July 31, 2011 - Composer's Voice Concert

Performers

Hugh Ash

Born in New York, trumpeter Hugh Ash received his bachelor's degree in Classical Music - Anthropology from Ithaca College. He studied Jazz/Commercial music at The State University of New York at Purchase College. Hugh has studied with such notable trumpet players as Ray Vega, Jon Faddis, Graham Ashton, Vince Penzarella, Kim Dunnick and Vince DiMartino. After performing around the world with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Hugh has returned to New York to work as a freelance trumpeter. Currently residing in Brooklyn, he performs in a wide variety of genres and settings in and around New York City. He has accompanied Brazilian poet/playwright Guil Parreiras in his Pensamentos Poeticos project, played with the bands Willpilot and Dub is a Weapon, and performed for the Art in Odd Places Festival.

Keith Beyer

Keith Beyer has served as a trumpet section leader, playing first trumpet in the Army bands program for the past 10 years. He has performed in a variety of ensembles ranging from a Big band, Dixie band, Top 40 cover band, and a chamber brass quintet. He is also a member of the Allentown band and plays with the Allentown symphony. Keith performed as a bugler in the 2001 movie "Hearts in Atlantis."Keith has performed around the world aboard Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise lines playing Broadway style reviews and backing up guest artists. In 2006, Beyer graduated West Chester University earning a Bachelor of Music & Business degree. Keith has taught trumpet lessons through West Chester University. He has also performed for over 500 military funeral services.

Ray Blue

Saxophonist Ray Blue regularly performs on numerous world stages with musicians from many different cultures, throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. As a leader, he has conducted U.S. State Department tours to Zambia, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Gabon. His festival performances as leader and featured artist include: Zanzibar International Film Festival, Zanzibar, Tanzania; North Sea Jazz Festival-Cape Town, South Africa; Macufe Festival-Bloemfontain, South Africa; European Union Annex Festival-Dublin, Ireland; Audi Jazz Festival- Brussels, Belgium; Macao Jazz Festival, China; The Newport in New York Festival, New York, NY; New York State Black Arts, Festival-Albany, New York; Koepenick Jazz Festival-Berlin, Germany; Midi Music Festival-Beijing, China; Pori Jazz Festival, Finland; Foix Jazz Festival, France; Bayonne Jazz Festival, France and many others.

Joe Ferrante

Joe Ferrante, has been performing trombone in everything from classical to salsa. He received a Bachelors Degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he studied with Rich Genovese and John Fedchock. He has performed with such groups as; Queens College Symphony, Manhattan Symphony, Staten Island Symphony, and the Lansdowne Symphony. Joe has performed in such venues as; Walnut St. Theatre, Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the Tropicana Ballroom in Atlantic City, as well as touring Europe and Asia. Joe has also spent time in the recording studio and played with John Legend on the Grammy Award winning album "So Amazing-An All Star Tribute to Luther Vandross"

Heather Thon

Clarinetist Heather Thon grew up in a musical family and knew at an early age that she wanted to pursue music. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music. Before coming to New York, she played with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Toho Orchestra Academy in Japan and was the grand-prize winner of the International Clarinet Association Orchestral Excerpt Competition. As a freelance clarinetist in the New York City area, Heather is active as an orchestral and chamber musician as well as an educator. She is a founding member of the Aeros Quintet, a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music Summer Camp, Special Music School and a Teaching Artist for The Little Orchestra Society.

Benjamin Vokits

Benjamin Vokits performs in New York City as principle tuba of the Greenwich Village Orchestra, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and Richland County Orchestra. Mr. Vokits has also performed the Phillip Sparke tuba concerto as soloist with the Grand Street Community Band of which he was a founding member and as tubist with the Brooklyn Repertoire Opera. He earned his Bachelors of Music in 1999 under the tutelage of Rex Martin and Wesley Jacobs. After college Ben relocated to Indianapolis, worked in pharmaceuticals and earned a Masters of Science in organic chemistry. While in Indianapolis he performed and recorded with the eclectic rock group The Born Again Floozies, rockabilly group The Tumbleweeds, jazz group The Accidental Arrangements, and the Indiana Wind Symphony.

