Max hails from Fortaleza , Brazil , where he lives with his parents Erico and Helena Pessoa.  He began playing the violin six years ago and studied under Vazken Fermanian before coming to Illinois .  He currently studies with Kamen Petkov in Springfield .  Max has had an opportunity to attend master classes with many accomplished violinists including James Alexander, Beverly Somach, Sergej Kravtchenko, Augusto Trindade, Michael Antonello, Alexander Mandl, and Julieta Mihai.

From 2005 through 2008 he performed at the Eleazar de Carvalho Music Festival in Fortaleza .  This festival serves both as a way to bring classical music as well as other genres to a broader audience, and to bring classical education to communities that would otherwise have little access to advanced learning.

Max in currently a senior at Athens High School in the foreign exchange program.

He will return to Brazil shortly after graduation and hopes to return in the fall to attend Western Illinois University where he has been accepted in the music program

For the SVYS Spring Concert, Max will be featured with the Symphony Orchestra as violin soloist performing Praeludium and Allegro by Fritz Kreisler based on a theme by Paganini.

Clement Serrano is a junior at Carlinville High School where he plays clarinet in the band and pit orchestra for the school musical. He received his first clarinet at age 11 when his mom traded two half-sized violins and a snare drum for a used wooden Selmer clarinet.  After his aunt put the instrument together, Clement simply started playing.

For several years he had lessons with his grandfather, who plays clarinet in the Carlinville community, then studied privately for a year with Marty McCandless in Springfield .  Currently Clement studies with Dr. James Hinson at SIU-Edwardsville. 

He hopes to pursue a career in music.

Clement will be performing on the Spring Concert as clarinet soloist for Concertino in Eb Major, Op. 26 by Carl Maria Von Weber.