Encore Music Forum

List of Past Artists

Brandee Younger has created a unique niche in traditional and non-traditional harp arenas. A versatile musician who has proven to defy genres and labels, Ms. Younger has redefined the musical expectations of the modern harpist. Performing mainly on a concert grand classical harp, she is often heard performing jazz, classical and hip-hop in a seemingly effortless manner. The beauty of her work and her ability to communicate emotion so clearly through music has afforded her the opportunity to work alongside a number of hip-hop producers and recording artists including Common, Ryan Leslie and Cassie as well as jazz greats Charlie Haden, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Garrett, Steve Wilson, Rashied Ali, Reggie Workman, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Jack DeJohnette and Geri Allen among a host of others. Ms. Younger is a member of The Workman String Summit, led by bassist Reggie Workman and the Laura Kahle Quintet, led by composer and trumpeter Laura Kahle. She performs in many diverse genres due to her proficiency as an artist and all around musician, not just as an instrumentalist. Brandee’s passion and gift of expression continues to change the way we hear music. Ms. Younger received her Bachelor of Music from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford and her Master of Arts from New York University.

Bioluminescence –
[R. Luke DuBois and Lesley Flanigan].
The voice has a unique role in our musical culture, bridging the linguistic and the semiotic in a way that transcends instrumentality through a highly personal embodiment of musicianship.  The recorded female voice, in particular, has been the subject of academic investigation following its role in aesthetics (Adorno), cinema and psychology (Silverman) and feminist theory (De Laurentis).  In electroacoustic music, the voice has a privileged place in our canon, providing an boundless source of material for sonic exploration from the tape works of Berio, Dodge, and Lansky through the composer-performer repertoire of Joan LaBarbera and Pamela Z.  Our collaboration centers around an extensive investigation of the possibilities of the improvised voice in tandem with electroacoustic processing, focusing on the possibilities of detemporalization and memory evoked through the use of looping, time-stretching, and spectral processing.  The interplay between the two performers (one singing, one processing) takes the metaphor of the voice as impulse and the computer as filter and creates a dense palette of evocative sounds and images derived entirely from the voice of the singer. 

Born in Malaysia, raised in Australia and now living in New York City, Linda Oh started classical piano at age four and took up clarinet at eleven and bassoon at thirteen. At fifteen, Linda dabbled on electric bass playing jazz in the high school big band and community big bands while performing with amateur musicals and playing a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2002 she was accepted into the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and started taking lessons on double-bass. Ms. Oh was one of six chosen to compete for the James Morrison Scholarship in 2003. In 2004 she was a winner of the IAJE Sisters in Jazz collegiate competition where she was one of five females for the Sisters in Jazz quintet at the 2004 annual IAJE convention held in New York City under the direction of Renee Rosnes. She has completed an invitation-only honors program at WAAPA receiving first-class honors for her thesis titled “A New Approach to Rhythmic Bass Improvisation: an exploration of rhythmic devices used by Dave Holland and the rhythmic aspects of North Indian Classical Music.” In 2005 she received the Bob Wyllie Scholarship awarded to the best graduation recitalist and the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) Scholarship. Ms. Oh has composed for the Western Australia Youth Jazz Orchestra, the WAAPA Big Band, and the West Australia Sisters In Jazz Big Band. In April 2006, she was invited to attend the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program in Washington D.C. and in May 2006 participated in the Banff program for creative music. She was also a recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award in 2008 and has completed music for a Student Academy Award nominated film entitled “Wian Bu” by James Bang. Ms. Oh now lives in New York City after completing her Masters at the Manhattan School of Music and plays upright and electric bass around town. She has performed with the likes of James Morrison, T.S. Monk, Nathan Davis, George Cables, Tony Gould, George Cables, Nasheet Waits, Max Sharam, JD Walter, Joel Frahm, Billy Kilson, Billy Childs and Slide Hampton to name a few. Ms. Oh has just released her debut trio album “Entry” with Obed Calvaire and Ambrose Akinmusire which has received rave reviews and is one of Vijay Iyer’s top ten albums of 2009.

