"Leah began her music career in Brooklyn, NY in 2002 after studying flute performance at the University of Michigan.

As a flutist, Leah has played a vital role in NYC's new music and downtown scenes. She has been a longtime member of Matthew Welch's Blarvuster, recently performing his new opera Borges and the Other at Roulette, as well as playing on his Tzadik release Blarvuster. In 2010 Leah recorded with Anthony Braxton's Triilium E Orchestra as a soloist, the first-ever Braxton opera studio recording, Leah is also featured on his upcoming release of Trillium J recorded in the spring of 2014.Leah has also recorded and performed with countless bands and ensembles such as TV on the Radio, the Dirty Projectors, Milagres, Michael Leonhart, Aaron Seigel and City Center.

Leah's upcoming release 'We Will Do the Worrying' is being met with high praise from high places. We Will Do The Worrying is an extension of the rich chamber writing Leah has honed on her previous albums, this time bringing in lushly layered vocals, alluring string quartet arrangements and percussive elements to create vignettes of other-worldly landscapes and experiences. Leah's gift for weaving harmonically textural motifs, playful rhythmic counterpoint and sparse yet meaningful lyrics allow the ten pieces on this album to soar, sparking imaginative daydreams in the minds-eye of the listener.

Leah Paul's album Trenza is unlike any chamber music you've heard. Featuring genre-busting musicians such as Chris Speed and Sara Schoenbeck, every piece takes on an identity in the way your favorite rock song might, unraveling complex counterpoint and harmonic shifts at breakneck pace. Leah's work as a flutist with artists such as Anthony Braxton and the Dirty Projectors informs her compositions as they are simultaneously unexpected and catchy. California Quintet was written during her first year in Los Angeles after relocating from Brooklyn. Each of the six movements chronicles an exploration and shift in perspective that one experiences when completely changing one's surroundings. Steps to Stairs employs lower strings mixed with winds to create an ensemble that blossoms into full orchestral timbres while maintaining an intimate backdrop for sparse melodic textures to emerge. Trenza beautifully braids the nuances of classical, jazz and contemporary music into a singular voice and a joyful listening experience. This is Leah's second release on Brooklyn's Skirl Records.

Leah Paul's 2011 release of her works for quartet Bike Lane, on Brooklyn's Improvisation/new music label Skirl Records has been met with enthusiasm and praise. Bike Lane is a collection of composed music for flute, clarinet, bassoon and viola. The inspiration for this album is the ever-merging scenes of classical, improvised, and rock music that are unique to New York City. It is composed chamber music channeling pop structure, with an improvisational spirit and feel. Peter Margasak of eMusic says "...while operating like a sophisticated chamber ensemble, the quartet reveals a wonderfully fluid, graceful pop sensibility. There's nothing cheap or shallow about the music, but the themes lodge in the memory like radio hits."

Leah's earlier projects include the Bridesmaids, a chamber pop group which received acclaim from TimeOutNY, the Big Takeover and Venuszine.

Currently Leah is currently living in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, in addition to her career as a composer and flutist, she is also an active teacher working for the Harmony Project of Los Angeles, YoungArts, as well as a guest lecturer at the Longy School of Music and a presenter at the Los Angeles Composer's Salon."

-Leah Paul's Website (http://leahpaul.com/bio/)
5/5/2021

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"In 2006, Afton Hefley moved from Tulsa, OK to begin a winding journey through nearly every facet of the music world in Los Angeles.

Her formative years were spent in private classical music lessons as well as in the school and church bands and choirs. Alongside singing, she plays the piano, guitar, and a smidgen of flute if coerced enough.

Interests and jobs changed throughout the years but the one constant for her has been singing. One of the most notable of those jobs was touring the world with Tears For Fears, off and on from 2007 - 2011 as more and less, a production manager. The "more" part of that job title was when she was asked by the band to join them on stage to sing backing vocals on a couple of songs. Afton recalls that it was that experience in which she discovered where her heart truly was.

In 2013, under the pen-name, Sangster, Afton released a 5 song EP of original music titled "Human Becoming", featuring a host of LA's top tier musicians from the creative music scene.

In the summer of 2015, she recorded main vocals on 10 tracks composed by NYC/LA flutist, composer, and arranger, Leah Paul. The album, "We Will Do The Worrying", a chamber pop/jazz project featuring vocals, string quartet, clarinet, flutes, and vibraphone, was released in the fall of 2016, with raving reviews from Southern California Public Radio, WNYC, and the LA Times.

