Appearing in Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn

Flutist Susanna Loewy is also the Executive Director of Network for New Music! You can read her full bio on her Network Page.

A bit from her bio:

Susanna is the Principal Flutist for Inscape, a chamber music group based in the DC area that was nominated for a Grammy for its debut CD, "Sprung Rhythm." In August of 2015, Inscape released a 17-player chamber orchestra arrangement of Stravinsky's Petrushka. Inscape also recorded Philip Glass's Fall of the House of Usher with the WolfTrap Opera Company, and has several upcoming releases under the Naxos label. From 2016-2022, Susanna was also the flutist for the NakedEye Ensemble, "an eclectic eight-member electro-acoustic ensemble with classical, rock, and jazz DNA, [that] commissions and performs seminal works by cross-over and cutting-edge composers.

Appearing in Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn

Born in Abruzzo, Italy, multi-instrumentalist, he began his musical studies under the guidance of Roberto Torto and Composition with Sante Centurione, afterward graduating in clarinet with highest honors at Gaetano Braga Conservatory of Music in Teramo. After his graduation he continued to refine his musical skill studying with well-known international artists as Giammarco Casani, Calogero Palermo, Antonio Tinelli, until he moved to Philadelphia obtaining his degree in Master of Music Performance at Temple University in Philadelphia. As an eclectic classical and world-music performer, Mr. DiMatteo boasts several concerts in USA, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Greece, Malta, Iraq and Libya, performing in the foremost concert halls and festivals. Mr. DiMatteo also teaches at Temple University Community Music Scholars Program and Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Appearing in Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn, Shatin’s Elijah’s Chariot, and Kaplan’s Waltz for a Hesitant Era

Violinist Min-Young Kim is a founding member of the Daedalus Quartet. She has toured extensively with Musicians from Marlboro, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and has also collaborated in festivals and performances with members of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Cleveland, Takács and Vermeer Quartets. An advocate for music of our time, Ms. Kim enjoys working closely with composers and has premiered and performed many new works. In early music, she has performed and recorded on the baroque violin with Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra and New York Collegium. A graduate of Harvard University and the Juilliard School, Ms. Kim teaches violin and chamber music at the University of Pennsylvania, and was formerly on the faculty of Columbia University and the School for Strings in New York. Her major teachers include Donald Weilerstein, Robert Mann and Shirley Givens.

More at www.daedalusquartet.com

Appearing in Shatin’s Elijah’s Chariot, Kaplan’s Sh’veekeen, Sh’veeteen: Forgiven, Eradicated, and Kaplan’s Waltz for a Hesitant Era

Rachel Segal, a native Philadelphian, is a violinist, educator, and the Founder and President of The Primavera Fund, a program that mentors and supports young musicians in Philadelphia. As an orchestral violinist, her career has taken her throughout the USA and abroad. She served as Concertmaster of the Central City Opera orchestra and as a violinist with the Colorado Symphony for twelve seasons, and has had posts as Concertmaster of the Orquestra Sinfonia Portugesa in Lisbon, Portugal, and as Fourth Chair of the Tampere Filharmonia in Tampere, Finland. She currently performs in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the Washington D.C. area with various orchestras. She began her career as Concertmaster of the South Bend Symphony in Indiana.

As an educator, Ms. Segal has held positions at Regis University and the Community College of Aurora in Colorado, Luzerne Music Center in New York, is Director of Chamber Music at the Music and Mindfulness camp in Virginia, and has been Associate Director of the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra since its inception.

Ms. Segal received her Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Michigan and her Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. Prominent teachers include Sidney Harth, Paul Kantor, Barbara Govatos, and Jerome Wigler. She lives in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia with her beagles Abby and Sam, and cats Gilbert and Sullivan.

Appearing in Shatin’s Elijah’s Chariot, Kaplan’s Sh’veekeen, Sh’veeteen: Forgiven, Eradicated, and Kaplan’s Waltz for a Hesitant Era

Hannah Nicholas is the principal violist of the Philadelphia Ballet orchestra and newly appointed assistant principal violist of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. She has toured with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), and was previously the principal violist of the Central City Opera orchestra in Colorado and a fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach under Michael Tilson Thomas (2014-17). In Philadelphia, Hannah has appeared on series including PCMS, Bowerbird, SoFar Sounds, the Network for New Music, LyricFest, and the Barnes Ensemble contemporary music residency at the Barnes Museum.

