Brian Ciach (pronounced “SIGH-ack“, born 1977) is an award-winning composer and new music pianist from Philadelphia, whose music has been described as "remarkably inventive" (Herald Times) and "beautifully scored, always clear and full of arresting sounds and images, held together by intuitive dramatic plans that draw the listener in" (Aaron Jay Kernis, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer). Dr. Ciach's music is evocative and attractive in its imagery, often using intrepid instrumentation and imaginative formal concepts woven from a free and accessible tonal language. He has written a Vegetable Requiem (2012) for hand-made vegetable ocarinas (commissioned by the percussion quartet, Round Peg Square Hole), a Second Piano Sonata (2007) that runs out of notes, and Road Trip (2010) for soprano and chamber orchestra, presenting original poetry set in two ways, as if written by two different composers. Collective Uncommon: Seven Orchestral Studies on Medical Oddities (2012), his Indiana University dissertation inspired by curiosities found in the Mütter museum, received this review after a performance by the Minnesota Orchestra: "Brian Ciach was the composer most intent upon letting his imagination run wild all over the music (hence the cabbages and dolls), but he also had the strongest sense of how to create layers of sounds" (Pioneer Press). Brian is a Lecturer of Music Theory and Composition at San Jose State University and Assistant Director and Instructor of Music at the Hunter School of Music in San Jose. His compositions are published by Potenza Music. 

      In 2011, Brian earned a doctorate in music composition from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he also studied music theory and electronic music. He was the recipient of two Dean's Prizes in music composition at IU in 2009 and 2010 for Mölna Elegy and his orchestral dissertation, Collective Uncommon. He also received the Presser Music Award at IU in 2008, which funded travel to the premieres of two of his compositions in Berlin, Germany and Pavia, Italy. He studied composition with P.Q. Phan, Claude Baker, Don Freund, John Gibson (electro-acoustic), Jeffrey Hass (electro-acoustic), and Sven-David Sandström at Indiana University. Additional studies were with Samuel Adler at the Freie Universität Berlin in the summers of 2008 and 2009.  Brian studied privately with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Richard Wernick from 2004 to 2006. Ciach has two concurrent Master's degrees in piano performance and composition and a Bachelor's degree in piano performance from Temple University, where he studied piano with Charles Abramovic, Lambert Orkis, Harvey Wedeen, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and composition with Maurice Wright, Matthew Greenbaum, and Richard Brodhead. 

For more information, please visit: sigh-ackmusic.org

EDUCATION: Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (DM, Composition, 2007-2011), Temple University Esther Boyer College of Music (MM, Piano Performance, MM, Composition, 2002-2004), Temple University Esther Boyer College of Music (BM, Piano Performance, 1998-2002), Delaware County Community College (AA, Liberal Arts, 1995-1998)

EMPLOYMENT: Instructor of Music Theory, Santa Clara University, Assistant Director, Instructor of Music (piano, improvisation, music theory, and composition), The Hunter School of Music, Music Engraver at the Subito Music Corporation

INTERESTS: cooking, chess, biking, running, swimming

Chuck and John have been recording and touring internationally with various groups over the last 10 years. The demands of life have carried them to different areas of the country, however they have continued writing music together. December was created as a way for them to share the music that they continue to imagine. Through use of video conferencing, file sharing and home recording, they released their first album, "Misplaced, Not Lost" under the band name December.  Now back together in Norther Virginia, the team has added several players to the December line-up and are releasing their next album in a newer format.  They have dropped the electric guitars for instruments like mandolin, harmonica, fiddle and pedal steel guitar.

Random collection of new music since I moved to San Jose.

Jay DeShan is following