Educators Association, past president of the Maine Suzuki Association, and past secretary of the Maine chapter of the American String Teachers Association. She taught violin in the Saco and Old Orchard Beach school systems, and she currently serves on the faculty of the Portland Conservatory of Music.
In addition to her role as concertmaster of the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, she performs regularly with the Artful Noise String Quartet, the Lakes Region String Quartet, the String Beings Quartet and various ensembles across New England. She is also a sought-after freelance musician.
Beyond her musical career, Margaret has a passion for travel. She is the proud mother of two daughters, grandmother to two grandchildren, and shares her home with her cat, Lola.
Sally Wituszynski earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Heidi Castleman and Marcus Thompson. She has also completed a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire.
Sally has played in many ensembles, including the Vermont Symphony, the Hanover Handel Society, the Granite State Symphony, the Boston New Music Initiative, the Portsmouth Symphony, the New Hampshire Philharmonic, and the Great Bay Philharmonic. She is the principal violist for the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, and a founding member of the Artful Noise String Quartet. As an active freelance performer throughout New England, Sally has appeared onstage with Dionne Warwick, David Gates, and the ELO cover band “Evil Woman.” In 2012 she performed at the PARMA Contemporary Music Festival in Portsmouth, NH.
Sally has also maintained a private teaching studio in the New Hampshire Seacoast area since 1984, and is a Past President of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association. She has spent many summers teaching in the University of New Hampshire’s Summer Youth Music School programs, and has conducted at both the Maine and New Hampshire Statewide String Festivals. Sally was the string teacher and orchestra director at Berwick Academy in southern Maine for 20 years, taught instrumental music at Tri-City Christian Academy for 13 years, and she was the Master Teacher for the String Project at the University of New Hampshire for four years. She currently directs two New Horizons string ensembles at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center.
“I knew from the very beginning in talking with you that we were in the most capable hands possible.
It couldn’t have been better.”
Roberta
“Artful Noise∼ you sounded beautiful, the songs were perfect. Thank you very much!”
George, Steph, and Ella
“Thank you so much for playing at the wedding. The music was absolutely beautiful.”
Anne
“On behalf of the family, we want to thank you for setting the tone for the weekend events. Let your partners know how much we appreciated their contribution at the memorial service.”