Emily Wong

Hornist Emily Wong is a doctoral candidate at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana University, Bloomington in Brass Pedagogy and Literature with a focus in Horn and minor fields in Music History and Arts Administration; her topic is on the sonic representation of heroism in orchestral and operatic literature for the horn. Ms. Wong has performed with the Champaign-Urbana and Owensboro Symphony Orchestras, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Chelsea Symphony, the New York Soloist Ensemble, OSH Opera and the Greenwich Village Orchestra. She lives and works in New York City.

Composers

Greg Bartholomew

The music of award-winning composer Greg Bartholomew is frequently performed across the United States and in Canada, Australia and Europe. NPR classical music reviewer Tom Manoff called him "a fine composer not afraid of accessibility." Five commercial recordings of his works are available, with upcoming releases scheduled by the Freudig Singers of Western New York and trumpeter James Ackley. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1957, Bartholomew earned degrees from the College of William & Mary and the University of Washington. His music is published by Art of Sound Music, Ars Nova Press, Imagine Music, Orpheus Music and Burke & Bagley. For further information visitwww.gregbartholomew.com.

Douglas DaSilva

Artistic Director of the Composer's Voice concert series, Douglas DaSilva is a composer, guitarist, educator and curator in New York City. He composes in various styles including jazz, pop, children's music, chamber music and experimental. Much of his writing is influenced by Brazilian music and self-inflicted stress. Douglas DaSilva's compositions have been described as "very individual, and to us has a very clear personality" by Duozona in Classical Guitar Magazine. His pieces Sarabande; How to Build a Totalitarian State and Contrails have been included in 60x60 projects. His electronic piece Camp des feuilles will be premiered at the 2010 International-Computer-Music-Conference.. www.myspace.com/douglasdasilva

Eric Ewazen

Eric Ewazen is a recipient of numerous composition awards and prizes. His works have been commissioned and performed by many soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras in the U.S. and overseas. His works are recorded on Summit Records, d'Note Records, CRS Records, New World, Clique Track, Helicon, Hyperion, Cala, Albany and Emi Classics. Two of his solo CD's featuring his chamber music are available on Well- Tempered Productions. Three additional solo CD's, one featuring his orchestral music, another his music for low brass instruments, and a third, his music for string orchestra, are available on Albany Records. A sixth solo Cd of his music for percussion is available on Resonator Records. New World Records has released his concerto for brass quintet, "Shadowcatcher"

Robert Voisey

The word 'viral,' comes to mind as a trendy but disquietingly accurate image for Robert Voisey's infectious enthusiasm. He is always ready to mutate and reinfect the process as indicated to maintain the highest degree of project fever" -60x60: netsuke for the musical mind -- Richard Arnest, Sounding Board, Spring 2011. "With few opportunities and much competition, young composers show creativity in just getting heard." Chris Pasles's article in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Voisey is highlighted as one of those composers. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, his aesthetic oscillates from the romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London.

David Wolfson

David Wolfson is a composer, music director, arranger, pianist and copyist who lives in New York City. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1985, and in that same year was the first recipient of the newly established Darius Milhaud Award and won the Bascom Little Fund's Musical Theatre Composition Competition for his short opera Rainwait. Mr. Wolfson is the Associate Artistic Director, Music Director and resident composer of Experience Vocal Dance Company. His compositions for the company have been performed at Symposium Tanz und Musiktheater in Hannover, Germany, and in New York at The Field's Fielday, New Dance Group's The Exchange, Movement Research's Open Performance, and The Composer's Voice series at Jan Hus Church.

Program:

Performers

Hugh Ash

Keith Beyer

Ray Blue

Joe Ferrante

Heather Thon

Benjamin Vokits

Emily Wong

Composers

Greg Bartholomew

Douglas DaSilva

Eric Ewazen

Robert Voisey

David Wolfson

Program Notes

Presenters:

Remarkable Theater Brigade

Jan Hus Church

Vox Novus

Funding by

Puffin Foundation