Hannah has been praised for her “rich tonal sonority” (South Florida Classical Review). Her orchestral solos have been highlighted as “exceptional” by the New York Classical Review, and “beautifully performed” by Culture Vulture for her recent solo in Léo Delibes’ Coppelia with the Philadelphia Ballet. As a soloist Hannah has performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington D.C., the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, and the New World Symphony on the “Solo Spotlight” and “Inside the Music” series, as well as playing principal viola on Strauss’ Don Quixote.

For three years Hannah was a featured artist with the O, Miami Poetry Festival, where she crafted programs combining chamber music, visual art, and poetry. Highlights include a joint commission from composer Sahba Aminikia and artist Kevork Mourad, “The Wind Will Blow Us Away,” and a performance of Ljova’s Clarinet Quintet, “The Refugee.” Hannah has performed with the Garth Newel Piano Quartet in Virginia as guest violist, and in the summer of 2021, she started her own chamber music series: Hannah Rose Presents. Hannah also performs as a vocalist and songwriter alongside Gregg Mervine, percussion and Josh Machiz, bass in Philadelphia.

Hannah studied with Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory (MM), and with Paul Hersh and Jonathan Vinocour at the San Francisco Conservatory (Artist Certificate). Hannah received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, while studying viola with Che-Hung Chen. She teaches viola and chamber music at Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania.

More at www.hannahroseviola.com

Appearing in Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn, Shatin’s Elijah’s Chariot, Kaplan’s Sh’veekeen, Sh’veeteen: Forgiven, Eradicated, and Kaplan’s Waltz for a Hesitant Era

Thomas Kraines, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, has gained renown as a versatile cellist, composer, and teacher. In addition to the Daedalus Quartet, he performs often with his wife, violinist Juliette Kang, with the Philadelphia-based Network for New Music, the Arcana Ensemble, and the improvisatory ensembles Great Blue Heron and Basquiat Blues. Kraines’ solo cello and chamber compositions have been heard around the country. He has performed his own works in collaboration with artists such as Awadagin Pratt, Mimi Stillman, Maria Jette, Ilana Davidson, and Kinan Abou-afach. Kraines has served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music, Princeton University, Peabody Conservatory, Phillips Academy Andover, and Yellow Barn. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He has performed chamber music at the Moab Music Festival, Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), Bravo! Vail, Caramoor Summer Music Festival, Next Generation Festival, Portland Chamber Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Bard Music Festival. Kraines studied cello with Frederic Raimi, Orlando Cole, and Joel Krosnick, and composition with Tom Benjamin. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Juliette, and daughters Rosalie and Clarissa.

Tom is also on the Board of Network for New Music.

Appearing on Kaplan’s Waltz for a Hesitant Era

Nico Mateo is a Mexican-American, classically-trained double bassist and visual storyteller who is currently based in Philadelphia. While he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA and his Master of Music degree from Yale, his administrative skillset was developed through programs and internships with organizations such as Carnegie Hall, the Aldeburgh Festival, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and through orchestra librarian roles at UCLA and Yale.

As a double bassist, Nico strives to perform and commission works by diverse, living composers and hopes to commission 3-6 new works over the next year. As a photographer, he strives to provide affordable artist portraits and provided 21 portrait sessions for free during the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition to portraiture, Nico is interested in helping fellow artists of marginalized backgrounds visually document their narratives. He attributes this interest to his own experience having grown up as a classical musician of color in California’s Central Valley — amidst a landscape that was primarily agricultural — followed by his move to the bustling city of Los Angeles and later to the East Coast. He believes that visual narratives can help artists and audiences identify with each other through the celebration of biographical commonalities.

One of Nico’s core beliefs as an artist-citizen is that he has a responsibility to help others realize their sense of agency and identity through the power of creativity. He believes that the skills and mindset developed in the process of creating art can be applied to additional areas of educational endeavors and professional work. His understanding of his role, therefore, entails returning to the communities from which support was given and sharing the benefits of acquired knowledge so that others might do the same. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Nico aims to lead seminars on the pursuit of higher education, artistic practices, and professional development during trips to his hometown.

