Our Team
Allyson Cohen
Founder & Executive Director
Allyson Cohen is a violinist, educator, and arts leader dedicated to reimagining the role of classical music in society through community-centered performance and engagement. She is the founder and executive director of Unison Chamber Music Collective, a Southeast Michigan nonprofit that brings engagement-based chamber music performances to shelters, recovery centers, and correctional facilities while championing accessibility, connection, and the inclusion of historically underrepresented voices in classical music.
Under Allyson’s leadership, Unison has grown to present more than 50 performances annually across Southeast Michigan and has developed sustained partnerships with organizations including the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, Dawn Farm Recovery Center, Huron Valley Women’s Correctional Facility, FCI Milan, Salvation Army Harbor Light, and Alpha House. Through collaborations with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, she has launched initiatives that train student musicians in trauma-informed, engagement-based performance practices while creating meaningful arts access in underserved communities. She has also presented workshops at the University of Michigan on audience engagement and trauma-informed performance practices. In recognition of this work, Unison received the University of Michigan EXCEL Prize for social impact and arts entrepreneurship.
Allyson recently graduated from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Professor Danielle Belen, and will begin doctoral studies in violin performance at Stony Brook University this fall. She previously earned her bachelor’s degree from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, where she studied with Amy Moretti, David Kim, and Robert McDuffie, and worked extensively in chamber music with mentor Annie Fullard.
As a performer, Allyson has given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and has appeared as a substitute violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has performed under the baton of renowned conductors including Marin Alsop, Simon Rattle, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Stéphane Denève, and currently performs with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Festival appearances include the National Repertory Orchestra, NYO-USA, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, Chautauqua Institution, and the Rome Chamber Music Festival, where she was named a Young Artist in 2021.
An active chamber musician and advocate for contemporary music, Allyson and her string quartet were finalists in both the Coltman Chamber Music Competition and the St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and prize winners in the Briggs Chamber Music Competition and Glass City Chamber Music Competition. She has collaborated with artists including Lisa Batiashvili, Clive Greensmith, David Kim, Robert McDuffie, and Victoria Chiang, as well as members of the Borromeo, Emerson, Ehnes, and Tokyo String Quartets. She has also appeared in performances alongside members of R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, and The Allman Brothers Band. Allyson has been featured on NPR’s From the Top and has recorded for SiriusXM and PBS. She will also join the faculty of Center Stage Strings this summer.
In her spare time, Allyson is a marathon runner, cat mom, knitter, and passionate vegan.
Frances Norton
Operations Manager
Violinist Frances Norton is a performer and educator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She performs regularly with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and has a growing private studio in the southeast Michigan area. In her work with Unison and beyond, Frances prioritizes building connection and community through music.
As an educator, Frances has served as a mentor for Michigan Youth Ensembles and currently teaches at Dixboro Music Academy. In North Carolina, she mentored students in Mallarme Youth Chamber Orchestra and was a private instructor at Golden Fiddles Violin Studio.
Frances recently completed her Masters in Music and in Chamber Music at the University of Michigan under the guidance of Aaron Berofsky and the Telegraph Quartet. Originally from North Carolina, she received her undergraduate degrees in Music and English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied with Nicholas DiEugenio and was a recipient of the Kenan Music Scholarship. In her spare time she likes to go thrifting, be outside in the sunshine, and tend to her compost.
MAKAELA FOERDERER
Director of Marketing
Makaela Foerderer is a violinist and content creator originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She recently earned her Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance, where she studied with Danielle Belen. Prior to that, she completed her Bachelor of Music at the Oberlin Conservatory studying with Sibbi Bernhardsson.
As a performer, Makaela regularly performs with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. In the Spring of 2024, Makaela performed Vivaldi’s Autumn as a soloist in front of a collaborative chamber orchestra between University of Michigan students and the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at Carnegie Hall as principal second violin with the Oberlin Orchestra and spent two summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where she studied with Kathleen Winkler.
Alongside her performing career, Makaela works in social media and digital content creation. She manages social media for Jambread, a local bakery in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and recently joined the team at Unison. Her work centers on building a career in music and content creation that feels kind, welcoming, and accessible.
Outside of music, Makaela enjoys running, cooking, and exploring new coffee shops with friends.
