Alex Shum · Founder, First Violin

Alex Shum is the founder of the Brookside String Quartet and has led the group for over 30 years organizing small ensembles for various functions including concerts, weddings, and private events. He currently plays first violin with the Kansas City Symphony and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. Alex earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts after completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts at St. John’s University in Minnesota. He won the Carmel Chamber Music Competition and was a Leonard Bernstein Fellow at the Tanglewood Festival. Alex originates from Hong Kong, where he was a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Anne-Marie Brown · Second Violin

Anne-Marie Brown plays many roles in the Kansas City music scene including the Kansas City Symphony and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She holds degrees from Northwestern University and Manhattan School of Music, and she has studied and performed at many music festivals, including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, ENCORE School for Strings, Tanglewood, and the Park City International Music Festival.

Kent Brauninger · Viola

Kent has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony since 1987 and teaches Suzuki violin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He received a Master of Music Degree from Indiana University. Skilled also as a mandolinist, he has performed in bluegrass groups as well as with Bobby McFerrin. In his spare time, Kent enjoys automobile restoration as a hobby with a special affinity for Volkswagons.

Lawrence Figg · Cello

Lawrence has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony since 1999. After graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he moved to France where he lived for 5 years in Paris. He was a member of the Orchestre de Chambre d’Alexendre Stajic, performed a season with Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercomtemporain and was a regular recording artist for French radio and television.