Cristian Amigo is an American composer, guitarist, producer, &educator whoexplores connections between art, music and American popular and roots musics. Known as an acoustic and electric guitarist, and improviser, Amigo writes avant-music for chamber ensembles, orchestra, opera, theater, and film; he composes and performs in various roots and experimental music groups including The Gotham Roots Orchestra, Kingdom of Jones, and Tilted Axes. Cristian is currently composer-in-residence at INTAR Theater in New York City where he produces concerts and the INTAR Roots & New Music Festival. His awards include fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Meet the Composer and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Angela Babin has been playing guitar since she was 10 years old. She learned how to play at Girl Scout camp and first performed live at Folk City when she was 13 years old. She subsequently started playing electric guitar in a band that played at NYC high school dances and block parties when she was 14. Angela entered the downtown New York music scene playing with Off Beach and the Ordinaires in 1979, and got to perform all over Europe, Canada and the US. Angela has been playing guitar and bass, composing and recording with many bands and projects including Homer Erotic, Inviolate, the Raging Hormones, and more.

Percussionist Craig Bitterman is from Buffalo, NY. He earned his Bachelor of Music in performance from SUNY Buffalo and relocated to Connecticut to pursue a Master of Music in performance from the Hartt School of Music. After completing graduate studies, Bitterman freelanced in the New England area and taught percussion at Holyoke Community College, Wesleyan University and Hartford Conservatory. Performance highlights include appearances with Nebojsa Zivkovic and the Jovan Perkussion Projekt; Maelstrom percussion ensemble; June in Buffalo new music festival; Ankara new music festival; Full Force Dance Theatre; Steelsunrise Steelband and worked with composers Steve Reich, David Felder, James Tenney, Lou Harrison and Amy Williams. Craig has recorded under hat(now)ART, mode, EMF, Yesa, Malletjazz and Whitewater labels.

Guitarist Rob Helsel is from Newburgh, NY, and has been playing and teaching professionally in the Hudson Valley area for 25 years. He was a member of the West Point’s Jazz Knights for 18 years and has performed with such artists as Cab Calloway, James Williams, The Harper Brothers, Byron Stripling, Bill Watrous, David Liebman, John Riley, Eddie Daniels, and Dennis Mackrel. Recent projects include working with “E of 3,” al 11-piece 70’s and 80’s funk/soul band performing at such venues as the Iridium Jazz Club, NYC. His resume also includes performing and teaching at both High School and College jazz clinics and performing Broadway musicals. He has studied with Steve Freeman (Guitar Institute of Technology) and ECM jazz recording artist John Abercrombie.

Emilio Guarino is a performing musician, educator, and producer. As an orchestral musician he has performed many staples of the symphonic repertoire as well as accompanied many soloists such as Gabe Lefkowitz, David Krakauer, John Clayton, Garry Kvistad, and more. Not limited to only traditional bass playing, his studies of New Music led him to performing at MIT in 2012 with Bang on a Can All-Stars bassist Robert Black as part of Robert’s “Bang on a Bass’ recital. More recently, Emilio has performed the U.S. premieres of three contemporary chamber works with NYC’s scintillating new music group Ensemble MotoPerpetuo: Vita Nova – Serenades by Brice Pauset (featuring violinist MajaCerar), Ami…Chemin…Oser…Vie by Philippe Leroux, and Action Painting by Raphael Cendo.

Kristen Matherde Andrade is principal clarinetist with the West Point Band and clarinetist with Quintette 7. She frequently performs with the West Point Band and local community and college organizations as soloist. In 2010 she recorded a CD of the music of Raymond Scott with Quintette 7. Kristen frequently tours with chamber ensembles to perform and give master classes in colleges across the country. Inspired by working with the El Sistema-inspired Harmony Program in New York City, Kristen has begun studies at Columbia University Teachers College. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education, and aspires to break down the walls between performance and education by putting the arts and artists at the service of communities.

