The Sound of Chattanooga: Professional Instrumentalists

Dr. Erika L. Schafer

Professional Trumpeter and Professor of Trumpet, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC)

Dr. Erika L. Schafer’s first encounter with the trumpet happened when her fourth-grade self realized that percussion was “boring.” After two weeks of hauling the snare drum – which was as big as her at the time – back and forth to school that summer, she decided to change instruments. 

“I wasn’t drawn to the woodwinds – too many keys and I didn’t want to play something stereotypically feminine,” Dr. Schafer recalls. “I chose the trumpet because I thought it would be the easiest. Only three buttons and seven combinations, so I would only have to play seven notes, right? Wrong! You actually make all the notes with your face and air.”

As Dr. Schafer became an experienced trumpeter in high school, she found that her heart was torn between a career path in mathematics or music – until the marching band played at Giants Stadium.

“I was so enamored by the experience: the big lights, the walk through the tunnel, the size of the stadium, the cheers from the crowd,” Dr. Schafer describes. “I knew right then I had to pursue music. Nothing else made me feel that way.”

Throughout her middle and high school journey, Dr. Schafer says her mom’s support was essential.

“My mother always encouraged me to pursue something I loved, and I’m really grateful for that,” she finishes. “As a single mom, she was the one who drove me to all the practices, competitions, and performances, and made sure I had everything I needed.”

Though many teachers kept her on the musical path, Dr. Schafer says her college experiences with Mr. Rowell and Mr. Chesnut at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) were instrumental. 

“My most fulfilling musical experiences were in college,” she says. “Music school was like a cloistered world where students were able to prioritize music making (pre-cell phones!), and the professors did too.”

As a graduate, Dr. Schafer joined the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., serving seven years in the Concert and Ceremonial Bands. She was a featured soloist and also performed with chamber ensembles including the U.S. Navy Band Brass Quartet and the Joint Services Brass Quintet.

Now Professor of Trumpet at UTC, Dr. Schafer teaches trumpet lessons to all students who major in music that play trumpet plus any non-majors playing for fun, as well as Survey of Jazz and Introduction to Music. She performs locally in solo recitals, as a sub for the Chattanooga Symphony, and most recently with the orchestra for the Chattanooga Bach Choir. She really enjoys mentoring students in general, and she serves as an official mentor through the International Women’s Brass Conference. She prioritizes making her studio a safe space for all students to be themselves.

Marissa Purnell

Professional Harpist

Professional harpist Marissa Purnell has been playing the harp ever since she could touch the strings. She inherited her love for the instrument from her mother, who is also a professional harpist.

“I walked very early at 8 and 1/2 months, so I was always at the harp as a baby,” Purnell recalls. “My mom had several harps of different sizes, one I could reach and play easily on my own, and one I needed her help to play. I can remember plucking strings on her lap, and I started formal lessons when I was young.”

Utilizing the harp’s seven pedals, Purnell is able to adjust 47 strings to create three different sounds each, as well as practice the glissando technique – a French term for “sliding” across multiple notes. With attention to detail and coordination, she says the harp is “both technically challenging and expressive,” making learning even the simplest of songs “tremendously impactful.”

Though she has played for 20 years and professionally for 10, Purnell didn’t always plan on making the harp her career. After moving to Tennessee, opportunities opened to play at weddings and venues – including The Tennessean Hotel, The Farm Golf Club, Ruby Falls, and the Hunter Museum of American Art. She has since performed with ensembles such as the Roueche Chorale and the Chatta-nooga Symphony & Opera for their Pops on the River concert.

“I’m originally from Utah, where I performed as a teenager and young adult at notable venues such as Abravanel Hall,” she says. “Since moving to Tennessee, it has naturally grown into a professional path for me, and I am incredibly grateful for that.”   

In 2024, Purnell and two friends and fellow professional harpists formed the Tennessee Harp Trio – performing four local concerts that featured both classical and pop repertoire. This year, they have expanded and are debuting as the Tennessee Harp Quartet, with a planned performance for late summer or early fall.

Traveling from event to event, Purnell says that a memory of performing “Jupiter” by Gustav Holst with her first youth orchestra still fuels her love for the instrument today – encouraging others to let “their genuine love for music guide them.”    

“That first concert was powerful,” she concludes. “Sitting in the orchestra and hearing the music build around me, I felt like I was part of something much bigger than myself. It’s never too late to learn an instrument, and there is room for you to build a career in music!”

Melody Poke

Professional Violinist and Violin Teacher, Chattanooga Music Academy

Introduced to the violin at the Center for Creative Arts, Melody began playing at 11 years old and learned one of her favorite things about the instrument. “I was drawn to the violin because of its ability to mimic the human voice,” she recalls.

Poke learned that – similarly to how humans are able to shape and amplify the vibrations of their vocal cords with the use of their throat, mouth, and nasal passages – she could use the bow and tuning pegs to shape and amplify the vibrations of the violin’s strings. And she loved that she could express herself through each note. “My violin is like an extension of my left arm; it allows me to express myself in ways that words may not be able to.”

Throughout middle and high school, Poke continued to explore her curiosity for the instrument – leading her to pursue a degree in music through the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).

