Dr. Ayako Yonetani, a violin and viola professor at the University of Central Florida, began her violin studies in Kobe, Japan, at age five. A Juilliard graduate, she studied under Dorothy DeLay and later became her assistant. Yonetani is a celebrated soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician with performances worldwide. She has released acclaimed recordings, translated *Teaching Genius*, and leads UCF's Graduate "Pegasus" String Quartet Program, promoting classical music's tradition to future generations.

Mike Perroud began playing the violin after spotting the instrument hanging as a decoration in his living room. A year later, he was accepted into the Conservatoire de Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He continued his studies in Bulgaria, earning a Bachelor’s degree under Prof. Ginka Gichkova at the National Academy of Music in Sofia, followed by a Master’s in Interpretation at the University of Music in Nürnberg, Germany, under Dr. Reto Kuppel.
Perroud has participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians, including Shlomo Mintz, Zakhar Bron, and Pierre Amoyal, as well as the Miami and Parker Quartets. He has won prizes in Switzerland, Germany, and Bulgaria, performing as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe and the U.S.
Since 2017, he has co-led "Les Pinsons Divers," a chamber ensemble performing in Swiss festivals. Currently, he studies chamber music at UCF in Orlando as part of the Pegasus String Quartet program.

Jessica Trygstad is an accomplished violist who has been performing music for over 8 years. She began taking private lessons with Sarah Richter and Sue Sidoti as a young teen, from whom she was encouraged to play as part of the Dakota Academy of Performing Arts’ chamber orchestra and small chamber groups. It was through this experience that her love for chamber music and string quartets flourished. Jessica earned high chairs for South Dakota All State Orchestra and she played in the J. Laiten Weed Honors Orchestra her senior year. Her journey then continued to Luther College, where she majored in music, minored in religion, and studied viola with Dr. Spencer Martin. At Luther College Jessica enjoyed holding the principal chair for the viola section in the Luther College Symphony Orchestra from her sophomore to senior year, leading her section in LCSO’s performance in the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria.  It was also in this time that Jessica played with DJ Spooky’s Arctic Rhythms in 2022. After graduating from Luther in May of 2024, Jessica is here at UCF as part of the Pegasus String Quartet and currently studies with Dr. Ayako Yonetani.

Native to Humacao, Puerto Rico, Christopher Everett Cruz is a cellist who graduated with his Bachelor in Music Performance and is now continuing his pursuit of a Master of Arts in Music under the tutelage of David Bjella. Christopher started his musical career in high school at the Osceola County School for the Arts. He participated in the Florida All-State Symphonic Orchestra twice and he was a proud member of the Winter Park Chamber Orchestra from 2015-2018. Christopher continued his musical pursuit at the University of Central Florida after graduating in 2018. He won the concerto competition his freshman year and got the opportunity to play with the UCF Symphony Orchestra. As a graduate student, he is now the cellist of the Pegasus String Quartet. Outside of school, he has continued to perform in Central Florida as a freelance musician as well as being a member of Encore Performing Arts and subbing in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.