Concert saxophonist, avid chamber musician, and versatile music educator, Alyssa Hoffert has both performed and premiered new works for saxophone extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including appearances with the Liberty Wind Symphony, the Cleveland Winds, the University Circle Wind Ensemble, the Cleveland Institute of Music and Firelands Symphony Orchestras, and the National Collegiate Wind Ensemble under the baton of H. Robert Reynolds at Carnegie Hall. 

A staunch advocate of chamber music, Hoffert is a founding member of the Peroledi Duo with flutist Matthew Angelo, and soprano saxophonist and founding member of the La’Ventus Quartet, who recently garnered national recognition as prize winners of the 2014 'American Prize in Chamber Ensemble Performance'. 

Hoffert has also been a prizewinner of many competitions and fellowships, including a recipient of the Art of Wind Band Conducting fellowship at the University of Minnesota, a selected member of the Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) Leadership Academy, an artist residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and prestigious fellowships from the Huntington Beebe Foundation and the Cité Internationale Universitaire (CUIP) to pursue studies in contemporary music performance and literature in Paris, France.

Hoffert holds an MM in Saxophone Performance from the Hartt School and a B.S in Music Education cum laude from Case Western Reserve University and the joint music program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has pursued additional studies at the American Saxophone Academy at the Eastman School of Music and the International SaxArts Festival in Faenza, Italy. Her primary teachers include Greg Banaszak, Carrie Koffman, and Jean-Michel Goury.

Alyssa can be heard alongside grammy-nominated saxophonist, Greg Banaszak, on Music Minus One’s, "Romantic Music for Alto Saxophone and Piano". Hoffert is a Conn-Selmer artist and performs on Selmer Paris Saxophones and mouthpieces.

Ellie Ann is a singer-songwriter, from Boston Massachusetts with a growing fan base and over 80,000 Youtube video views, 23,000 Twitter followers, and 2,000 "likes" on Facebook. Ellie’s popularity has steadily grown since the release of her first song "Hopeless Woman" on iTunes in April of 2010. Her new song “Don’t Toy Me Around” released worldwide on April 18th 2014 on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and more. While in college for composition, Ellie performed and interviewed on the show On The Verge on the #1 college radio station in the United States, WERS - Emerson College Radio. Other performances include a nationally televised NFL Pregame Show in front of 70,000 fans at Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Ellie has been interviewed and played on the following local, internet, and college radio stations: WBOS-2 RadioYou, 91.3 WXPL, 91.1 WMUA, 980 WCAP, 88.1 WMBR, WEMF, and Unregularradio.com. Ellie Ann graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Music Composition in May of 2012. Ellie currently works for Berklee College of Music and continues to write, record and perform. She is releasing new material throughout 2014. She is a member of ASCAP and currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, email ellieannmusic.com or follower her on twitter.com/ellieannmusic.

The Midnight Slander isn't about pushing boundaries, redefining the industry, or reshaping your perception of music. We write music from our hearts and only wish to share it with as many people as we can. We didn't know what would happen when we locked ourselves up for a weekend in a studio, or what we would have in our hands when it was all said and done.  We ended up with The Open Road EP, music that can only be described as honest, memorable, and fun. Two years later we have written and recorded a full length release produced at Lava Room Recording and coming out this spring on Spectra Records. Our music brings to light our many influences; from the lyrical storytelling of country, to melodies influenced by pop and rock, to danceable airtight grooves evolving from funk. We've managed to bring together the music, experiences, and stories of four people who only ever wanted to play for anyone who would listen. There is a long and exciting road ahead; where it goes we don’t know. What we do know, is that we want our family, friends, and fans to travel it with us. 

John Eldridge is following