“My path towards becoming a professional instrumentalist was shaped by hours of practice,” says Poke. “While a student at UTC, I decided to focus on pursuing a career in music by completing double degrees in music education and instrumental performance!”

Today, Poke has played in hundreds of musical performances throughout Chattanooga and the surrounding regions – including at weddings and events for the Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga Convention Center, Blackberry Ridge, Howe Farms, The Hotel Chalet, and many more. Though she often plays solo, she also plays with multiple string ensembles in the Chattanooga area.   

“Each performance setting is distinctive,” she explains. “I enjoy performing solo on my electric violin because I can be as creative as I want and showcase the many styles that the violin is capable of, but nothing beats performing alongside other like-minded musicians – whether it is classical music repertoire or covers of Billboard Top 100 songs!”

In between performances, she also enjoys teaching students of all ages at the Chattanooga Music Academy – focusing on the Suzuki and Kodály Methods, as well as about the opportunities of the electric violin.

“Discovering and performing on the electric violin has created opportunities for endless creativity and musical improvisation,” she finishes. “In traditional classical music you are bound to what is on the page, but incorporating improvisation into my performances has been exhilarating.”

Hope Erickson

Professional Saxophonist and Educator

Growing up in a small North Dakota farming community, Hope Erickson always had music in her life. She started piano lessons at age 4 with her mother, but it wasn’t until fifth grade band that she was able to explore other instruments.

“I remember picking up the saxophone and immediately feeling drawn to it,” says Erickson. “Something about the sound and the feel of the instrument just clicked with me. It quickly became more than just a school activity – allowing me to explore creativity and connect with something bigger than my immediate surroundings, which ultimately set me on the path I’m still on today.”

Throughout high school, Erickson continued to compete in solo contests and participate in honor bands across the state. Shared experiences and connections with other student and professional musicians prepared her for the collegiate music world. “As my first saxophone teacher, Dr. Rhett Bender created performance and career opportunities that were life changing.”

Erickson has performed at national and international festivals, competitions, and professional music conferences – including in Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and Iowa, and abroad in China and Taiwan. Looking back, she says that competing and placing second in the 2015 Chengdu Yamaha International Saxophone Quartet Competition in China was one of the most “challenging and rewarding experiences” of her career.

“Traveling internationally and performing on that stage was a completely new experience for me,” she says. “It helped me to develop a stronger sense of confidence and trust in my own preparation and abilities. More than anything, the experience reinforced how meaningful collaboration can be and how much you grow when you push yourself outside of familiar environments.”

Today, Erickson enjoys the distinction as a Selmer Paris Artist and saxophone professor at Southern Adventist University. She also maintains a large private studio in Chattanooga. She often performs with the Premier Jazz Orchestra, collaborates with musicians throughout the Chattanooga area, and has founded a local youth saxophone ensemble. With her passion for building musical opportunities and creating meaningful experiences for local students and audiences leading the way, she encourages aspiring musicians to never give up. 

“There will always be moments when things feel discouraging,” she finishes. “Not every audition or opportunity will work out the way you hope. The most important thing is to stay persistent and continue growing. Keep showing up, keep learning, stay true to who you are and the right collaborators and opportunities will come.”

Emerald Butler

Professional Fiddler and Singer-Songwriter

Many may wonder about the difference between a violin and a fiddle. For accomplished country fiddler and singer songwriter Emerald Butler, the answer is simple: “A violin has strings, while a fiddle has ‘strangs.’”

“Typically, in classical music you would refer to it as a violin, and if you’re playing country, Celtic, or bluegrass music it would be called a fiddle,” she explains. “One of my favorite things about the fiddle is that it sometimes has this persona of being a very niche instrument, but it truly can be played in all sorts of genres. It’s the secret ingredient that adds so much to a dish, but you don’t necessarily think about until it’s pointed out.”

Being raised around her guitar-playing grandfather, and fiddling since age 5, Butler was cultivated by Chattanooga’s mountain music scene. But it wasn’t until she watched Johnny Cash’s biopic, Walk the Line, that she realized fiddling could become a career.

“When you hear Johnny Cash, you don’t really think about the fiddle, but Marty Stuart played a little fiddle in Johnny Cash’s band at one time,” she says. “Overall, the history and stories of roots music is what shaped my path as a musician. I have had to shape my own path, and it’s been a little rocky, but I guess that makes for some good stories.”

Today, Butler fronts her own band, performs as half of the country folk duo Emerald & Jade with Chattanooga musician Jade Watts, and plays for artists including Jason D. Williams, Rachel McIntyre Smith, and Mary Kate Farmer. She has taken the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House, Graceland, Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, Opry City Stage in NYC, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, the Surf Ballroom & Museum, Songbirds Guitar Museum, the Walker Theatre, Riverbend, and more. She has played fiddle for a fellow artist who aired on WSM 650 AM, and she recently recorded a new project at Sun Studios in Memphis.

Butler says fiddling is easy, but recording pushes her “technically and creatively” – challenging her to stay original while honoring an artist’s or producer’s direction. It’s one she embraces because it allows her to do what she loves – storytelling and deepening her connection with listeners.

“I’ve played on world famous stages that have been dream fulfilling, but when you can put on a show that makes you feel seen and accepted while also making the audience feel seen and accepted, that is its own kind of magic,” she concludes.