friendship + music
Wyatt has been able to find opportunities to pursue music through church, classical piano, and banjo throughout his high school education. Now he pursues an apprenticeship at the Michigan Academy of Folk Music, from which he has seven years of education under his belt, as well as nine years on classical piano which earned him the Distinguished Artist Award from Hope College. Through the Michigan Academy of Folk Music and other places, Wyatt has entered into a wonderful musical community where he delights in learning under the masterful instruction of Nate Roberts & Joshua Linde, as well as jamming with his friends both in class and on stage.
Lino Venema is a multi-instrumentalist based in the Zeeland area. She has performed and toured with bands including Whorled, Trillium, and Futuretime Stringband. Lino has also competed in the All Ireland Fleadh, the largest Irish music competition in the world, after placing first place in the Midwest Fleadh. She currently studies bluegrass with award winning guitar player, professional educator, and performer Hayes Griffin. She also studies flute with Seán Gavin, founder of the Irish Music Institute in Detroit and award winning flute player and performer.
Jack is a violinist and fiddler from Grand Haven. He has studied classical violin for six years, most recently under Eugenia Alikhanova, first violinist of the Moscow Quartet, and during that time he has placed in three violin competitions, winning two of them. He has recently taken an interest in folk music genres. Last school year he joined the Michigan Academy of Folk Music, and since then he has enjoyed doubling his violin as a fiddle in jams, concerts, and gigs.
Ezra, leading Sandy Point in singing and songwriting, has worked enthusiastically with his brother (Wyatt) and numerous musicians, young and old, to produce quality music. A homeschooled student, he pursues instruction from Nate Roberts, a graduate from Berklee and an accomplished mandolin virtuoso, at the Michigan Academy of Folk Music. Though primarily playing bluegrass, he dives deeply into other styles such as Celtic, country, jazz, and classical.Through seven years of professional education on both mandolin and piano, Ezra has eagerly launched into a world of musical exploration and performance.