Described as “…a natural and enormous talent.” by the Chicago Sun-Times, pianist Marlon Daniel has performed in Europe and North America. He has appeared in several international music festivals including The Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in the United States; the 11th International Music Festival in Kromeríz, Czech Republic; Santander International Music Festival in Spain; Fontainebleau and the prestigious Les Musicales de Pontivy Festivals in France. He has received numerous prizes and awards including a Rose Hanus Fellowship, the Mabel Henderson Memorial Grant for Foreign Experience, a Capitol Region Foundation Grant for Arts in Education and an Honorary Key to the City of Chicago for Outstanding Musical Achievement bestowed by the late Mayor Harold Washington. A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, he holds both a Masters and Bachelors degree, Diplomas from Le Conservatoire Américain (Fontainebleau France), Centro de Estudios Musicales Isaac Albeniz (Santander, Spain), and most recently Post Graduate Diplomas from the Prague Academy and the Prague Conservatory. He began to play the piano at an early age but did not receive formal training until age thirteen. His first teacher was Kathryn Gladden, a former pupil of Moriz Rosenthal (a student of Franz Liszt). Later he studied with Alexander Edelmann (of which he was his last student), Arkady Aronov, Nicolai Lomov, Miyoko Nakaya Lotto and Salvatore Spina. Most recently he has performed at the Puffin Foundation Cultral Fourm ‘On the Rise‘ Series, the ‘Piano Passions‘ concert series at Tenri Cultural Institute and Salle Martin in Prague.

Trevor Gureckis, a native of Austin Texas, studied composition and piano performance at the Yale School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin. His teachers have included Kevin Puts, Ezra Laderman, Dan Welcher, Martin Bresnick, and Aaron J. Kernis. He has received numerous awards for his music including a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Young Composer Awards from both BMI and ASCAP Foundations. Trevor’s new orchestral work entitled “Very Large Array”, had its professional orchestra premiere by the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Osmo Vänskä. The performance was part of the orchestra’s renowned Composer Institute. In May, the New York Youth Symphony, led by Ryan McAdams, commissioned and premiered a new work for soprano Jennifer Zetlan and orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He has had music released on Notenuf Records and most recently Philip Glass’ Orange Mountain Records, which released his score to the film Les adieux. He is a co-owner and staff composer for Found Objects Music Productions with colleagues Bryan Senti and Jay Wadley. Found Objects, formed in 2007, produces music for film, TV, and other media. Trevor continues to work with Philip Glass as editor and musical assistant for his film and concert music.

Angélica Negrón is a composer and multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Puerto Rico and currently based in New York City.  She received an early education in piano and violin at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where she later studied composition under the guidance of composer Alfonso Fuentes. Her music has been performed by the NYU Symphony Orchestra, NYU Percussion Ensemble, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Astoria Symphony Orchestra, and TRANSIT ensemble and she has written music for documentaries, films, theater and modern dance.  Angélica is a founding member of the electro-acoustic pop band Balún where she sings and plays the accordion and violin.  She holds a Master’s degree in Music Composition from New York University where she studied with Portuguese guitarist and composer Pedro Da Silva and film composer Ira Newborn. She also holds a bachelor’s in Audio/Visual Communications from the University of Puerto Rico, and has contributed as a writer to the International Alliance of Women in Music Journal and British magazine The Wire. Ms. Negrón is currently part of the Teaching Artists Collaborative from The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall and a member of ASCAP, the American Music Center and New York Women Composers.

Martha Locker leads a busy and diverse musical life, performing as soloist and chamber musician both in the United States and abroad. As soloist, Martha has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, the New Juilliard Ensemble and the New York University Repertory Orchestra. An avid chamber musician and performer of contemporary music, Martha gives regular performances at Juilliard and New York University and many other New York venues, including Bargemusic, Symphony Space, Greenwich House and Bloomingdale House, and she has toured abroad as a member of the New Juilliard Ensemble. Martha has been a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, and has attended the Sarasota Music Festival, the Chautauqua Music Festival, and the Eastern Music Festival and was invited to perform at the 2002 Kyoto International Music Festival in Japan. Recent projects include recordings with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony. Ms. Locker has received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School and is currently a PhD candidate at New York University.

Greg “Cosmo D” Heffernan is a versatile cellist whose musical passions have led him to work in improvisation, jazz and electronic music. In 2006 and 2007, Greg toured with the legendary saxophonist Lee Konitz. Greg has been a featured member in Konitz’s Nonet and has toured England, France, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Macedonia, and beyond. Other musicians Greg has also played with include Fred Hersch, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnnette, Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer, Drew Gress, Tony Malaby, Ralph Alessi, Brad Shepik, Kenny Wolleson, Doc Severinson, Burt Bacharach, vocalists Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry, singer Lucia Pulido, saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen, violinist Jenny Scheinman and many others. Mr. Heffernan received his Bachelor of Music from New York University.

