Gradual Ripples
Joshua Reinier
Sarah Brady, ute
Shannon Leigh Williams, clarinet
Robert Hess, soprano saxophone
Michael Giunta, vibraphone
Ra um az in Baagh Seare Farhat
Sara Kang, ute
Shannon Leigh Williams, clarinet
Kendra Wheeler, alto saxophone
Leah Rosales, violin
Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello
Wesley Ducote, piano
Michael Giunta, marimba
Matthew Shorten, tenor
Kelly Lovelady, conductor
JEAN-PATRICK BESINGRAND | A native of Bordeaux (1985), Jean-Patrick Besingrand has been described as an “audacious composer” whose music “takes the listener on a fascinating and rewarding journey.” His music plays on tone colors and explores di erent conceptions of temporality. e incorporation of natural elements such as air sound is also at the center of his interests. His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists such as Court-Circuit, Dal Niente, Mivos Quartet, Molinari Quartet, Platypus, Mise-En, Contemporaneous, Quince, Del Sol, Singularity, Klexos, Círculo Trio, omas Piercy, Pierre Dutrieu and Yumi Suehiro among others. Jean-Patrick holds a Master of Arts in Musicology from the University of Bordeaux, and graduated from the Bordeaux Conservatory where he studied notably with Jean-Louis Agobet in composition. He also holds an Advanced Certi cate in Composition from Carnegie Mellon University where he studied with Leonardo Balada. Currently Jean-Patrick is a PhD student in composition at e Graduate Center, CUNY under Professor Jason Eckardt. He is also working on his doctoral thesis in Musicology at the Sorbonne in Paris.
ANDREW DANA | Andrew Dana is a third year composition major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music studying under the tutelage of Elizabeth Ogonek. As a composer for chamber groups and orchestra, he has had works performed by members of the Seattle Symphony, and was recently nominated by his professors to write a piece for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, which will be performed in Spring 2019. He contributes music to multiple jazz ensembles in Oberlin in which he also performs. In collaboration with students in the eclectic TIMARA program, he has also participated in multimedia performances including electronics and improvisation. In 2018, he was a fellow at the Cortona sessions for new music.
SEARE FARHAT | Seare Farhat strives to compose music that connects the listener to the visceral imagination, energy, and transformation of narrative. He rst began his musical endeavors in Afghan folk music performances with members of his family, only later building on these valued experiences through formal education in the western classical tradition. O en inspired by other art forms, Seare has enjoyed collaborating with lmmakers, visual and performance artists, and poets. He has had his work read in masterclasses with musicians from Soundscape, has received commissions from various ensembles, like the Hampton Roads Philharmonic and Oberlin Sinfonietta, serves as the young composer-in-residence of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, and has had his work performed in the US and Mexico. Currently, Seare is a third-year music composition and mathematics major, with computer science minor studying under Elizabeth Ogonek at Oberlin Conservatory and College with a Dean’s scholarship.
DANIEL FARRELL | Daniel Farrell (b. 1996) is a composer, arranger, and conductor living in New York city. Daniel is currently working on his Master’s of Music in Music Composition and eory with a Film and Media Scoring Concentration at the prestigious New York University Steinhardt program – ranked as the second-best program in the United States and one of the top programs in the world for lm music study. He studies with Dr. Paul Chihara. Daniel earned his Bachelor’s of Music in Music Composition and eory at Jacksonville University (’18) where he studied with Dr. Jianjun He and George “Tony” Steve. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with Departmental Honors in Music and as the top student at Jacksonville University earning him the Fred Noble Award in Scholarship.
SAM FRIEDMAN | Sam Friedman is a composer and trumpet player from New York City. He is currently pursuing a B.M. in Composition and Trumpet Performance at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Stephen Hartke, Elizabeth Ogonek, and Jesse Jones. During high school he pursued a major in composition with honors from Mannes Pre-College, and attended Kinhaven Music School, where he studied composition with Nicolas Scherzinger. In August 2018, he attended the highSCORE new music and composition festival in Pavia, Italy, and was also placed as a semi- nalist in the Rapido Music Competition. He has had lessons and participated in master classes with Kaija Saariaho, Missy Mazzoli, Amy Beth Kirsten, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Dmitri Tymoczko, and Billy Childs. His works have been performed by JACK Quartet, De Capo Chamber Players, Talea Ensemble, PUBLIQuartet, Boston Musica Viva, unassisted fold, and the Boston University Trombone Choir among others. His works have been performed at Symphony Space (Manhattan, NYC), Roulette (Brooklyn, NYC), DiMenna Center for Classical Music (Manhattan, NYC), Spectrum (Manhattan, NYC), Ernst C. Stiefel Concert Hall at Mannes School of Music (Manhattan, NYC), Boston University College of the Arts (Boston), and Ecolie Massillon (Paris, France).”