After 10 years in LA, Afton now appears primarily as a vocalist and educator. Deeply engaged in original creative music as well as jazz, pop, folk, and classical, her characteristic touch and unique approach is in demand throughout LA. She can be heard in the most notable venues, and always with the most dynamic musicians the city has to offer. She is also a member and soloist of the highly acclaimed Pasadena Master Chorale."

-Afton Hefley Website (http://aftonhefley.com/the-short-bio/)
5/5/2021

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"Chris Speed is a composer, clarinetist and saxophonist - and is "one of the principal figures in a dynamic left-of-center jazz/improv scene in the city" (NYTimes). His own bands include Endangered Blood, Human Feel, yeah NO, Trio Iffy, Pachora and The Clarinets. He is a founding member of Jim Black's Alas No Axis and John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet (two of the most influential working bands today), works with Uri Caine (deconstructing works by Mahler, Mozart, Bach, Schoenberg, Gershwin) and maintains a busy career of touring, recording, performing, composing, practicing and teaching. Current projects include work with Craig Taborn's Heroic Frenzies, Michael Formanek's Ensemble Kolossus, Dave King's Trucking Co., Matt Mitchell Quartet, Mary Halvorson's Reverse Blue, Banda de los Muertos (NYC's only Banda band), as well as touring his latest project, Endangered Blood (with Black, Trevor Dunn and Oscar Noriega) which was featured on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts in 2012. (Endangered Blood 2010, Work Your Magic 2013 Skirl). "Speed's Endangered Blood originals stand out as his most melodically generous, accessible and warm batch of compositions he's yet to produce." -DownBeat ****Born in 1967, Speed grew up in the Seattle area where he met future colleagues Jim Black and Andrew D'Angelo, all of whom ended up in Boston in the late 80's where they formed Human Feel with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. (Scatter 1992, Welcome to Malpesta 1994, Speak To It 1996, Galore 2007). While in Boston he studied at New England Conservatory and graduated in 1990. By 1992, after a short tour with the Artie Shaw Band (led by Dick Johnson), Speed moved to New York City where he started working with Tim Berne's (now legendary touring band) Bloodcount. (Unwound 1996, Discretion 1997, Saturation Point 1997, The Seconds 2006).In April 2006, he launched Skirl Records, a label dedicated to Brooklyn based creative music" -Chris Speed Website (http://chrisspeed.com/bio/)
5/5/2021

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"Vibraphonist and composer Nick Mancini began his professional career as a drummer, at the age of 15. His undergrad studies earned him degrees from Schenectady County Community College and The Crane School of Music at Potsdam. He moved to NYC and graduated from Manhattan School of Music with a masters degree in jazz performance; a recipient of the President's Award scholarship. After 10 years of honing his art as a performing and recording musician in NYC, he relocated to Los Angeles. He has performed and recorded with such diverse luminaries as Arturo Sandoval, Charles Fambrough, Harvey Mason, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Peter Erskine, Poncho Sanchez, Kenny Werner, New York Voices and Jennifer Holliday to name a few; and at notable venues such as The World Famous Apollo Theater; Showtime at the Apollo, Birdland NYC, the Aspen Music Festival, Fasching Jazz Club (Stockholm), Ford Amphitheater, Angel City Jazz Festival, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Catalina Jazz Club, The Blue Whale, Vibrato, Zipper Hall, Vitello's and virtually every jazz venue in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 2011, Mancini was celebrated as the Honoree at the 18th annual Jazz Vibes Summit in Los Angeles and was invited to join the faculty at California State University at Northridge (CSUN) and Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory (CSULB). Earlier that same year his face graced the cover of the popular arts magazine, Ventana Monthly. From 2011-2012 Nick served on faculty of the Thelonious Monk Institute. He is on the cutting edge of the creative music scene in LA. In addition to a busy performing and recording career, Mancini also curates a semi-annual performance series called "elastic hour," which features many of LA's most prominent performing ensembles and garnered honorable reviews by the LA Weekly. In the realm of production, he has arranged and overseen the production of multiple Jazz vocal records and boasts seven independently released records under his own name; "storyteller" and "West Coast Cool" in 2013 alone, around the same time as he signed endorsement contracts with Majestic vibes and Innovative Percussion mallets."

-Nick Mancini Website (http://www.nickmancini.net/biopress.html)
5/5/2021

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"Equally at home on the concert stage, in a jazz club, or at a rock concert, Joyce Hammann's musical versatility and virtuosity remarkably distinguish her from the rest. Her performances have been hailed as "splendid soloing" and as having a "sweet, rich tone" by the New York Times.

