Victor Cacesse

Victor Cacesse

 

Victor Caccese is the founder of the Brooklyn-based percussion quartet, Sandbox Percussion. As a member of Sandbox, Victor has performed over 150 concerts worldwide and taught at institutions such as The Peabody Conservatory, The Curtis Institute, Michigan State University, Vanderbilt University, University of Kansas, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Victor has collaborated with composers such as Amy Beth Kirsten, Andy Akiho, David Crowell, James Wood, John Luther Adams, and Thomas Kotcheff. In the Spring of 2020, along with Sandbox Percussion, Victor will give the world premiere of an evening-length work by Andy Akiho entitled Seven Pillars at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA. Next summer Victor will teach and perform at the fifth annual NYU Sandbox Percussion Seminar, a chamber music festival accepting students from around the world to study and perform some of today’s leading contemporary percussion pieces. 

Also a composer and arranger, Victor has written a number of pieces for percussion. His works have been performed by Sandbox Percussion more than 50 times throughout the United States. While music and percussion is at the core of his professional life, Victor has also worked as a photographer and videographer. As head of media and content development for Sandbox Percussion, he has developed and maintained a YouTube presence consisting of performance videos, workshop documentaries, and travel vlogs.

Victor holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale School of Music. He is also a member of The Percussion Collective, a stunning ensemble founded by performer and pedagogue Robert van Sice. Victor serves on faculty at the Dwight Conservatory in Manhattan and was a visiting artist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with Sandbox Percussion as the ensemble in residence in the Fall of 2019. Victor endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth drumsticks and Remo drumheads.

 
 
 

Luke Marantz

Luke Marantz

 

Luke is a pianist, composer, photographer and person from dallas, texas currently living in brooklyn, new york. born to a musical family, his studies began at an early age with piano, voice, saxophone and visual art. he attended the booker t. washington high school for the performing and visual arts and upon graduating moved to boston, massachusetts to attend the new england conservatory of music and upon graduating moved to new york city. 

As a leader and a sideman he has traveled the world playing and recording music having performed across america, europe, japan and south america playing alongside the likes of gilad hekselman, walter smith iii, dayna stephens, john ellis, jason palmer, jeff tain watts, nate wood, jochen rueckert, adam o’farrill, olli hirvonen among many others. he has played at the montreux, copenhagen, pori and monterey jazz festivals, the kodak theater in los angeles, the meyerson symphony center in dallas, jordan hall in boston as well as jazz clubs in new york city and all around the world.

 
 
 

David Jacobs-Strain

David Jacobs-Strain

 

David Jacob-Strain is a striking slide guitar player and song poet from Eugene, Oregon. His deep love of blues and roots music is evident in every one of the songs he writes. He studied masters like Robert Johnson, Taj Mahal and Jackson Browne, but plays his own sound, his own song, with a virtuosity that is uniquely his. David began playing on street corners and at farmers markets as a teenager, and bought his first steel guitar with the quarters he saved up.  Before he dropped out of Stanford to play full time, he had already appeared at festivals across the country, often billed as a blues prodigy, but he had to fight to avoid being a novelty act:  “I wanted to tell new stories, it just wasn’t enough to relive the feelings in other people’s music.” 

 
 
 

Christopher Botta

Christopher Botta

 

Christopher Botta is a NY based producer and engineer. He runs Fer Sound, a mixing, mastering, and production studio in Bushwick Brooklyn. Chris works closely with non-profit organizations such as Found Sound Nation (OneBeat, Mosaic, Dosti Music Project, Broken Orchestra), JACK Studios, the Metropolis Ensemble, The MET, and Hear Her Song. He’s worked closely with artists such as Yaeji, Emily Wells, the JACK Quartet, Valee, and Shahzad Ismaily. His interests are positioned uncomfortably between contemporary chamber, electronic, and popular music forms.

 
 
 

Stephan Crump

Stephan Crump

 

Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer Stephan Crump is an active bandleader with twelve critically-acclaimed album releases in addition to numerous film scoring contributions.

 
 
 

Paul Wiancko

Paul Wiancko

 

Paul Wiancko has led an exceptionally multifaceted musical life as a composer and cellist. As a performer, he has collaborated with Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, Nico Muhly, and members of the Guarneri, Takács, JACK, Parker, Orion, and Juilliard quartets. Chosen as one of Kronos Quartet’s “50 for the Future”, Paul’s own music has been described as “dazzling”, “compelling” (Star Tribune) and “vital pieces that avoid the predictable” (Allan Kozinn). His 25-minute quartet LIFT is featured on the Aizuri Quartet’s Grammy-nominated album Blueprinting, one of NPR’s top 10 classical albums of 2018.