KYRIAKI GKOUDINA | Kakia Gkoudina is a Master’s student in Composition, at Michigan State University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies in Aristotle’s University of essaloniki (2015) with specialization in Film Music, while studying Harmony ( 3 years) and Counterpoint of the 16th Century and Baroque (2 years) in a private conservatory. She has directed various short lms and a documentary that was successfully projected in the 18th International essaloniki Documentary Festival at 2014. Furthermore, she has composed music for plays and performed live on stage, as well as for lms and documentaries. Finally, she has sound designed interactive performances and lms.
JACK HAMILL | Jack Hamill is a composer from North eld, IL. Jack discovered contemporary classical music in high school when he was introduced to electroacoustic music at Oberlin Conservatory. He has written music for a large variety of sonic mediums within both instrumental and electronic spheres. Currently, Jack has found himself particularly interested in relative notions of physicality within digital, analog and acoustic realizations of sound. Jack is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree majoring in electroacoustic music at Oberlin Conservatory through the TIMARA department and philosophy at Oberlin College as a member of a double-degree program. He studies composition under Tom Lopez in the TIMARA department and under Elizabeth Ogonek in the Composition department. Jack’s music has been recognized and programmed at numerous institutions and festivals, including SEAMUS, highSCORE, Tanglewood, MATA Jr, and YoungArts. is summer, in addition to having a piece premiered at Cortona Sessions, he will also have a work premiered at the soundSCAPE festival in Italy.
ZACHARY McDONALD | Zachary McDonald (b. 1996) is a composer, saxophonist, banjoist, and educator from Orlando, Florida. McDonald is in his fourth year at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music Education with an elementary focus and a Composition Certi cate. McDonald is the First Prize Winner of the Donald Sinta Quartet’s 2015 National Composition Competition and the winner of the Southern Regional and State of Georgia divisions for the 2017 and 2018 MTNA Young Artists Competition in Composition. McDonald has also attended the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in 2017 and 2018.
LILA MERETZKY | Lila Meretzky is a musician from New York City. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee where she studies composition at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Lila works in chamber, vocal, electronic and electro-acoustic, and orchestral mediums. Her other pursuits include singing in the Vanderbilt Chorale, playing piano, studying German, making noise on her laptop, and playing klezmer on her melodica. She can usually be found running around organizing concerts and art happenings on campus and around Nashville. In October 2017 Lila co-founded a new music concert series at Vanderbilt called A Humming Under My Feet featuring music by underrepresented composers. She also has interests in music criticism and modern dance. Her reviews have been published on the arts blog ArtsNash and she has been featured on the radio at WXNA Nashville. In May 2019 Lila will collaborate with dancers and choreographers from the New Dialect dance company on a new piece as part of the ird Voice performance series.
CODY MYRE | Born in Gaylord, Michigan in 1997, Cody Myre is a composer/engraver studying music composition full-time at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas under Dr. Kirsten Broberg. As an active collegiate member and music committee head of the Gamma eta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, Cody is committed to the advancement of music in America. When he is not composing, he spends his time arranging for and conducting various ensembles around the University.
JOSH REINIER | Josh Tazman Reinier creates sensitive, refracted textures that draw from a wide swath of inspiration to match his multifaceted musical career. As well as a composer, Reinier is an internationally renowned jazz singer, with performances including the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival (2017), and rst-place wins at international vocal competitions including the PDX Jazz Forward Competition (2016). In 2016, Reinier also won the DownBeat Student Awards and was named a Semi nalist for the US Presidential Scholars in the Arts. As a child, Reinier performed in six San Francisco Opera productions including the role of Second Spirit in the lauded Jun-Kaneko designed production of “ e Magic Flute” (2013) and the understudy for the young Rick Rescorla in the 2012 world premiere of Chris eofanidis’ opera “Heart of a Soldier.” He has also given several notable concerts of his own music, including being featured in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2017 for his song cycle “ e Leaving Suite,” which blends a jazz quartet with a string trio and combines a classically structured long-form composition with jazz harmony and modern grooves. At Oberlin, Joshua studies with Elizabeth Ogonek, and intends to pursue a career as an innovative composer, performer, and teacher.
JEREMY ROSENSTOCK | Jeremy Rosenstock is a composer and pianist from San Francisco, California. He currently studies piano performance with Dr. Craig Nies, collaborative piano with Dr. Melissa Rose, and composition with Stan Link, Michael Slayton, and Michael Kurek at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. As a composer, Jeremy has taken lessons with Gabriela Lena Frank, David Conte, and Benjamin Boyle. He has participated in Stanford University’s CCRMA Summer Workshops and the European-American Musical Alliance’s Nadia Boulanger Institute. He is a member of Intermission, an interdisciplinary arts collective based in Nashville, TN, and has put on electroacoustic installations as part of their arts retreat, Wysteria. Jeremy has participated in music festivals at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Atlantic Music Festival, the Brevard Music Center, and the Cortona Sessions for New Music both as a pianist and Ensemble Fellow with the Eschaton New Music Ensemble, a student-run group he cofounded that performs and commissions living composers.