Mary Kouyoumdjian is dedicated to composing music that pushes the boundaries of expectation and musical tradition. Her works have been premiered by such performers as internationally acclaimed cellist Charles Curtis, flautist John Fonville, violinist János Negyesy, and several members of the New York Philharmonic and MET Orchestra. Her compositions range from concert works for orchestra/chamber ensemble to multimedia collaborations and film scores. With a B.A. in Music Composition from the University of California San Diego and an M.A. in Scoring for Film & Multimedia from New York University, Ms. Kouyoumdjian has studied composition with Chinary Ung, Steven Kazao Takasugi, Chaya Czernowin, and Marc-Antonio Consoli, film scoring with composers Ron Sadoff and Deniz Hughes, and jazz with the legendary composer/pianist Anthony Davis.  She has also studied film with French New Wave director Jean-Pierre Gorin, who, along with her musical mentors, inspired her to explore the avant-garde and “quirkier” sides of art. Ms. Kouyoumdjian tactfully brings her own voice to musical collaborations. Drawing on her Armenian heritage and background in experimental composition, she uses a sonic pallet that is progressive and paints the stage with a new and innovative world of sound.

Ryan Tully is a New York based composer and pianist. He began playing piano at age ten, studying at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from NYU in 2006. The bulk of Tully’s music has been composed for independent films and documentary projects. He has performed with talented musicians such as Nicholas Dinnerstein, Sasha Gee Enegren, and Seth Paris.

Kalin Ivanov is a prominent soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and recording artist. Compared by press to Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gregor Piatigorsky he is quickly gaining recognition as an artist whose “dramatic urgency and expressive tone” (The Strad) is matched by “his deep, emotional, and poetic performing style” (Moscow North). Harris Goldsmith of the New York Times states “…Ivanov presents himself as a player with a fine grained, luscious tone…”. A winner of the C.W. Post Chamber Music Festival Concerto Competition, he has performed in major performing centers in Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic, England, Russia, and the United States. Mr. Ivanov’s solo performances include appearances with the top Bulgarian orchestras including: Sofia Philharmonic, Sinfonietta-Sofia, Plovdiv Philharmonic, Varna Philharmonic, as well as Prague Sinfonietta, Moscow Chamber Orchestra – Cantus Firmus, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi and Ensemble du Monde. He is also a founding member of The Forte String Quartet and New York Empire Trio. Kalin Ivanov is currently on the faculty at Brooklyn College, Adelphi University, and the Long Island Conservatory. Mr. Ivanov is a recording artist for both MSR Classics and Gega New, appears regularly on radio and television programs, leads cello and chamber music master classes and is a judge of international competitions in the United States and Europe. He is represented by Bulgarian Virtuosi Artists.

Elena Antimova, pianist and composer first started playing the piano at age of four and gave her first solo recital at age of six in her native country Bulgaria. She received piano awards and was acclaimed by the critics as at an early age. She had studied at The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (summer of 2000) and performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival. She had also studied with Claude Franck, Gilbert Kalish, Luiz de Moura Castro, Tania Leon, Robert McDonald, Ignat Solzhenitsyn and Thomas Sauer at various masterclasses. Miss Antimova has performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Klavierhaus, National Arts Club, CAMI Hall as well as throughout the US.  Her performances have been broadcasted by CUNY TV-Channel 75, WNYE TV-Channel 25, Eurocom TV, Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, Radio Free Europe, WNYC, New York Public Radio, and Voice of America. In 2002 she was featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary “Study with the Best”. Miss Antimova holds a BM and MM in Piano Performance from Brooklyn College, CUNY where she has been awarded The John Challener Award in Piano (2002) and The Sol Goldman Scholarship (2003 and 2004), The Serf Scholarship (2005, 2006, 2007) in recognition of her outstanding achievements, as well as The Sam Levenson Award (2005) from the Brooklyn College Alumni Association for making a significant contribution to the Brooklyn College Community. She also won the 2005 Concerto Competition with Haydn-Piano Concerto in D major under Ken Selden. Miss Antimova has performed as a duo with Mr. Kalin Ivanov since 2001. She is represented by Bulgarian Virtuosi Artists.

Eric V. Hachikian is an Armenian-American composer, whose music has been hailed by the New York Times as “lovely and original.” His compositions and orchestrations can be heard in a variety of major motion pictures (New York, I Love You; The Wrestler), network television shows (Entourage; Life On Mars; Dirty Sexy Money), and national ad campaigns (Goldfish; Wendy’s; Yahtzee), as well as Off-Broadway (New House Under Construction; A Christmas Carol), and in Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall. Mr. Hachikian studied Nadia Boulanger’s methods in Paris, France, and has also studied composition and audio engineering at the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals, as well as at Northwestern University and Oberlin Conservatory. Eric received his Bachelor of Music with highest honors from the University of Michigan, and his Master of Arts from New York University. Also a performer, Mr. Hachikian plays the piano and tuba, is a classically trained vocalist, and an accomplished conductor.