 
 
 

Ayane Kozasa

Ayane Kozasa

 

Hailed for her "magnetic, wide-ranging tone" and her "rock solid technique" (Philadelphia Inquirer), violist Ayane Kozasa is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, whose GRAMMY-nominated debut album “Blueprinting” was released on New Amsterdam Records in 2019. Her duo with composer and cellist Paul Wiancko—known as "Ayane & Paul"—actively performs and commissions new works for viola and cello and recently collaborated with Norah Jones on her album “Pick Me Up Off the Floor.”

 
 
 

Emi Ferguson

Emi Ferguson

 

Emi Ferguson can be heard live in concerts and festivals with groups including the Metropolis Ensemble, Handel and Haydn Society, AMOC*, the New York New Music Ensemble, and the Manhattan Chamber Players.

 
 
 

Juniper CreativeArts

Juniper CreativeArts

 

Juniper Creative Arts is a Vermont-based Black and Dominican family collective with a mission-driven practice of creating art that involves and celebrates historically excluded communities.

 
 
 

Leo Leite

Leo Leite

 

Leo Leite

Leo Leite (1977) is a Music Producer and Sound Engineer. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Leo grew up with the electronic music scene and since young he is been involved with music production , live shows , studio recordings and stage production. He studied at the Institute of Audio and Video in São Paulo and was assistant engineer at Beat Music Studios. Leo moved to New York in 1999 to study at the School of Audio Engineer (SAE) in New York City.

He was the co-founder of Influx, a live electronic band which performed at Skol Beats Festival and released several compilation albums for Amp MTV. As a producer, between 2005 and 2009, Leo collaborated with DJ Sasha with many projects and recording, principally the critically acclaimed album "Invol2ver".

With a unique talent and style with acoustics acquired the last few years , he has built and designed architectural acoustic music studios. From acoustic treatment, studio equipment, to construction management. Leo has collaborated with many renowned electronic artists such as Gui Boratto, Sasha, Junio Lima, Gabe, & Dado Prisco.

Leo collaborated with Metropolis Ensemble to sound engineer and co-produce The Rite : Remixed performed in Prospect Park as part Celebrate Brooklyn!, which was broadcasted live on NPR.

 
 
 

Caleb Smith

Caleb Smith

 

Performer and composer Caleb A. Smith is a multi-faceted artist who hopes to use his art to present relevant, relatable, and thought-provoking narratives to his audience. Caleb received his Bachelor’s in Jazz Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he was able to attend on a full-tuition scholarship. Currently, Caleb is pursuing his Master’s Degree from Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. He has been fortunate enough to study with musicians such as trombonist Robin Eubanks, as well as with performer composers like Jason Moran, Vijay Iyer, Gary Bartz, and Billy Hart.  

As a performer, Caleb has played with a vast selection of artists including five-time Grammy Award winning American visionary Lauryn Hill at the 2018 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by HBO, a performance with trumpeter Terrance Blanchard as part of Cleveland’s Annual Tri-C Jazz Festival, and at the New England Conservatory of Music with bassist Dave Holland. He has played with an array of different ensembles ranging from small jazz-based combos, concert/marching bands, a symphony orchestra, jazz big bands, Gospel groups and as part of a horn section in pop groups. Caleb has also given numerous performances in and around Cleveland at venues such as The Bop Stop at the Music Settlement, Severance Hall, and Akron’s acclaimed BLU Jazz+ Club.
Composition is an integral part of Caleb’s artistry and artistic process. He hopes that, through his original work and collaborations with others, he will make himself vulnerable to his audience and not only present themes and narratives associated closely with his heart and personal life, but also those that are associated with being Black in America. He has had the privilege to study composition at prestigious programs such as the Kennedy Center’s Betty Carter Jazz Ahead (where he had his original work performed on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage) and at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music.  

‍Caleb firmly believes that teaching is an integral part of any society and is very passionate about spreading the knowledge he has obtained to other people on their journey.

 
 
 

Kalun Leung

Kalun Leung

 

Kalun Leung (he/him) is a collaborative trombonist, augmented instrumentalist, and sound artist with an extended practice in instrument building, electronics, and movement. His projects are motivated by the exploration of new and unexpected contexts in which the trombone can thrive, an interdisciplinary and research-based approach that has led to the invention of new electronic trombone augmentations, the study of Balkan brass band music in Guča, the premiere of never-before-seen Keith Haring computer art, the mounting of a Fluxus-inspired trombone sound sculpture, and site-specific improvisations with landfills and robots. 

As a performer, he is a major proponent for the presentation of new work through commissioning, collective creation, and improvisation, and performs in new music, improvised, jazz, inter-arts and folk music ensembles in New York City and Tiohtià:ke/Montréal where he is based. He has premiered works by George Lewis, Bekah Simms, and Lesley Mok, and has contributed to a GRAMMY-winning album with the Experiential Orchestra. He has collaborated with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Nation Beat, Slavic Soul Party, Zlatne Uste, David Taylor and Felix del Tredici (So Wrong it’s Right), Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood), John Aaron Cockburn (Bruce Cockburn, Little Suns), and many others.