CHRIS RUENES | Chris Ruenes is a composer, guitarist and so ware developer based in Brooklyn, NY. His compositional interests include: nding opportunities for collaboration and indeterminism by swelling what is already there; trying to turn pianos into synthesizers; the uncanny; counterpoint (and its Queer Potential); only ever setting prose; deceiving audiences into listening to weird music by hiding it in lms; singing; getting algorithms all messy (towards a Dadaist computer music); making pianos blush; and nding real-world solutions to musical (“imaginary”) problems. Chris studied composition and computer music at Columbia University, where he won departmental honors for his thesis composition, “RUPT URES”. He has worked on experimental scores for several lms, including an electro-acoustic free jazz score for Tyler Walker’s What a Beautiful World is Will Be, an o cial selection at Palm Springs, Raindance and Slamdance. Currently, he is developing a set of short pieces that explore asynchrony as a motor for polyphony, as well as a collection of electro-acoustic solo works that focus on creating unfamiliar sounds by applying deliberately misconstrued analytical procedures to familiar sounds. He is also writing music for a short lm and a TV pilot, and is developing incidental music for a new play by Joey Brenneman.
MATTHEW SHORTEN | Australian-born tenor and composer Matthew Shorten studies at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, where he is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in composition, with minors in voice and violin. He has also studied composition at the Yale School of Music and the Wintergreen Summer Music Academy. He has received commissions from the Chatterbird Ensemble, Kyo-Shin-An Arts, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Wintergreen Performing Arts. His work for orchestra, Floating Isles, was the winner of the 2018 Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra Call for Scores and was premiered under the direction of Maestro Robin Fountain. Floating Isles was also selected as a Finalist for the 2019 American Composer’s Orchestra EarShot Residency. As a tenor, Matthew has been named an International Semi-Finalist at both the 5th and 6th Annual James Toland Vocal Arts Competitions, and in 2017 placed second in the Freshmen Men’s Division of the NATS Competition. He hopes to lead a performance career specializing in early music, choral singing, art song, oratorio, and contemporary works. Matthew is also attending the 2019 Cortona Sessions as a performer.
AUSTIN SMITH | Austin Conrad Smith is an artist and composer based in the NYC/Westchester area in New York. He is primarily a composer of concert and electronic music, but is also active in eld recording and sound installations. Austin’s artistic goals o en revolve around the idea of creating a trance like or meditative state through manipulation of harmonics and di erence tones, and to also create sounds that are remeniscient of our natural world in some way. He is currently a junior at SUNY Purchase, studying classical composition with a minor in studio production. His teachers have been Du Yun and Laura Kaminsky, and he is currently studying with Greg Spears. He was previously a composer at the Snow Pond Composition Workshop.
ANNIKA SOCOLOFSKY | Annika Socolofsky is a US composer and avant-folk vocalist. Her music stems from the in ections, gesture, and resonance of the human voice and is communicated through mediums ranging from orchestral works to unaccompanied folk ballads. Annika is a recipient of the Fromm Foundation Commission, Cortona Prize, and BMI Student Composer Award, and has been awarded fellowships to the Blackbird Creative Lab, Ban Centre for the Arts, Bang on a Can Summer Festival, Cultivate at Copland House, and the Brevard Music Center. Her research focuses on physiology in contemporary vocal music, using the music of Dolly Parton to create a pedagogical approach to composition that is inclusive of many vocal styles and techniques, evading the age-old false dichotomy of straight tone vs. bel canto vocal style. She is a doctoral candidate & fellow in composition at Princeton University. Annika holds an MFA in composition from Princeton University and an MA in composition the University of Michigan. She received her BFA in composition from Carnegie Mellon University.
EMERSON SUDBURY | Emerson Sudbury received his BA in Music from Hunter College and is now pursuing his MA in Music Composition under the tutelage of Dr. Suzanne Farrin. His work errs on the side on simplicity, utilizing thin textures and slow development to allow musical ideas to fester. He focuses on the coupling of electronic and acoustic elements to create evolving soundscapes, and to re ect on the integration of the digital world within the real world.
ALISSA VOTH | Alissa Voth is a composer, vocalist, pianist, and singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma currently pursuing her masters at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. During this time, she has studied with Felipe Lara, Marti Epstein, and worked as Jonathan Bailey Holland’s graduate assistant. Her recent works have been for small chamber groups, focusing on electro-acoustic music and exploring techniques in notating the voice. She also has experience in composing and sound designing for theater, premiering an original theater production, Nosferatu, in October with company Milkyway Co ee Roasters. She has composed for Boston Conservatory ensembles and Boston based performers, as well as the ensemble loadbang.