Persian born Anoush Moazzeni enjoys a performing career that has frequently taken her around the world. Highlights of recent seasons have included visits to America, Europe, and the Middle East.Versatile recital programs encompass the contemporary and standard repertoires, as well as less familiar fare. Particular areas of interest include Electroacoustic music, Modern and Contemporary music and Performance Art . She specialized her Master of Music in Piano Performance in Contemporary music. Away from the concert platform, Anoush Moazzeni's experience includes the musicology , as a graduate in Musicology She followed different internships in Electroacoutic Music, Sound Engineering and Algorithmic composition at Ircam/Centre Pompidou in Paris, in Germany and in Canada. She made diverse sound installations and live performances in France, Germany, Netherlands and Canada.

Violinist Marcos Dal Medico began his violin studies at age seven with Roberto Dal Medico, continuing on with ManfredoClélio de Vincenzo and Alberto Jaffé. He earned his Music Degree in Violin from UNESP (State University of Sao Paulo) under the supervision of Professor Ayrton Pinto. His teachers include Mary Lou Speaker, Gerald Rubinstein, Sergey Girchenko, Marcello Guerchfeld, Mathey Torpe, Claudio Micheletti, Eliza Fukuda and Pablo de Leon. He has performed as a guest violinist and soloist in many Brazilian concert halls. In 2009, hereceived a merits praise from composer Almeida Prado: “I hadthehonourandthejoyto hear violinist Marcos Del Medico to play my sonata n.3 wonderfully and with perfect technique, full of lyricism accompanied by a great emotional connection with the audience”.

David Souza holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Laval University in Québec and a Bachelor of Vocal Performance at State of São Paulo University in Brazil. In 2012 he received the First Prize at “Solo with Orchestra Competition” in Quebec City and at “Disk Recording Competition 2012 Edition” and the prize of best singer of brazilian popular music at Cotovia Competition in 2000. As a soloist he sang recitals of chamber music and concerts with orchestra in Brazil and in Canada. He sang at the operas Der Mond from Carl Orff, Gianni Schicci from Puccini, Dido and Aeneas from Purcell and recently recently Il Combatimento di Tancredi e Clorinda from Monteverdi.David Souza was born in Brazil and lives Canada.

Combining the Brazilian Music, Improvisation and elements of Contemporary Classical Music, brazilian guitarist and composer Rodrigo Baggio has excelled internationally. As a performer, he was the guest guitarist of Université Laval (Quebec/Canada). His compositions have been premiered worldwide in São Paulo (Brazil), Lisbon (Portugal), Paris (France), Quebec (Canada), Bremen (Germany), London (England), Vermont, New York and Florida (USA). His piece “Three Insights Of The Brazilian Landscape” (for Percussion) was one of the winner pieces of “Carl von Ossietzky Composition Prize” at Oldenburg University (Germany).His piece "The Glass Factory" (for Septet) was one of the 05 winning pieces, among 170 competing pieces, of the "UNBOUND Performance Award" sponsored by the Living Arts of Tulsa (USA). Currently, he is developing his own instrumental project called "Guitar Solo"

Douglas DaSilva, is a composer, guitarist, educator, curator, and film-maker and in New York City. As Artistic Director for the Composer’s Voice concert series “DaSilva knows just how to tempt you with a delicious array of musical desserts that titillate your ear.” NM421 Much of his composing is influenced by Brazilian music and self-inflicted stress. His compositions have been described as “very individual, and to us has a very clear personality” in Classical Guitar Magazine. His pieces Sarabande;How to Build a Totalitarian State and Contrails have been included in 60x60 projects. His works have been performed in Brazil, England, Italy, Germany, Romania, Brazil & throughout the USA. His documentary “My Dad’s Violin” is scheduled for release in 2014.

Guest Curator David Morneau is a composer of an entirely undecided genre, a provider of exclusive unprecedented experiments. In his work he endeavors to explore ideas about our culture, issues concerning creativity, and even the very nature of music itself. His music can be found on Composers Concordance Records, Immigrant Breast Nest, Irritable Hedgehog, and elsewhere. This is the seventh concert David has curated for Composer's Voice. Learn more @ 5of4.com.

