Aristotelis Dimitrakopoulos (b. 1998) is a composer, performer (saxophone, various types of recorders), and researcher-musicologist. Originally from Preveza, Epirus, Greece, he
developed a deep interest in composition from an early age, with a particular focus on its historical foundations.
He is a graduate (Bachelor of Music) of the Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia, with specialization in "Composition". He holds a Master’s degree (Master of Arts) in the same department, specializing in “European Early music and modal musical traditions of the Mediterranean”. Additionally, he holds a Saxophone Diploma (BMus) from the Thessaloniki Contemporary Conservatory.
As a composer, performer and researcher, he explores and considers new ways of approaching, bridging and linking the early Mediterranean classical musical tradition with a broad spectrum European Early music, something that characterizes
his works and his performing nature.
Several scholars and critics have described his works as presenting a "paradox of temporality". By connecting “historical” musical textures and traditions, his compositional style and artistic-
academic work re-examine the artistic heritage of the past and integrate the “historical” into the broader spectrum of the "contemporary - avant-garde".

Telis Dimitrakopoulos was born in Ioannina. He grew up in Preveza where he set out his first music steps by attending and finishing Music Junior High and Music High School of Preveza. 
He is a graduate of the Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, with specialization in Poetics [(Art of Composition)(class of Ilias Papadopoulos, Stamatis Pasopoulos)] and studied saxophone and Jazz studies at “Thessaloniki Contemporary Conservatory” (class of Haris Kapetanakis). He holds a Master;s degree in Musical Arts, with specialization in “Early Music and Modal Musical traditions of the Mediterranean”, at the Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece.
As a composer and performer, he explores, studies and investigates new ways of approaching and applying traditional, classical world and modal music via contemporary art and creation, which is characteristic of his work and his performing act. Another element characterising his work is improvisation and its interaction in performance and composition, too.

Lebanese composer and music theorist Sami Seif (b. 1998) has been praised as “a distinctive compositional voice” who creates “intoxicating and fascinating soundworld[s]” (Carla Rees, Pan Journal of the British Flute Society). Described as “very tasteful and flavorful” with “beautiful, sensitive writing!” (Webster University Young Composers Competition), his music is inspired by the aesthetics, philosophies, paradigms and poetry of his Middle-Eastern heritage. His latest musical concerns center around the phenomenology of time and of differing degrees of focus.

A passionate and enthusiastic collaborator, Seif has worked with numerous renowned musicians. Previous and upcoming collaborators include Mary Kay Fink and Stanley Konopka of The Cleveland Orchestra, Vinay Parameswaran, Carla Rees, Marcelo Lehninger, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Odin Quartet, Amer Hasan, TEMPO Ensemble, Juan Riveros, Earplay, Ensemble 126, Ensemble Metamorphosis, Drew Hosler, Dustin White, and Lana Stafford, among others. Seif’s music has been recognized internationally by various institutions such  as ASCAP, SOCAN, the RED NOTE New Music Festival, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, the New York Composers Circle, the Stamford Music and Arts Academy, the Foundation for Modern Music, the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, the Cleveland Composer’s Guild, the Arizona Flute Society, Webster University, Abundant Silence, and Warren County Summer Music School, among others. Additionally, he was selected as a finalist for the 2019 Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra call for scores from a pool of more than 2200 applicants from more than 90 countries. In 2020, he was selected again from a larger pool of almost 8000 applicants.

Originally from the small town of Ashkout in Mount Lebanon, he was born to a non-musical family in Abu Dhabi and he is fluent in Arabic, French and English. He started out at the age of twelve as a self-taught musician, composing and playing on special, Arabic keyboards designed to accommodate the microtones of Arabic music. Not having had access to formal music education, Seif taught himself how to read and write music by reading theory textbooks. He later formally studied piano, composition, audio engineering, and sound synthesis.

Seif completed his BM, double-majoring in composition and music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where, he was honored with the Donald Erb prize in composition and the Beth Pearce Nelson award in music theory upon graduation. He is currently a doctoral fellow at the CUNY Graduate Center, studying with Jason Eckardt, Bruce Saylor, and David Schober. His former teachers include Julia Victorivna Podsekaeva (composition and piano), Roger Bergs (composition), Alan Reese (music theory), and Gerardo Teissonnière (piano).

Ensemble 126 is a dynamic and flexible flute ensemble. The name "Ensemble 126" was inspired by the materials frequently used to make concert C flutes, the primary instrument of the ensemble. By adding the atomic numbers of gold (79) and silver (47), Ensemble 126 was born.

E126 is dedicated to expanding the repertoire for flute ensemble through commissions, education, outreach, and performance outside the traditional flute ensemble.

To create a truly unique, cutting edge sound, our group utilizes world, historic, and the full range of modern concert flutes.

Followers of Ensemble 126