Composer Rachel Lanik Whelan (b. 1992) writes lyrical, honest, narrative-driven music. Much of her work is written in collaboration with living poets; she has had the pleasure of setting the words of Paul L. Thomas, Katherine Cooley, and Jehanne Dubrow. A child of English majors, she strives to honor and elevate texts through melody, gesture, and repetition. Her music has been performed by Choral Arts Initiative (California), SBO Wind Ensemble (Taiwan), KC Vitas Choir (Kansas City), and she has opened for singer-songwriter Susan Werner at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her instrumental music is an exploration in color and character and is full of delightfully unpredictable grooves.

Passionate about arts management and administration, she has worked as an administrator or intern for the Cortona Sessions for New Music (Cortona, Italy), Savvy Arts Venture (Columbia, SC), and the Lied Center for Performing Arts (Lincoln, NE). As an undergraduate researcher, she connected writers with student composers and coordinated music in celebration of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Press annual Book Prize. She received her master of music degree from the University of South Carolina, studying composition in addition to coordinating the New Voices student composer concerts and the Southern Exposure New Music Series.

She is currently a PhD student and teaching fellow in composition at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. Her current research and compositions involve exploring emotions and characters in music for voice. Her dedication to the performance of music by living composers is further evident in her work as Assistant Director for the non-profit concert series Treefalls: New Music in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A typical optimist, she's frequently inspired by the upsides of life: riding her bike on a sunny morning, solo travel, exceptional food, and talented, spirited friends. When not composing, she can be found in these activities. She occasionally performs on flute, piano, or voice. Her teachers in composition include Kirsten Broberg, Sungji Hong, Mandy Fang, John Fitz Rogers, and Jesse Jones. Her primary flute teachers have been Carolyn Cline Corbett and Laura Schulkind. To hear her music, purchase scores, or commission a work, please visit www.rachellwhelan.com

Musician-Bassist-Vocalist-Producer from Charlotte, NC. 
www.scottmccloud.net

The trumpeter Louis Larouche holds a First Prize from the Quebec Conservatory of Music. A Canadian Arts Council Grant permitted him to further his art with studies at Boston University. He has performed in various recital series, radio programs, and television broadcasts throughout Eastern Canada and the United States. He is often accompanied by the organist Sylvain Doyon, with whom he has released a much- heralded CD of Canadian compositions for trumpet and organ.

Louis Larouche est non seulement un musicien accompli, c’est également un excellent compositeur. Polyvalent, il ne craint pas d’approcher différents styles musicaux. Just Play, avec ses rythmes Jazz, Latin, Funk et Fusion, illustre à juste titre cet éclectisme qui le caractérise. À noter que l’album a été réalisé à l’aide de Garageband et LogicStudio.

The purpose of this Non-Profit Corporation is to preserve and archive digital media that represents southeastern musicians who write, compose, and perform their own and traditional musical material including lyrics and melodies, and to provide access to such music to the general public for its benefit.

Seguindo a tradição musical delineada pelo avô, o maestro Waldemar Ernesto, Bruna Hetzel aponta o meio familiar como sua principal fonte de influência no campo da música. Sua trajetória foi marcada pela escuta e pelo exercício da música ao lado de grandes nomes da música local. Com o tempo, o canto que se fazia na intimidade e na informalidade ganhou roupagem profissional. A carreira teve início há aproximadamente quatro anos, quando a intérprete passou a atuar em múltiplos espaços da cena potiguar. Ícones como Elis Regina, Rosa Passos, Joyce, Nara Leão, Nana Caymmi, Silvia Telles, Mônica Salmaso, Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie e Billie Holliday constituem suas principais inspirações. Em suas apresentações, busca uma sonoridade particular e intimista que toma como principais referências, a tradição musical brasileira, em especial, a bossa-nova e o ciclo mineiro conhecido como “Clube da Esquina”, em sua convergência com o gênero jazzístico. Busca associar o universo poético da MPB ao improviso e criatividade do jazz, agregando à releitura de compositores clássicos e contemporâneos, harmonias próprias e interpretações inovadoras. Em 2012 a cantora ganha destaque no cenário potiguar com o projeto “Influência do Jazz” conquistando excelente recepção de público e crítica especializada sendo dentre outras, indicada à X (décima) edição do Troféu Cultura Potiguar na categoria Melhor Cantora pela sua atuação em 2012, aprovada como revelação no edital Novos Talentos do RN do Festival Bossa & Jazz 2013 e convidada a atuar como cantora solista da SESI Big Band – orquestra de jazz – do Serviço Social da Indústria do Rio Grande do Norte (SESI -RN).

Mark Rapp is a distinguished trumpeter, composer, arranger, didgeridoo player, recording and touring artist and has performed with such distinct artists from Branford Marsalis to Hootie and the Blowfish. Rapp has released 5 diverse recordings, and is featured on the closing track of Disney’s “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” CD. Artists such as Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman and more are also featured on this CD. Rapp’s celebrated 2009 debut release “Token Tales” (Paved Earth Music), earned him a spot as one of the “Top 25 Emerging Trumpeters” in Downbeat Magazine. His release “Good Eats” (Dinemec Jazz) had critics saying, “Rapp is quickly developing a reputation as a superb interpreter and great stylist, willing to tackle the history of this music with his eyes on the past and his mind on the present and future of this music.” – AllAboutJazz.com. Rapp is a featured artist in Mellen Press’ “How Jazz Trumpeters Understand Their Music” among a prestigious list including Terence Blanchard, Lew Soloff, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Hagans, Dave Douglas and more. Rapp is also the co-creator and CEO of https://intotheShed.com, an online live lessons platform servicing GRAMMY-award winners and other the top artists in jazz today.

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