About Us
Our Origin
The Mosaic Quartet was formed in 2021 through Challenge the Stats, a local non-profit arts organization. From their very first rehearsal, it was evident that these four talented women shared a common goal of revolutionizing classical music in their community. Whenever they performed together, they received feedback from audience members about the importance of their voices in the classical music world and the significance of seeing four highly skilled classical musicians of color unite to perform music by BIPOC composers. Encouraged by this positive response and their desire to use music as a catalyst for change, these four women officially formed a quartet in 2023 and named themselves the Mosaic Quartet to represent the diverse backgrounds of each member and the music they present. The Mosaic Quartet firmly believes that music has a greater impact when it reflects the community it serves. Classical music is for everyone!
Jessica Stinson
Violin
Violinist Jessica Stinson, hailed as a “thrilling and spectacular” performer with “remarkably mature musicianship,” has established a versatile career as a performer, educator, and chamber musician. Jessica is a member of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and regularly performs with the Atlanta Symphony and Ballet Orchestras. She recently made her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the Gateways Festival Orchestra and has also appeared at the legendary Apollo Theater with jazz composer and trumpeter Russell Gunn and his orchestra.
A passionate and active chamber musician, Jessica is a founding member of Mosaic Quartet, an ensemble committed to diversity and inclusion in classical chamber music. Jessica is a member ofEnsemble ATL and the Magnolia String Quartet, featured across Metro Atlanta in the Candlelight Concerts series. She has appeared with the Laridae Quintet, Edgewood String Quartet, Bayberry String Quartet, and Ensemble VIM. As a recitalist, Jessica focuses on curating thoughtful programs that highlight the contributions of black composers to the violin repertoire. One of her many performances as a member of the University of South Carolina String Quartet was lauded for its “classical style and technical competence” by The New York Times, adding that groups of such caliber “are not the exclusive property of big cities and international arts centers.”
Jessica has maintained a thriving private teaching studio since 2009. Her students are members of theAtlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia All-StateOrchestras. She served as a violin professor at Georgia State University and has conducted masterclasses and workshops for institutions such as the American String Teachers Association, the University of South Carolina, the Atlanta Music Project, and Atlanta Public Schools.
Jessica is a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas, having received aMaster’s degree in Violin Performance with Mr. Kenneth Goldsmith. She has also studied with Dr. William Terwilliger at the University of South Carolina and David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Jessica currently resides in East Point, GA, with her husband McKinley and son James.
Tramaine Jones
Violin
Atlanta native Tramaine Jones has had a calling for music from the day she was born. As the only child of jazz performing song writers, she was deeply immersed in music from a very young age. Once she discovered the violin at the age of 9, she knew that she had finally found where she belonged in the musical world. Her violin studies eventually took her to Northwestern University, where she earned a bachelors degree in Violin Performance and masters degree in Music Education.
Today Tramaine is recognized for her passionate performances and beautiful tone where she takes center stage in Atlanta’s thriving music scene. Her remarkable talent graces a variety of musical settings, from the intimate ambiance of chamber and solo music to the classical realm of symphony, theatre, and opera orchestras.
Tramaine is a founding member of the Mosaic Quartet where she enjoys sharing music with audiences in recitals and youth outreach. In addition, she has performed with the Augusta Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Macon Symphony, Atlanta Lyric Orchestra, City Springs Theatre Orchestra, Clayton State Opera Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony where she also serves as the Music Librarian, as a founding member and Concertmaster of the Southern Strings Sinfonia, and many more. She was honored to join The Atlanta Opera as a sub violinist for their 2024 production Die Walkure and will join them again for their Spring 2025 production Siegfried. Tramaine also enjoys playing pop music, particularly Bollywood events. She has collaborated in concert and recording sessions with artists John Legend, Kenny Lattimore, Maxwell, Common, Yolanda Adams, LeAnn Rimes, and Lionel Richie amongst many more.
Her notable teachers include world renown solo violinist Gerardo Ribiero, Justin Bruns Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony, and her dear childhood teachers April Pettus, Bruno Paige, and Felix Farrar.
When she is not performing, Tramaine loves spending time with her family and homeschooling her young daughters.
Shadwa Mussad
Viola
Shadwa Mussad (violinist/violist) has distinguished herself as a versatile chamber musician, orchestral player, and educator. As a member of the West Eastern Divan Orchestra, an orchestra for Arab and Israeli musicians founded by Daniel Barenboim and the late Edward Said, she has performed for three consecutive seasons in the world’s most celebrated venues including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Waldbuhne, La Scala, Tchaikovsky Conservatory Hall and the Salzburg Festspielhaus.
She is a member of the Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Pops Orchestras and plays with a variety of ensembles across the Southeast. Additionally, Shadwa has performed in the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the Juventas New Music Ensemble, the Lexington, Springfield and Augusta Symphonies, the Lyra Vivace and ARCO chamber orchestras and the Orchestra of Indian Hill under notable conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Pierre Boulez, Gil Rose, and Levon Ambartsumian. Her music festival appearances have included the BBC Proms, Salzburg, Lucerne, Ravello, Piccolo Spoleto, Masterworks, and Monadnock music festivals.
In addition to her orchestral pursuits, Shadwa is an active chamber musician and a founding member and violist of the Mosaic Quartet. She is equally adept as a teacher and educator and is passionate about enriching the lives of others through music. Shadwa has taught as a Lecturer at the Ohio State University and as a resident teaching artist at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston, MA. She also served as Director of Orchestras at Campbell High School in the Cobb County School District, GA. She currently teaches at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta.
Shadwa holds a dual Masters Degree (MM/MA) in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from the Ohio State University, a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Georgia. Her principal teachers have included Yura Lee, Jesse Mills, Kia-Hui Tan, Levon Ambartsumian, Shakhida Azhimkhodjaeva, Catharine Carroll, and Robert Gillespie (string pedagogy).
Alana Bennett-Garcia
Cello
Cellist Alana Bennett-Garcia has built a dynamic and multifaceted career as both a performing artist and dedicated music educator. She is a graduate of New York University, where she studied under esteemed pedagogue Marion Feldman, and Indiana University, where she trained with celebrated chamber musician Sharon Robinson. During her studies, she had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses and receive coachings from cellists such as Susan Moses, Eugene Moye and Bonnie Hampton.
Alana’s versatility has led her to collaborate across a wide spectrum of genres—from performing with the Georgia Boy Choir to recording with hip-hop legend Common. She has appeared with notable ensembles including the New York String Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra (GA), and the Augusta Symphony. Alana is a founding member of the Mosaic String Quartet and currently serves as principal cellist of the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Alana is also part of the cello sections of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, as well as a regular performer with Atlanta Pops Orchestra.
A passionate educator, Alana maintains an active private studio and frequently coaches students at schools throughout metro Atlanta. She also serves as a sectional coach for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, inspiring the next generation of young musicians.
When she’s not performing or teaching, Alana enjoys fitness, losing herself in a good book, watching delightfully bad TV, and spending time with her family—including her two beloved dogs, Albus and Daisy.