Biographies

Joshua Bell, Concertmaster of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, has played with the North American Mandolin Ensemble, The American Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, the Classical Mandolin Society of America and The Tacoma Mandoleers of Washington, D.C. He currently teaches mandolin, mandola and mandocello at the Wheeler Conservatory and the Music School in Providence.

At the age of 22, Sarah Bell is one of the leading young classical mandolinists in America, winning the 2000 Hibbard Perry Scholarship for Mandolin Studies. Outside of the Pandora Mandolin Ensemble, she is concert mistress of the Noe Valley Plucked String Orchestra, and she has performed with the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, the American Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra, and the Aurora Mandolin Orchestra.

Guitarist Mark Armstrong anchors the Pandora ensemble. He has performed with numerous ensembles including featured roles in the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, Second Shift, Legacy, Midtown Jazz (winners of the 1995 Reader's Poll in the Providence Phoenix), Mystery and Avenue A, in addition to numerous appearances as a solo guitarist. Mr. Armstrong studied guitar with Mick Goodrick and Hal Crook and graduated from the Berklee School of Music under the tutelage of Jim Kelley, Scott Free and Larry Baione. He has been teaching in the Providence area for over seventeen years, including the Wheeler Conservatory and Chance to Dance.