DAIJANA WALLACE | Born December 9, 1994 in Manhattan, KS, Daijana Wallace has been involved with music since she can remember. Starting from humble beginnings in Junction City, KS, singing in the youth choir since she could remember, to playing the violin (which she was NOT very good at), and nally nding her home on the cello soon a er. Her call to composition began a er the sudden death of her father when she was 18. As things started to take a turn for the worst, she found solace in the music. In 2015, she was admitted into Wichita State University (Wichita, KS) where her time there has been fruitful. Her friends have been kind enough to premiere her works at Wichita State and Wichita’s KNOB Festival, and looks forward to premieres in Wichita, KS and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the spring of 2019. Daijana has had a wonderful time studying her composition professors Dr. Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn and Dr. Walter Mays, her cello professor Dr. Leonid Shukaev, and looks forward to graduating in Spring 2019 with degrees in cello performance and music composition. When she’s not composing for her friends, Daijana enjoys playing chamber music with the Ann Walenta String Quartet, cooking for her friends, and tweeting.
RACHEL LANIK WHELAN | e music of composer Rachel Lanik Whelan has been performed by Omaha Symphony members, Orlando Cela, SBO Wind Ensemble (Taiwain), KC Vitas Choir, Choral Arts Initiative, and she has opened for Susan Werner at the Johnny Carson eatre in Lincoln, Nebraska. Whelan demonstrates versatile compositional abilities with with songwriting, chamber works, and her primary interest, music for choir and wind band. She has also collaborated with lm students at the University of Arizona, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and was Head Production Assistant for the UNL Feature Film “DIGS” (2013). She received her masters from the University of South Carolina where she was a graduate assistant for the Southern Exposure New Music Series. Her dedication to the performance of music by living composers is evident in her with the non-pro t concert series Treefalls : New Music in Spartanburg, SC, where she is assistant director. She is currently a PhD student and teaching fellow in composition at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX.
ALEJANDRO AVILA | Pianist Alejandro Avila was born in Asuncion, Paraguay, and began his piano studies at the age of 7. Concluding his conservatory studies in Asuncion, Alejandro was awarded a full scholarship to pursue his BM in piano performance at São Paulo State University, in Brazil, where he studied with renowned Brazilian professors Dr. Cláudio Richerme and Dr. André Rangel. A er graduating in São Paulo, Alejandro got a full assistantship position at Central Michigan University, where he worked as a piano instructor and collaborator for choir, instrumentalists, and singers. During these two years, Alejandro pursued his Master of Music degree in piano performance studying with Portuguese pianist Alexandra Mascolo-David. Currently, Alejandro is pursuing his DMA degree at the University of Kansas and studies with Dr. Michael Kirkendoll. An enthusiast of chamber music and LatinAmerican repertoire, Alejandro performs regularly with singers of the Kansas area. He is a co-founder of the Meadowlark Project, a new music ensemble that brings Kansas-based art songs into new audiences. In his free time, Alejandro plays keyboard and sings in his Lawrence-KC-based Brazilian band Balacobaco.
NIKHIL BARTOLOMEO | Nikhil is a clarinetist, conductor, and improviser based in Boston and New York. Equally engaged with his diverse areas of interest, Nikhil enjoys bringing to life music which traverses varied stylistic boundaries. He is particularly interested in nding the intersectionality between jazz, western ‘classical’ music, and new music. Nikhil has performed with Silkroad Artists, Ensemble X, and the Ithaca New Music Collective, including a complete performance of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la n du temps. In addition to performing, Nikhil has worked as a composer and arranger, with two of his arrangements featured by saxophonist Grace Kelly and the Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble, as well as a reinterpretation of Duke Ellington’s music which was premiered on his 2017 recital. Nikhil is currently pursing a Master’s degree in clarinet performance at Boston Conservatory, studying with Michael Norsworthy. He has participated in masterclasses with Charles Neidich, Ayako Oshima, Daniel Gilbert and Osiris Molina. Nikhil’s previous teachers include Richard Faria, Michael Galvan, and Michael Titlebaum.
MADDY DETHLOFF | Maddy Dethlo is currently a junior at Vanderbilt University studying percussion performance under the direction of Ji Hye Jung. She was born and raised in Lawrence, KS, where she piano lessons, percussion lessons and voice lessons. At Vanderbilt, she is involved with the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony and Vanderbilt Orchestra, also having performed with the Steel Band, Jazz Band, and Eschaton New Music Ensemble. During the summers she has attended the Du Timpani Master Class, So Percussion Summer Institute, Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and Sandbox Seminar.
WESLEY DUCOTE | A versatile pianist, Wesley Ducote regularly performs works dating from the Renaissance to the current decade as well as the standards in between. An advocate for contemporary music, Mr. Ducote has performed many of the pillars of 20th/21st century repertoire from Wuorinen’s New York Notes to the Ligeti Piano Concerto. Additionally, he is seen performing with many of America’s nest contemporary performers including dan-bau player/composer Van-Anh Vo, soprano/composer Kate Soper, autist Carol Wincenc, and many others. Highlights of this season include premieres by composers Karim Al-Zand, Anthony Brandt, eo Chandler, and a new piano concerto by Max Vinetz. In the Houston Community, Mr. Ducote can be found performing in hospitals and museums as a Da Camera Young Artist, in concert halls with Musiqa, and even in bars and clubs with his jazz-fusion band Steve Cox’s Beard. Furthermore, he is o en in demand as a collaborator and performs frequently in duo, chamber, orchestra, and new composition concerts. Ducote holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in music from Rice University, where he studied with Brian Connelly, as well as an undergraduate degree in mathematics.