Dafina Zeqiri Nushi, is a Kosovar composer of music that has been performed in Europe and elsewhere. Studied music composition with Mendi Mengjiqi at the University of Prishtina. Her magister's-degree work was with Jana Andreevska at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. Among her honors are three awards in the Cesk Zadeja competition for young composers in Tirana (diploma of encouragement, Third Prize, Special Prize), a diploma as an Eminent Student from the University of Prishtina , Third Prize in the pre-art competition for young composers in Zurich, the Theodore Front Prize the International Alliance for Women in Music, the second prize “Chopin Kosovo” Composers Competition (2012), the First Prize in Composers Competition 2011 for chamber music from Kosovo Ministry of Culture. She is Assistant in University of Prishtina, member of “The International Alliance for Women in Music”, FOUNDATION ADKINS CHITI and Composers Association of Kosovo.

Sergio Roberto de Oliveira studied with composer Guerra-Peixe and got his degree at UNIRIO. Musicians have been commissioned and performed his pieces worldwide in concerts promoted by Prelúdio 21, Handel and Haydn Society, The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, Composer’s Voice, etc. Sergio has been lecturing in dozens of institutions in US, Netherlands, England and Brazil. He was Artist-in-residence at Duke University in 2009 and nominee for the 12thLatin Grammy (“Best Classical Contemporary Composition”). His discography as a composer has 6 CDs. In 2012 he released 4 new CDs and presented a series celebrating his 15th anniversary as a composer, with 13 concerts in Rio de Janeiro.www.sergiodeoliveira.com

Yan Pang is one of the most active composers of the new Chinese generation. She has released a number of publications consisting of “Glorious Times”, published by the China Scientific & Cultural Audio-Video Publishing Company in 2011, as well as score “Solis Ortus", and article “Comparative Music Analysis of Scene of Sichuan Opera” which were issued by China People’s Cultural Art Publishing Company. She has been commissioned for performances in Vienna, St. Petersburg, Prague etc. Pang has worked with renowned musicians all over the world, including Samuel Adler at Julliard School, Müller-Siemens at the University for Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Anekcahp at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and more.

Born in Lajedo, into a family where everyone played pífano (Brazilian folk flute), Edmilson do Pífano is known for his beautiful and original compositions of great musical value and at times challenging to play. Edmilson is one of the greatest performers of pífano of the Brazilian Northeast. His playing is expressive, bold, genuine, charismatic and has a unique personality. His intimacy with the instrument gives him the surname.

Jonathan Russell is a composer, clarinetist, conductor, and educator, whose work has been hailed as “incredibly virtuosic, rocking, and musical” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and “a fantastically distorted perpetual motion of awesome” (I Care If You Listen). Especially known for his innovative bass clarinet and clarinet ensemble compositions, his works for bass clarinet duo, bass clarinet quartet, bass clarinet soloists, and clarinet ensembles have been performed around the world and are radically expanding the technical and stylistic possibilities of these genres. 

Jonathan has received commissions from ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony, Empyrean Ensemble, ADORNO Ensemble, Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Wild Rumpus, Great Noise Ensemble, and Imani Winds, and performances from numerous other ensembles and performers. http://www.jonrussellmusic.com

The Composers Now Festival celebrates living composers, the diversity of their voices and the significance of their musical contributions to our society. During the month of February, Composers Now presents dozens of concerts in venues throughout New York City. Experience the sounds and get to know the creators behind the music. From jazz to indie, from classical to electronic and beyond, join us on a sonic journey through the landscape of the arts of our time. Composers Now is a project partner of The Fund for the City of New York.

Remarkable Theater Brigade founded by Christian McLeer, Dan Jeselsohn and Monica Harte, creates and produces new operas and musicals and takes children's versions out to special-needs and at-risk children free of charge.

Remarkable Theater Brigade creates and produces new works including operas, orchestral pieces, ballets, musicals, and electro-acoustic works and co-produces the Composer's Voice Concert Series concerts. Remarkable Theater Brigade was founded in 2002 by Christian McLeer, Monica Harte, and Dan Jeselsohn.

This is the place you were welcome, long before you arrived!
www.janhus.org

Vox Novus promotes contemporary music and its creators through concerts, recordings, publications, broadcasts, and online publicity. Vox Novus believes strongly in the intrinsic value of contemporary music, recognizing it as a force in the advancement of culture and art. Our goal is to keep music alive by strengthening the connection between composer and audience, providing greater exposure to new music.