Appears on Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn and Why (?) Jacob

Charles Abramovic has won critical acclaim for his international performances as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator with leading instrumentalists and singers. He has performed a vast repertoire not only on the piano, but also the harpsichord and fortepiano. Abramovic made his solo orchestral debut at the age of fourteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Since then he has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony, the Colorado Philharmonic, the Florida Philharmonic, and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra. He has given solo recitals throughout the United States, France and Yugoslavia. He has also appeared at major international festivals in Berlin, Salzburg, Bermuda, Dubrovnik, Aspen and Vancouver.

Abramovic has performed often with such stellar artists as Midori, Sarah Chang, Robert McDuffie, Viktoria Mullova, Kim Kashkashian, Mimi Stillman and Jeffrey Khaner. His recording of the solo piano works of Delius for DTR recordings has been widely praised. He has recorded for EMI Classics with violinist Sarah Chang, and Avie Recordings with Philadelphia Orchestra principal flutist Jeffrey Khaner. Actively involved with contemporary music, he has also recorded works of Milton Babbitt, Joseph Schwantner, Gunther Schuller and others for Albany Records, CRI, Bridge, and Naxos.

Abramovic has taught at Temple since 1988. He is an active part of the musical life of Philadelphia, performing with numerous organizations in the city. He is a core member of the Dolce Suono Ensemble, and performs often with Network for New Music and Orchestra 2001. In 1997 he received the Career Development Grant from the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society, and in 2003 received the Creative Achievement Award from Temple University. His teachers have included Natalie Phillips, Eleanor Sokoloff, Leon Fleisher, and Harvey Wedeen.

Appearing in Asia’s Breath in a Ram’s Horn

Noted for his “solid, ringing tenor that was rich and intense,” and as a “mellifluous talent you should watch for” by Opera Today, Daniel Taylor is establishing himself with a voice of power, sensitivity, and musicianship, garnered from a wealth of experience across a wide variety of disciplines. Having been a member of the chorus at Opera Philadelphia since 2012, he has also sung roles for the company, including being a part of the process of workshopping and premiering a number of new operas, such as Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, Kevin Puts’ Elizabeth Cree, and Lembit Beecher’s riveting Sky on Swings where he sang alongside the legendary Frederica von Stade. He has been a part of works and workshops by other composers including Rene Orth, David Hertzberg, Jennifer Higdon, and more. Aside from Opera Philadelphia, he has performed operatic works with a number of organizations including The New York Philharmonic, Curtis Opera Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, Three Oaks Opera, Poor Richard’s Opera, Opera Libera, Children’s Opera Box, and Temple University Opera Theater.

Outside of opera, Daniel is a member of the Grammy award winning new music chamber choir, The Crossing, having also sung a number of solos with the group in works by composers such as David T. Little, Benjamin C. S. Boyle, Gavin Bryars, and Thomas Lloyd.

With a MM in vocal performance from Temple University, and a BM in cello performance from the Peabody Conservatory, he also performed extensively as a cellist and early musician on baroque cello and viola da gamba.

He currently lives in Warrington, Pennsylvania and otherwise enjoys fantasy novels, birding, video games, and board games.

Appearing on Asia’s Songs of Transcendence

Jordan Dodson, described by Performance Today as “one of the top young guitarists of his generation,” is a musician and educator. A passionate advocate of contemporary music, Dodson has given the premiere of hundreds of new works. In 2013 he was the first guitarist to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music’s new guitar program. In the same year he won Astral Artists’ National Auditions and was selected to be Young Artist in Residence on American Public Media.

He recently appeared as soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with the premiere of Andrea Clearfield’s new concerto, Glow. He plays in several New York City chamber ensembles including the Metropolis Ensemble and the New York City Guitar Quartet, and frequently collaborates with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Curtis on Tour, the American Modern Opera Company, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and Contemporaneous. He has performed alongside such musicians as Roberto Díaz, Anne Marie-McDermott, and Ransom Wilson.

Dodson has appeared on several commercially available recordings including Jason Eckardt’s Subject. His most recent recordings are Elliot Cole’s Nightflower and Journals, vol. 1. As collaborator with American Modern Opera Company, he has helped create the guitar part for a new arrangement of John Adams’ El Niño, which will receive its premiere in France in 2024.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Dodson is on faculty at EzraGuitar and The Smith School in New York City. He has given many masterclasses and lectures and holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Cincinnati, and his teachers have included Clare Callahan, David Starobin, and Jason Vieaux.

Jordan is endorsed by Oasis strings and plays a Gary Lee guitar.

More at www.jordandodson.net