ELI GERUSCHAT | Eli is a percussionist currently studying at Oberlin Conservatory. He performs as a member of viscera. viscera is a cello and percussion duo formed at Oberlin Conservatory in 2018 with a mission rmly rooted in providing fresh experiences of concert music. With a namesake taken from the idea that viscera provide the inner workings of the main involuntary parts of the body, the group believes living composers complete the circuit by providing creative territory. Currently in the process of a commission project including six composers from Oberlin and beyond, the group plans to perform various concerts in 2019 highlighting these new works as well as arrangements of older masterpieces. e group includes cellist/composer Nick Politi and percussionist Eli Geruschat, who are both committed to cultivating an inviting concert experience as well as pushing the envelope for what can be part of it.
MICHAEL GIUNTA | Michael is currently a section percussionist with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and am the TA at Wichita State University. Besides studying orchestral rep, he has a focus on new music for solo rep. At University of South Florida, he played on Baljinder Sekhon’s Grammy-nominated album ‘Places and Times’ with the McCormick Percussion Group, as well as McCormick Percussion’s album ‘Kid Stu ’ featuring piano concerto with percussion ensemble.
ALEIA GONZÁLEZ | Aleia González, classical guitarist, was born in Asuncion, Paraguay, where she began her guitar studies at the age of 8. Aleia nished her conservatory studies in 2011, and kept performing in the Asuncion area as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2016, she was elected to be part of “Pu Rory” guitar ensemble, under the direction and coaching of Paraguayan classical guitarist Berta Rojas. Aleia has performed in the Kansas area throughout 2018 both as a soloist, and collaborating with tenor Neal Long. She is now a rst-year Master of Music degree student in classical guitar performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, studying with Dr. Bráulio Bosi.
ERIK HELSTROM | Erik Helstrom has studied with Don Mokrynski, Allen Blustine and Ole Mathisen. He began with classical training on the piano before moving on to various single reed instruments. During his time at Columbia University, increased exposure to jazz/new music listening and performance circles, particularly as a volunteer at the radio station WKCR, has broadened his musical interests to contemporary composition, extended technique and improvised performance. He participated in a number of Columbia’s campus ensembles, including the University Orchestra, the Free Jazz ensemble and Big Band, Colombian and Arab music ensembles, chamber groups and pit orchestras. Last fall he performed Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la n du Temps with other student musicians at Columbia and has performed at Weill Hall and Miller eater. He has lately become interested in electro-acoustic performance. He hopes to synthesize in uences/techniques from any and all traditions (or non-traditions) in future performance.
ROBERT HESS | Robert is a Canadian saxophonist currently living in Aurora, Ontario who is passionate about education, new music, performing in various mixed ensembles, and arts documentation. He shows his passion for music by aiming to create new music for under-composed instrumental ensembles, and by receiving positive student feedback. He was the winner of the 2017-2018 Kansas MTNA Young Artist Woodwind competition and the 2017 Wichita State Concerto Competition. Robert performs with improvisation ensemble Baker-Hess Duo which employs saxophone, synthesizers, piano, and other electronics. ey are set to record an album of works in Fall 2019. Other projects include saxophone quartets, a percussion/saxophone duo, and cello/saxophone duo, and nding other sonic combinations. He completed his MMus in May 2018 at Wichita State and BMusEd’16 with Honors at Western University in Canada where he studied with Geo rey Deibel and Bobbi ompson respectively.
JAMES DONGBIN HYUN | Originally from South Korea Dongbin Hyun started playing percussion when he was fourteen years old. In high school, he participated in Kansas All-State band and Fountain City Youth Brass Academy, and he am currently performing with Vanderbilt Orchestra and Vanderbilt Percussion Group. is past summer, he performed in Curtis Young Artist Summer Program.
BRENDAN JACKLIN | Canadian pianist Brendan Jacklin, currently based out of Nashville TN, is an active performer, teacher, and new music advocate. A special interest of his involves performing interdisciplinary and multimedia works, and has performed pieces that include visual and electronic elements, spoken poetry, and dance. He has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout North America and Europe. As an avid performer of contemporary music, Brendan has premiered over 50 works, and has performed with numerous contemporary ensembles, including Fringe Logic Performing Collective, the Atiragram Quartet, and //meridian. Brendan is completing his doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, with cognates areas in pedagogy and multimedia music. He completed his Masters of Music in Piano Performance at Bowling Green State University, and his Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance with minor in cello and history. His teachers and mentors includes Awadagin Pratt, Michelle Conda, omas Rosenkranz, Megumi Masaki, and Leanne Zacharias. He is currently Adjunct Piano Professor at Martin Methodist College.
