Sophie Heaton, viola (New York, NY), is an elementary-level special education teacher in the NYC public schools. She is a graduate of the NYC Teaching Fellows Program, and has worked for the past 8 years as a Special Education teacher in Bronx, NY. Prior to this, Sophie was a member of the Vinca Quartet, which studied with the Takacs Quartet at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She joined the quartet directly after graduating from Oberlin College in 2005, where she majored in History. Sophie’s viola teachers have included: Janis Butler, Debra Moree, Peter Slowik, and Geraldine Walther. She has attended the Greenwood, Kneisel Hall, and Yellow Barn summer festivals.