About Us
The N Street Quartet was founded with the goal of creating a professional group that performs in diverse venues with a broad repertoire spanning classical to pop and jazz. It includes professional musicians who play with leading orchestras and ensembles throughout the Washington DC area.
The Musicians
Erik Whitesides grew up in Massachusetts where he attended music programs at Walnut Hill and the New England Conservatory and studied viola performance with prominent musicians from the Boston area. He then furthered his studies at the Peabody Conservatory, where his principal teachers included Richard Field of the Baltimore Symphony and Joseph DePasquale of Curtis Institute and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Erik has since performed in various summer music festivals such as the Aspen Summer Music Festival in Colorado and Greenwood Music Camp in Massachusetts, as well as with notable Mid-Atlantic groups, such as the Baltimore Symphony, Maryland Symphony, National String Symphonia, 2 Rivers Chamber Orchestra, Frederick Chorale, and Annapolis Chamber Players. Erik resides in Washington DC where he is the violist of the N Street Quartet, a group he co-founded with his wife, Kat Whitesides, that engages in a variety of recording and performance projects.
Kat Whitesides is a member of the Maryland Symphony, the Apollo Orchestra, and first violinist (co-founder) of the N Street Quartet. A highly sought-after freelance performer, she has played with numerous DC-area groups, including The Queen’s Ball Bridgerton Experience, Washington Concert Opera, Alexandria Symphony, Washington City Choir, Fairfax Symphony, Maryland Lyric Opera, and various chamber music collaborations. Additionally, Kat is a devoted music teacher, with years of experience teaching traditional and non-traditional learners in private lessons and in the classroom. Kat is the director of the strings program at The McLean School of Maryland, teaching Lower, Middle and Upper School Strings in grades 3-12. Kat met her husband, Erik, while she was earning her BM in Violin Performance at Catholic University and they have two children, Zeke and Kora. When she is not performing or teaching, she enjoys long distance running, audiobooks, hiking, and exploring the bike trails of DC.
Gene Makely hails from a diverse musical background as an orchestral musician, studio musician, and chamber musician. Studying viola performance with Davis Brooks at Baylor University and Dr. Kenneth Sarch at Shenandoah University, Gene also credits music educators from his primary and secondary years with cultivating and nurturing his passion for music, inspiring him to hone and refine his craft. For over 20 years, Gene has performed with several orchestras and chamber ensembles in the metro DC area: Pro Arté Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington, Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, Washington Sinfonietta, McLean Symphony, and has performed with several DC-area string ensembles. He considers among his most exciting work to be performing with locale-specific orchestras such as The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess, Celtic Woman, and Roberta Flack’s Soul Symphony. He has also participated in several recording sessions for film soundtrack demos by local Austin, TX composer, Nathan Felix.
Tim Thulson is a veteran of the DC freelance scene, in high demand as a cellist both at home and abroad. Tours have included Japan, England, Germany, and the Middle East. As an orchestral musician, Tim's engagements include principal cello for DC's unconducted Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, as well as frequent appearances with the contemporary-focused Great Noise Ensemble. As a soloist, Tim premiered Iordanishvili's "Character" for the Atlas Emerging Composer's forum. But Tim's key musical passion is for chamber music, and he has been privileged to perform and record with a variety of Washington's best small ensembles. Tim holds degrees from Wheaton College, where he studied with Dr. Daniel Davies, and the George Mason University School of Law. He lives in Alexandria with his wife and their three boys.