JERRICA JENKINS | An alumnus of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and the Brevard Music Center, and a participant in the SC All-State Orchestra for three years, Jerrica Jenkins is currently a music student at the University of South Carolina. As a rst violinist in the SC Youth Philharmonic, she apprenticed with the SC Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Morihiko Nakahara in February of 2014. Jerrica Jenkins has been both the concertmistress and the principal cellist of the Richland Northeast High School Chamber Orchestra and was a member of the Palmetto Center for the Arts (PCA) String Ensemble. Jerrica has had experience with electric instruments while a member of Northeast Current, a group which features electric instruments such as violins, viola, cello, guitar, drums, and keyboard. In 2012 and 2013, she participated in the Tri-District Arts Consortium summer program at Richland Northeast High School; in the summers of 2015, 2017, and 2018 she was an intern for the strings program. Nowadays, she likes to spend her time composing, listening to foreign pop music, and reading.
SARA KANG | Sara Kang, originally from Memphis, is currently a freshman at the Blair School of Music in Vanderbilt University, studying with Professor Molly Barth. She started her private studies in the 5th grade under Mrs. Myung Kim and had continued to pursue her passion for 8 years now. Before moving to Nashville, she actively participated in her school band and two local orchestras, the Germantown Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis Youth Symphony Orchestra. Sara won awards from various local and national level competitions, including the Mid-South Flute Festival, the Music Teachers National Association Senior Woodwind Division competition, and the Tennessee Music Teachers Association Senior Woodwind competition. She also has participated in a number of masterclasses: a 2016 Beethoven Club Master Class Invitational with John McMurtery, the 2017 Smokey Mountain Flute Invitational with Jimmy Walker, and the Austin Peay Flute Week with William Bennett and Professor Lisa Wolynec. As of now, she plans to be involved in more performance opportunities and competitions, pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance. While maintaining an active performing career at her time in Vanderbilt University, she is exploring student-run organizations and ensembles, such as the Harmonies with the Elderly, a music volunteer organization at Vanderbilt.
ANIKA KILDEGAARD | Soprano Anika Kildegaard is regularly sought out as a passionate interpreter and collaborator. She is a champion of new music, having premiered and commissioned multiple new works from composers across the Midwest including, among others, Libby Larsen, Linda Kachelmeier, and Mitch Grussing. She has sung with such notable groups as e VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, the Minnesota Chorale, the SPCO Chorale, MPLS (imPulse), Magpies & Ravens, and the St Paul Civic Symphony Chorus. Anika has been featured at the Twin Cities Early Music Festival, the Northern Voice Festival, College Music Society’s Great Lakes Region Conference, and the University of Minnesota, Morris Jazz Festival. Recent appearances include Bach’s Wachet Auf, Steve Mackey’s Madrigal, and the premiere of a new work by Jean-François Charles. Anika is a master’s student at the University of Iowa where she studies under Stephen Swanson. She is a member of the LIGAMENT Duo with bassist Will Yager.
LAURA MITOFSKY NEUSS | Clarinetist Lara Mitofsky Neuss’ work focuses on creating an innovative and engaging environment for the world of music, one that bridges the gap between classical music and other mainstream genres. She has organized and performed many exciting workshops and recitals, including “ e 21st Century Clarinet,” a solo recital consisting of all music written in the past ten years, and a recital looking back on her time living in Colorado titled “Re ections.” In 2018, she was a chosen performer and educator for the Orford Musique Improvisation Tour in Stockholm, Sweden with improviser Anders Ästrand. Mitofsky Neuss has performed at Americans for the Arts, SPLICE Electroacoustic Festival, Bang on a Can Music Festival, Ban Center for the Arts, and Orford Musique, among others. Performances have taken her to venues such as Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, and the Berlin Philharmonie. As a soloist, she was the winner of the Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition, and has been a nalist and seminalist in the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition and the William C. Byrd International Competition, respectively. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music degree at Florida State University where she is a graduate teaching assistant.
RACHAEL OWENS | A native of Greenville, SC, Rachael Owens has been playing the violin for 14 years. She graduated from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and is currently attending the University of South Carolina, where she studies Music Performance with Dr. Ari Streisfeld as well as Hospitality Management. Prior to her college career, Rachael studied with Jennifer John, Deirdre Hutton, and Janice Hutton. Rachael joined the Carolina Youth Symphony when she was in h grade and performed with them for eight years. In her junior year of high school, Rachael made her Carnegie Hall debut performing with the Carolina Youth Symphony in New York. On an international tour with the Governor’s School in her senior year, she performed in multiple cities in Italy, including Venice, Florence, Rome, and Vatican City. Once Rachael graduates from USC, she plans to focus on making a career in chamber music while also working at the Walt Disney World Resort.
LEAH ROSALES | Leah Rosales is a violinist studying violin performance at Wichita State University. Leah has won concerto competitions and was a nalist in the KC concerto competition last year. She is also apart of her undergrad scholarship quartet known as the Ann Walenta String Quartet which includes another member of Cortona Sessions, Daijana Wallace. Leah is looking forward to studying and making new music with everyone!
