dUOVibrAtO

The musicians of dUO VibrAtO encountered one another for the first time in the Mediterranean, particularly on the island of Cyprus. There at the Eastern Mediterranean University they collaborated together with help from their mentors duo46, and have been expanding their repertoire since the summer of 2005.
Joshua Rhoads is a student in guitar performance at Arizona State University studying under the direction of Professor Frank Koonce. Mr. Rhoads has recently returned to the United States from study abroad at the Eastern Mediterranean University on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. He studied and learnt to teach guitar with Dr. Mathew Albert Gould, a classical guitarist and chamber musician who is well-known throughout the chamber music circuit, touring with his chamber ensemble, duo46.
The recipient of a full scholarship awarded by the Turkish Embassy, Mr. Rhoads was the winner of the 2003 Guitar Festival and Competition of Northern Cyprus. At the time of winning this competition, Mr. Rhoads had studied classical guitar for only three years.
Mr. Rhoads graduated from high school at the Metropolitan Arts Institute of Phoenix. During grade school and high school, he studied violin for eight years. During that time, he played with the Phoenix Symphony Guild youth orchestra and performed with chamber orchestras throughout the Valley.
Violinist Miray Cakir Rhoads got her start at the Fine Arts middle school of Northern Cyprus, there she studied violin and piano for 3 years. In high-school she moved to mainland Turkey and studied violin at Hacettepe University Ankara Devlet Conservatory for 3 years with Murat Tamer. After finishing high-school she moved back to Cyprus and continued her studies at the Eastern Mediterranean University of Northern Cyprus with Beth Schneider, violinist for the well known new music ensemble duo46. In 2005 she performed for Apple Hill. During this time she was a member of the Cyprus Philharmonic.
In 2005, before coming to United States Joshua and Miray Rhoads created dUO VibrAtO under the direction of Dr. Matt Gould and Beth Schneider. Miray is now studying at Paradise Valley Community College with Beth Ilana Schneider and Dr. Christopher Scinto.
While living in Cyprus, each summer she traveled around the world playing violin with several Folkloric Dance Companies originating from Northern Cyprus, and traveling to such places as Sicily, Ukraine, Macedonia, and Turkey.
Most recently, Miray was chosen as the first place winner of 2007 Maricopa Community Colleges' Performing Artists Competition.