KMC AiR Bios 21/22

KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER – 2021/22 ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE Bios IMANI WINDS Celebrating over two decades of music making, the Grammy nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and as a 21st century group, Imani Winds is devoutly committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live. Present and future season performances include a Jessie Montgomery composition inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration from the American south to the north, as well as socially conscious music by Andy Akiho, designed to be performed both on the concert stage and in front of immigrant detention centers throughout the country.

The ensemble's travels through the jazz world are highlighted by their association with saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, woodwind artist and composer Paquito D’Rivera and pianist and composer Jason Moran. Imani Winds has six albums on Koch International Classics and E1 Music, including their Grammy Award nominated recording, The Classical Underground. They have also recorded for Naxos and Blue Note and released Stravinsky’s "Rite of Spring" on Warner Classics. In 2016, Imani Winds received their greatest accolade in their 20 years of music making: a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC.

KAMALA SANKARAM Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times) and “new voice from whom we will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram writes highly theatrical music that defies categorization. Recent commissions include the Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Opera on Tap, among others. Known for her work with emerging technologies, her recent genre-defying hit Looking at You (with collaborators Rob Handel and Kristin Marting) featured live data mining of the audience and a chorus of 25 singing tablet computers. Sankaram, Handel, and Marting also created all decisions will be made by consensus, a short absurdist opera performed live over Zoom and featured on NBC and the BBC3. With librettist Jerre Dye and Opera on Tap, she created The Parksville Murders, the world’s first virtual reality opera.

Also a performer – hailed as "an impassioned soprano with blazing high notes" (Wall Street Journal) – Kamala moves freely between the worlds of experimental music, creative music, and contemporary opera. Kamala recently sang the role of Gwen St. Clair in the revival of Meredith Monk’s ATLAS with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A frequent collaborator with Anthony Braxton, she has premiered his operas Trillium E and Trillium J, and appeared on his 12-hour recording GTM (Syntax) 2017. Kamala is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble whose accolades include two awards for Best Eclectic Album from the Independent Music Awards. Dr. Sankaram holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at SUNY Purchase.

CHARLES YANG & PETER DUGAN Recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award and described by the Boston Globe as one who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star,” Juilliard graduate Charles Yang has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert around the world and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Not only confined to classical violin, Mr. Yang's improvisational crossover abilities as a violinist, electric violinist and vocalist have led him to featured performances with a variety of artists in numerous festivals. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors; on June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own "Charles Yang Day". In 2016 Mr. Yang joined the crossover string-band, Time for Three.

Praised by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic,” pianist Peter Dugan is heard nationwide as the host of NPR’s beloved program From the Top. He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across North America and abroad, including performances with San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, New World Symphony, and Mid-Texas Symphony.

Prizing versatility as the key to the future of classical music, Mr. Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz and pop idioms. A sought-after multi-genre artist, Mr. Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman and Renée Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close.