MORGAN SUTHERLAND | Morgan Sutherland is a percussionist from Hampton, Virginia currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance at George Mason University. She studies percussion with Professor Jonathan Rance and Professor John Kilkenny, as well as jazz improvisation with Professor Victor Provost. She is a performer with the Wind Symphony, Percussion Group, and Steel Pan Ensemble at Mason. During her college career, Morgan has participated in the 2018 Cloyd Du Timpani Masterclass, 2018 So Percussion Summer Institute, 2017 Cortona Sessions for New Music, 2017 Costa Rica International Teaching Scholars Program, and the 2016 Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar. She also has commissioned new works and conducted research through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Grant Program focusing on women composers of percussion chamber music. In her free time, Morgan enjoys nding new recipes to cook and outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking.
NUPUR THAKKAR | Nupur akkar is a percussionist from Schaumburg, Illinois. Currently a freshman at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, she studies percussion performance under the instruction of Ji Hye Jung. In 2017, Nupur attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied under Keith Aleo. Interlochen inspired her to experiment with di erent genres of percussionorchestral, chamber, and world percussion. Recently she studied tabla in Mumbai, India with Guruji Narendra Gangani. As a chamber musician, Nupur is invested in becoming a well rounded person through cooperative and intimate experiences. Previously, Nupur studied percussion in her hometown with educator Michael Kozakis.
SEIKA VAN KEUREN | Seika Van Keuren is an educator and musician from the Northern Virginia/ DC area. She is currently pursuing a degree in instrumental music education at George Mason University. During her time at Mason, she has been involved with a number of performing ensembles such as the Wind Symphony, Big Band, Dirty Gold Brass Band, Latin Jazz Ensemble, AfroCuban Ensemble, Traditional Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combos, and Saxophone Quartet. She has studied saxophone with Rick Parrell, Xavier Perez, Jim Carroll, TSgt Ricky Parrell, Billy Wolfe, and Brad Linde. She has had the honor of performing at various venues and conferences, such as the 40th Navy Band saxophone symposium, Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans, Washington Women in Jazz Young Artist Showcase, and multiple performances for the Jazz for Justice concert series. As an educator, she is a private piano and woodwind instructor, as well as a marching band woodwind technician. In addition, she is an active musician in the DMV, and is involved and has performed with a number of ensembles such as the New Vybe, La Gente, the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra.
OLIVIA WARD | Olivia Ward, a native of Beaufort, SC, started pursuing violin at the age of eleven. As a current violinist and student of Ari Streisfeld at the University of South Carolina, she is a member of the USC Symphony Orchestra. Before coming to Columbia, Olivia participated in her local youth and symphony orchestra, a string quartet, and volunteered at a music studio. She also participated in Region and State Orchestras, and was in an active string quartet that played for events, parties, and weddings throughout the area. Within the Beaufort Youth Orchestra, Olivia was able to perform as a soloist as well as with the symphony orchestra. In addition, Miss Ward was able to study with professional musicians in the Beaufort Symphony Orchestra her freshman and sophomore years of high school. A er this, Miss Ward participated in the Concertato and Sinfonia Orchestra at the SC Governor’s School and was able to perform at recitals throughout her junior and senior year. With this experience, she was able to learn important works of classical music that allowed her to experience and perceive the music on a di erent level. Currently, Olivia is a freshman at USC, and plans to earn a Bachelor of Music in Performance.
JOSHUA WEINFELD | Joshua Weinfeld, originally from New York, NY, began his musical studies at the piano and drum set. Continuing these studies, he attended Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where he was a member of the senior orchestra, percussion ensemble, and an award-winning pit orchestra. Currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, Joshua studies under the tutelage of Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson. Here he is also a member of the Vanderbilt Percussion Group and the Blair School of Music’s orchestra and wind symphony. Before coming to Vanderbilt, he studied privately with percussionist Eric Phinney at the Bloomingdale School of Music from 2012 to 2017. Joshua was the recipient of the Alumni and Friends Milton Schlesinger Memorial Percussion Award in 2017 and was a member of the Bloomingdale School of Music Percussion Trio for ve years. Joshua and the BSM Percussion Trio were awarded the best chamber ensemble performance in 2015. e trio performed on many special occasions including an honorary concert alongside drummer John Riley and Ethos Percussion Group in 2017 at the Manhattan School of Music. Additionally, Joshua writes and produces many of his own compositions utilizing music technology and composition programs.
KENDRA WHEELER | Kendra Wheeler, from Chicago, Illinois, has recently received her Master of Music degree in saxophone performance under Preston Duncan from the University of Minnesota where she has also received her Bachelor of Music Education degree under Eugene Rousseau. She has been an active performer and educator internationally and nationally. Having recently performed at the World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia. Wheeler has been the recipient of numerous scholarships, grants, and awards including prizes from PanAmerican International Saxophone Competition, North International Saxophone Competition, ursday Musical, Vandoren Emerging Artist, and Downbeat Magazine. Wheeler has begun her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree at Michigan State University under the study of Joseph Lullo beginning fall 2018.
