Huldah Niles is the Artistic Director and a founding member of Mill City String Quartet. Ms. Niles currently plays violin as a substitute with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and as a member of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra where she also serves on the Board of Directors. Huldah has been an active member in the Twin Cities freelance community for over 20 years including recording for Celine Dion’s “Love Again” featured in the movie with the same title, recording for Taylor Swift’s Red Album, “Come Back, Be Here,” and performances with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota, the Bach Roots Festival, Vocal Essence, the National Lutheran Choir, The Eagles, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Mannheim Steamroller, Johnny Matthis, and many more. Huldah has been Associate Concertmaster and Principal 2nd violin for the Mankato Symphony and Principal Viola for the Minnetonka Symphony Orchestra.

Huldah began her music studies on violin at the age of five at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, Iowa with Doris Preucil. Through the Preucil School of music, Huldah traveled to Japan with a group of peers from the Cleveland Institute of Music where they played for Dr. Suzuki at his private residence and for the Prince and Princess of Japan in Tokyo.

Ms. Niles received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance from the University of Minnesota under the tutelage of Sally O’Reilly. She has also studied viola with Thomas Turner. Huldah has attended many wonderful summer music festivals such as Italy Summer Music Festival in Pienza, Italy (studying with Eriko Tsuchihashi, Associate Concertmaster at Teatro alla Scala), Chautauqua Music Festival in New York, Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine, and Bravo! in Minnesota.  

Huldah’s hobbies include Bridge, American Mah Jongg, running, reading, and playing video games. She is happily married to David Niles and together they have one daughter and two cats in Minnetonka.

Joining the Mill City String Quartet in January 2023, violist Coca Bochonko has been a part of the Twin Cities freelance scene for the last twenty years. She has performed with the Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Vocal Essence, and at the Guthrie Theater. Ms. Bochonko is currently a member of the Music St. Croix chamber ensemble, principal violist of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, and the St. Cloud Symphony. Originally from Winnipeg, she maintains connections north of the border, appearing regularly as a substitute player in the Winnipeg Symphony and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. An avid collaborator and soloist, Ms. Bochonko has also performed numerous solo and chamber music recitals throughout the Midwest and Canada. She has made solo appearances with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, and Heartland Symphony Orchestra, and along with pianist Shannon Loehrke, has presented recitals across Minnesota as well as in Texas, Wisconsin, and Manitoba. Coca studied viola at McGill University and Southern Methodist University. Her teachers include Sabina Thatcher, Ellen Rose, Heidi Castlemann, Victoria Chiang, Douglas McNabney, and Joanne Martin. She has also participated in the summer programs at the Aspen Music Festival and Banff Centre for the Arts. In addition to her musical endeavors, Coca has recently completed a Diploma in Therapeutic Massage, with a focus on musician injuries and restorative care. Her other interests include learning languages, traveling, good food, and reading. She lives in St. Cloud with her husband, Mark Springer.

Erika Hoogeveen is in her fifteenth season with Dakota Valley Symphony, serving as concertmaster for six if those seasons. She has performed with a variety of other groups, including Minnesota Opera, Kantorei, the Oratorio Society of Minnesota, and Bach Roots Festival. Erika has also recorded in orchestras for Celine Dion’s song “Love Again” featured in the movie with the same title and for the track on Taylor Swift’s Red Album, “Come Back, Be Here.”

Erika is a violinist and a founding member of the Mill City String Quartet, established in 2007. Dedicated to serving the community through their performances, the group has been MPR Class Notes Artists multiple times. They have also been frequent performers at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee thanks to a generous Arts Learning Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. With the quartet, Erika has performed in various local music series including Schubert Club and Thursday Musical.

Alongside her sister, Erika began her music education at age six in violin. Together, they performed in countless church services, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and competitions. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance at Dordt College under the tutelage of Rick Lohmann and Margaret Carpenter and her Master of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki pedagogy at the University of Minnesota, studying with Sally O’Reilly.

An enthusiastic educator, Erika has been on the faculty of MacPhail Center for Music, St. Joseph’s School of Music, and Dordt College, as well as her own private studio on her home.

In her life outside of music, Erika is a homeschooling mom of five kids. She is an avid sewist and knitter but also fints time for reading, running, and enjoying the outdoors. She and her music-loving husband, kids, and dog reside in St. Paul.

Rebeccah Parker Downs joined Mill City String Quartet in May of 2023. Ms. Downs is a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher based in theTwin Cities. She has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including appearances with orchestra performing the Lalo Cello Concerto, Elgar Cello Concerto, and Faure Elegie. She frequently performs chamber music with her husband, Benjamin Downs. They have appeared together at the WMP Concert Hall (NYC), Music Festival of Lucca (Italy), Linton Chamber Music Series (OH), Chautauqua Music Festival (NY), 113 Composer Collective (MN), and others. Rebeccah frequently performs as an orchestral and chamber music musician in the Twin Cities with An Opera Theatre, 113 Composer Collective, Duluth Superior Symphony, Mankato Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Minnesota Chorale, Des Moines Symphony, American Opera Project, and others. When not performing, she teaches cello privately, at Northern Lights School for Strings. Rebeccah has a Master's and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.