From early on, Joyce was recognized for her talent as after having begun her studies at age seven under Shinichi Suzuki, and by age ten she was selected by Conductor Leonard Slatkin to become the youngest member of St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. She went on to study at The Juilliard School of Music with the eminent pedagogues Ivan Galamian, Oscar Shumsky and Dorothy Delay, earning her BM and MM degrees. During this time she was artist-in-residence at Bargemusic and was winner of the Midland-Odessa Award, Peter Oundjian Award and The Berg Competition amongst others. After graduating she was concertmaster of many orchestras and continued her soloing and chamber music career. She was already choosing her eclectic path by being a member of Trio Con Brio and the jazz quintet Satin Dolls. Being drawn to new music she became a member of the Sirius String Quartet and formed a violin/cello duo (Hammann/Calhoun duo) where many new works were commissioned for them. She has recently appeared as soloist with The Scandia Symphony premiering three concerti.

Performing and recording with such artists as Paul McCartney, Sting, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen, Joyce's discography includes John Zorn's String Quartets, Sam Zyman's Bashe, Uri Caine's Wagner and Venezia, Mozart Re-imagined and The Othello Syndrome, Michael Breckers' Grammy award winning Wide Angles, Gil Goldstein's Under Rousseau's Moon, Ted Nash's Double Quartet and Mark Feldman's Book of Tells.

Currently she is the concertmaster for the longest running show on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera. She continues to perform chamber music as a member of The Harlem Chamber Players, The Craftsbury Chamber Players (Vermont) and with The Meeting House Players (Cape Cod). Joyce will be touring Europe with Uri Caine as solo violinist with his jazz ensemble and as concertmaster for Fred Hersch's Coma Dreams, a jazz theater project."

-Harlem Chamber Players (http://harlemchamberplayers.org/musicians.html)
5/5/2021

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"Mark Feldman (born 1955 in Chicago) is an American jazz violinist. Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973-1980, in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980-1986, in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. He has performed with John Zorn, John Abercrombie, The Masada String Trio, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, and Billy Hart.

He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and played in many bar bands in Chicago. He played on over 200 recordings in Nashville as a studio musician, was a member of the Nashville Symphony, and was a member of the touring groups of country western entertainers Loretta Lynn and Ray Price.

In 2003 he was soloist with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Guus Janssen's Violin Concerto and with the WDR Jazz Orchestra in Concerto for Violin and Jazz Orchestra by Bill Dobbins. At Newf York's Lincoln Center he performed in duo with pianists Paul Bley and Muhal Richard Abrams.

He has recorded with Michael Brecker, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, and Chris Potter and has played on over 100 recordings in New York City as a soloist in contemporary music and modern jazz.

Feldman has released several albums, including Music for Violin Alone (Tzadik, 1995); Book of Tells (Enja, 2000); What Exit (ECM, 2006 with British pianist John Taylor; To Fly to Steal (Intakt, 2010) with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerry Hemingway; and Oblivia (Tzadik, 2010) with his wife, Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier. In September 2012, he and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty produced the debut album of Scott Tixier. Feldman wrote the liner notes."

-Mark Feldman Website (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Feldman)
5/5/2021

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"Junah Chung is an active chamber musician and soloist. He received his M.M. degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Lillian Fuchs and William Lincer. Junah has been featured in solo performances at Carnegie's Weill Hall, Lincoln Center's Paul Hall, the Society for Ethical Culture, Meet the Composer, the National Museum of Iceland, Music in Chelsea, Festival of the Arts in South Nyack. He has performed at such festivals as the Bright Lights Music Festival in Iceland, the Rhode Island Summer Chamber Music Festival, Stonybrook Summer Festival, Elan International Festival, Prussia Cove, Holland Music Sessions, Utah Chamber Music Festival, Ramapo Music Festival, Daejeon Chamber Music Festival, and the Lake Winnepesaukee Chamber Music Festival. Junah is currently a member of Trio St. Germain, a recently formed flute, viola and harp group. As an orchestral musician, Junah has held the post of Assistant Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Nieuw Sinfonietta of Amsterdam and the Jupiter Symphony. He has performed with the Orchestra of St. Lukes, American Ballet Theatre, and the Mark Morris Dance Group."

-Saratoga Chamber Players (http://www.saratogachamberplayers.org/artists/junah-chung/)
5/5/2021

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"Dave Eggar is an American cellist, pianist and composer.