SHANNON LEIGH WILLIAMS | Shannon Leigh is a contemporary clarinetist, improviser, and composer residing in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. She is a recent graduate of Shenandoah University, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a Certi cate in Clarinet Performance and studied with Garrick Zoeter. Currently, Shannon is studying with Michael Norsworthy and earning her Master of Music in Contemporary Classical Music Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
WILL YAGER | Will Yager is a bassist/improviser currently engaged in doctoral study at the University of Iowa. His primary interests are improvisation and collaborating with living composers in the creation of new solo and chamber repertoire for the double bass. Yager is a member of Ligament, a duo with soprano Anika Kildegaard, and Wombat, an experimental improvisation trio. In 2018, Yager was a a Robert Black double bass fellow at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. In addition to his performance activities, Yager has held teaching posts at Maryville College, the University of North Alabama, and is currently a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. He is a member of the LIGAMENT Duo with soprano Anika Kildegaard.
YI ZHANG | Originally from Sichuan, China, Yi Zhang earned her bachelor’s degree from Sichuan Conservatory of Music, and is currently a second year master’s piano student studying with Dr. Michael Kirkendoll at the University of Kansas. Yi has been selected to perform concerts such as LIPF Piano Gala, IIYM Student Recitals, KU School of Music Graduate Honors Recital, and is a laureate of many competitions.
MICHELLE DI RUSSO | Michelle Di Russo is a doctoral candidate in Orchestral Conducting at Arizona State University where she serves as Assistant Conductor for the ASU Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia and Lyric Opera eatre. She holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Kentucky where she conducted performances of Ragtime and South Paci c. She also holds a degree in Orchestral Conducting and Music Production of Audiovisual Media from the Ponti cal Catholic University of Argentina. She currently serves as the assistant conductor for Phoenix Youth Symphony and Arizona State University. Last summer she participated at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary music and worked with Cristian Măcelaru and collaborated with the nonpro t organization Música para el alma in Argentina. Other commitments include serving as assistant conductor for Prague Summer Nights for productions of Le Nozze di Figaro and Die Zauber öte in the Czech Republic in 2018 and 2015. She currently is a student of Je ery Meyer.
KELLY LOVELADY | Kelly Lovelady is an Australian conductor based in London and in increasing demand abroad. She has enjoyed repeat invitations to conduct for Greenpeace, City of London Festival, Cluster New Music & Integrated Arts Festival, Pop Montreal International Music Festival and the Tait Memorial Trust, and appeared with soloists including Lara St John, John Williams, Emma Pearson, Charlotte Church and Amy Dickson.
BARRY SHARP | Barry Sharp is a composer and musician who seeks to create an environment of inclusion and experimentation through probing the dynamic between performers, composers, and audiences. He is interested in how musical experiences vary between performers and listeners, given the way musical landscapes are constructed and executed versus how they are perceived.
e Cortona Sessions is made possible through the generous support from our friends and the following organizations and people. ank you!
Dave and Gunda HiebertAdams Percussion
e International Foundation for Contemporary Music
Yamaha Corporation of America
Where to buy: Enoteca Molesini (Piazza Repubblica)
What to buy - good bets listed below
*denotes Romeo wines, available at Romeo enoteca to right of Piazza Repubblica
splurges in italics
Cortona Syrah
Bramasole | Achelo | Tenuta d’Alessandro
Stefano Amerighi | Il Bosco
Chianti Classico
Monsanto | Dievole | Antinori Peppoli
Nipozzano | Castell’in Villa | Vitticio | Felsina
San Felice | Badia a Passignano
Rosso di Montalcino
Casanova di Neri | Fanti | Barbi | Valdicava
Poggio di Sotto | Salvioni
Brunello di Montalcino
(all are splurges - bigger splurges in italics)
Canallichio di Sopra | Col d’Orcia | Barbi | Terralsole
Poggio Antico | Romeo* | Casanova di Neri
Poggio di Sotto | Antinori
Rosso di Montepulciano
Poliziano | Romeo* | Avignonesi
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Poliziano | Romeo* | Bramasole | Avignonesi
IGT Super-Tuscan Wines (blends of cabernet/merlot/syrah/sangiovese)
Falesco Montiano | Guidalberto | Le difese
La volte | Crognolo
also: Limoncello at Romeo*
FuFluns (pizza)
Mercato Molesini (sandwiches)
Pozzo Antico (Anna and Franco)
La Loggetta (overlooking piazza)
La Bucaccia (fancier - amazing pici)
Osteria del Teatro (fancier - fun)
Ambrosia (fancier - cool spot)
Ca é Tuschar (great burger and co ee)
A.D. Braceria (seafood and meat)
La Grotta (stinco di maiale and vegetables))
Pane e Vino (great wine/cured meat)
La Saletta (nice co ee and lunch)
Bar 500 (deserts and co ee)
Terrabruga (pottery)
I would like... | Vorrei...
May I have... | Posso avere...
Where is the bathroom? | Dov’è il bagno?
ank you | Grazie
Still water | Aqua naturale - (senza gas)
Sparkling water | Aqua frizzante - (con gas)
House wine | Vino della casa
Very good | Molto bene