 
 
 

Eleonore Oppenheim

Eleonore Oppenheim

 

Eleonore Oppenheim

“Quietly virtuosic” (Alan Kozinn, the New York Times) upright and electric bassist Eleonore Oppenheim is equal parts valued ensemble player and engaging soloist. Her “…subtle expressivity” and “…particular eloquence” (Joshua Kosman, the San Francisco Chronicle), coupled with her New Music advocacy, have made her a go-to muse for some of the best composers of her generation, and she has built a rich repertoire of solo pieces, some of which will be featured on her debut album, “Home,” which will be released on Innova Recordings in Spring of 2016.

A musical omnivore and polyglot, Eleonore is at home in a wide range of musical idioms, and has worked with a variety of different artists and groups, among them the Philip Glass Ensemble, Tyondai Braxton (Battles), the Wordless Music Orchestra, Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Ensemble Signal, Bryce Dessner (the National), Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead).
Eleonore also performs and records regularly with the “All-star, all-female quintet” (Time Out NY) Victoire, whose debut album Cathedral City reached top-10 and best-of lists in the New York Times, Time Out NY, and NPR in 2010, and whose new album Vespers for a New Dark Age, a collaboration with Wilco drummer and percussionist Glenn Kotche, was released on New Amsterdam in 2015.

She has appeared at a number of national and international festivals and venues, most notably the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia, Spoleto USA, the MADE Festival in Sweden, Festival de Otoño Madrid, and Carnegie Hall, BAM, Lincoln Center, the Guggenheim and Whitney Museums, the Barbican Centre, the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Disney Hall, and the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Centre in Australia.

Eleonore was a Bang on a Can Fellow in 2006, where she met many of the fantastic musicians and composers she now collaborates with. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate at SUNY Stony Brook, and is also an alumna of the Yale School of Music and the Juilliard School.

 
 
 

Dominick Chang

Dominick Chang

 

Dominick Chang

Dominick Chang is a graduate of NYU’s undergraduate Music Technology program. Working with Max/Msp/Jitter, he is able to create generative and reactive visuals, allowing him to work with bands, film sets, and installations, creating custom light shows and visual projections.  He is currently working as a freelance audiovisual engineer of mixing, live sound/lights, production and post-production sound for film & television.

 
 
 

Topu Lyo

Topu Lyo

 

Topu Lyo

Topu Lyo is a Korean-American multi faceted composer, producer, and cellist. He uses cello and electronics as his primary tool to compose and perform. He has been a co-leader of two piece band Live Footage for over 12 years touring throughout Europe, Asia, and the US. The band has scored documentaries for HBO, BET, VICE, UNICEF as well as done commercial work for many other brands including BMW, VOLVO and Arpel. He has held a 10 year residency at NYC's Apotheke every Sunday night.

 
 
 

Samer Ghadry

Samer Ghadry

 

Samer Ghadry

Samer Ghadry is a Brooklyn-based musician and healing sound practitioner. He uses a variety of droning and overtoning instruments such as gong, voice, bowls, and forks to craft relaxing, rejuvenating, and holistically transporting sound journeys in various settings. Samer has a background in percussion and improvisation and has toured and recorded with musicians Matthew Dear, Angel Deradoorian, and Dave Harrington, and has appeared in recent works such as Alanis Morsette's The Storm Before the Calm and the film Everything Everywhere All At Once.

 
 
 

Sara Serpa

Sara Serpa

 

Sara Serpa

A native from Lisboa, Portuguese Sara Serpa is a singer, composer, improviser, who through her practice and performance, explores the use of the voice as an instrument. Serpa has been working in the field of jazz, improvised and experimental music, since moving to New York in 2008. Literature, film, visual arts, nature and history inspire Serpa in the creative process and development of her music. Described by the New York Times as “a singer of silvery poise and cosmopolitan outlook,” and by the JazzTimes magazine as “a master of wordless landscapes,”  Serpa started her recording and performing career with jazz luminaries such as Grammy-nominated pianist, Danilo Perez, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow pianist, Ran Blake, and Greg Osby.

Her ethereal music draws from a broad variety of inspirations including literature, film, visual arts as well as history and nature. As a leader, she has produced and released ten albums, the latest being Intimate Strangers (2021) and Recognition (2020).

 
 
 

Pieta Brown

Pieta Brown

Pieta Brown is hailed as a "self-styled poetess, folk goddess and country waif" by the BBC, and over the course of the past decade-and-a-half, she’s released eight critically lauded records, prompting NPR to applaud her "moody, ethereal" songwriting, and the NY Times to praise her “sweet, smoky voice.” Her work garners praise and support from a wide array of peers and mentors, including legendary producer Don Was, filmmaker Wim Wenders, and Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon, who called Brown’s 2014 album Paradise Outlaw his “favorite recording made at our studio.” More »