Eggar was a musical prodigy as a child, beginning to play the cello and piano at age three and performing as a singer and actor on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera at age seven. He trained as a classical cellist at the Juilliard School, and later graduated from Harvard University and the Juilliard School's Doctoral Program. He debuted in Carnegie Hall at 15 as the youngest winner in the history of the Artists International competition. He has appeared throughout the world as a classical soloist, including concerto appearances at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, London's Barbican Center, the Paris Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl. In fact, that is Dave's cello leading the way at the top of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". He is the winner of the prestigious Sony Elevated Standards Awards for Excellence in the area of Classical Music.

A virtuoso in many styles on both piano and cello, Mr. Eggar has performed, recorded, and arranged for artists in many genres including Phillip Phillips, Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli, Frank Ocean, Talib Kweli, Evanescence, Chromeo, RJD2, Fall Out Boy, Patti Smith, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Dave Sanborn, John Pattitucci, Mark Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Harry Belafonte, Meryl Streep, 208 Talks of Angels, Paul Simon, James Taylor, O.A.R., Robert and Bylle Redford, Beyoncé, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Brett Eldredge, Ingrid Michaelson,Zayn Malik, Rachel Platten, A Great Big World, Breaking Benjamin, Five for Fighting, The Manhattan Transfer, Richard Bona, Roberta Flack, David Foster, Josh Groban, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Roberta Flack, Abbey Lincoln, Joshua Bell, Wynton Marsalis, Ornette Colemann, Carly Simon, DJ Spooky, Pete Seeger, Ralph Stanley, Robin and Linda Williams, Amber Rubarth, Gil Goldstein, Lucia Micarelli, Jukebox the Ghost, The Ting-Tings, Dina Fanai, Sasha Lazard The Who, and Esperanza Spalding. Mr. Eggar's work is prominently featured on Esperanza Spalding's Grammy-winning record Chamber Music Society and Frank Ocean's Channel Orange. Dave toured extensively in 2012-2015 as a regular member of the Phillip Phillips Band (winner of American Idol 2011. He has also performed frequently as the solo cellist with singer Amy Lee and Evanescence. He regularly tours with his own band Deoro and with the Craig St Ramblers.

Mr. Eggar's own record, Kingston Morning (produced by Chuck Palmer) was nominated for a Grammy in 2011 for their version of Michael Brecker's epic song "Itsbynne Reel". The team's subsequent record "Deoro XX" won the Popular Voting Award for World Beat at the Independent Music awards the following year. Mr. Eggar has a long relationship with Chesky records, producing David Chesky's record Area 51 in 2006 which was nominated for a Grammy, and recording and producing "String Theory: The Concertos of David Chesky", which won Best Classical Record at the Independent Music Awards(2012). His latest release: Aftermath: Music from and Inspired by the film War Story is a collaboration with Evanescence composer and front woman Amy Lee. The team composed the score to Marc Jackson's film and then released Aftermath as a soundtrack with bonus tracks. Aftermath debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Soundtrack Charts and No. 47 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.

A founding member of the FLUX string quartet, Mr. Eggar has premiered over 100 works of contemporary composers such as Morton Feldman, Charles Ives, John Cage, Alvin Lucier, Robert Paterson, Conlon Nancarrow, Frank Zappa, Sir Harrison Birtwhistle, Augusta Ried Thomas, Roger Reynolds, Somei Satoh, Ornette Colemann, Anthony Braxton, Gregg Kallor, Elliot Sharp and many others. He has also performed with numerous contemporary classical music ensembles, and is currently a core member of the highly acclaimed American Modern Ensemble in New York City.

Eggar's compositions and playing can be heard in the worlds of dance and film. He has collaborated with the New York City Ballet, the Jose Limon Company, Attack Theater, Pendulum Aerial Arts, Shen Wei Dance, San Francisco Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. In 2014-2015 he created in collaboration with Bylle Redford, Will Calhoun, Chuck Palmer called "The Way of the Rain" featuring special guest Robert Redford. This unique show, which creates a powerful dialogue between music, visual arts, and dance, was performed January 2015 as an official Special Events selection of the Sundance Film Festival at the Complex in Salt Lake City Utah. Eggar has won fellowships and awards from ASCAP, The Leonard Bernstein Foundation, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo,Japan/US Friendship Commission, National Endowment for the Arts and many others. \

When not onstage, Dave is an avid Karate student and attends the Shotojuku Dojo in Astoria where he studies Shotokan with Sensei's Kai Leung, James Luk and Eddie Nieto. In January 17, 2016, Eggar received his Black Belt from the Shotojuku Dojo."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Eggar)
5/5/2021

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