Composer David Biedenbender’s music has been described as “simply beautiful” [twincities.com] and is noted for its “rhythmic intensity” [NewMusicBox] and “stirring harmonies” [Boston Classical Review]. “Modern, venturesome, and inexorable…The excitement, intensity, and freshness that characterizes Biedenbender’s music hung in the [air] long after the last note was played” [Examiner.com]. David has written music for the concert stage as well as for dance and multimedia collaborations, and his work is often influenced by his diverse musical experiences in rock and jazz bands as an electric bassist, in wind, jazz, and New Orleans-style brass bands as a euphonium, bass trombone, and tuba player, and by his study of Indian Carnatic Music. His present creative interests include working with everyone from classically trained musicians to improvisers, acoustic chamber music to large ensembles, and interactive electronic interfaces to live brain data. He has had the privilege of collaborating with and being commissioned by many talented performers and ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Stenhammar String Quartet, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Navy Band, Philharmonie Baden-Baden (Germany), VocalEssence, and Eastman Wind Ensemble, among many others. 

He is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at Michigan State University. He holds degrees in composition from the University of Michigan and Central Michigan University, and has also studied at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, the Aspen Music Festival, and in Mysore, India where he studied carnatic music. For more information, visit: www.davidbiedenbender.com.

James Ricci (b. 1954 in NYC) composes compelling works for soloist, chamber ensemble, voice, and orchestra.
 

He studied in Boston at the Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, and at Brandeis University with Donald Martino, Martin Boykan, and Harold Shapero. He also participated in diverse seminars and master classes in Europe and the United States with composers György Ligeti, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Earle Brown, Jacob Druckman, Ralph Shapey, Betsy Jolas, Sylvano Bussotti, Anthony Payne, Milton Babbitt and Elliott Carter.  He obtained fellowships to attend Indiana University Composer's Forum, the Yale Norfolk Summer School of Music, and in Europe on a Sacher grant (Brandeis University).

As co-director of the LUMEN Contemporary Music Ensemble Ricci curated a series of successful concerts of new music for both concert and educational settings.

His “To the Solar Winds” was commissioned by the Arlington Arts Council and premiered by the Solar Winds Woodwind Quintet.

A collection of his music for piano has been released by David Holzman for Albany Records (TROY1875).


George Grella of NY Classical Review wrote regarding his NYC premiere of Intermezzo, “Ricci explained that he took an intuitive approach to writing the music, exploring the pathways of his subconscious and the sound of the piano. It initially presents itself as an atonal work, but quickly and smoothly becomes the fundamentally romantic reverie of Ricci’s technical approach. The music seems to sound just the way it should and, in Holzman’s performance, was completely absorbing.”


New Music Connoisseur described Ricci’s Sonatina for Solo Viola as “…cleverly expressed, while the string writing is emotive, showy, and telling - a fine listen.”


Ricci’s music was nominated three times for an award from the American Arts and Letters.

His String Quartet No. 1 (1984) won mention in the 1985 Boston League-ISCM Competition and a recording by the QX String Quartet is available on streaming services.

Ricci's album of piano music titled "Musical Connections" was released in September of 2021. It features Grammy-nominated pianist David Holzman. It is available on the Albany Records label (TROY1875).

Two recent works by Ricci for orchestra - Rune and Night Music - were recorded by Filharmonie Brno (Czech Republic) for Ablaze Records and conducted by Mikel Toms. The recording is available under the title "Orchestral Masters Vol. 9" (Ablaze AR-00066).


In Boston Ricci held a position of Assistant Professor of Composition at the Berklee College of Music. He now resides in Chapel Hill, NC.

His work is published by Universal Edition (UE) and affiliated with BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.).

composer and french hornist currently based in Baltimore, MD.
witbeckcomposition.com

Sacramento-born, Boston-based contemporary/classical composer. 

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Ryan Suleiman was born in California to Lebanese and Mid-Western parents. His music engages with dreaming, the natural world, and the understated beauty of everyday life. His one-act chamber opera, Moon, Bride, Dogs, was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a gem” with “an aesthetic that is at once so strange and so accessible.” While his artistic interests vary, he seeks ways of conveying the simultaneity of beauty and dread that characterizes our times. In his work, he is exploring the question what is music and what can it do?

Ryan’s musical output consists of numerous works for orchestra, opera, a puppet show, solo and chamber ensemble, singers, and a piano concerto. In addition to working closely with musicians, he loves collaborating with artists across discipline, and has worked with dancers, writers, puppets, and visual artists. He has been featured by numerous ensembles and festivals, including Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, West Edge Opera, the Sacramento State Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Mise-en, June in Buffalo, and the Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice. His piano cycle, Under Moonlight, was recorded by Jai Jeffryes in his solo album, Amethyst, distributed by Naxos. 

Recent projects include an opera called The School for Girls who Lost Everything in the Fire, a work for socially-distanced soprano and ensemble, and several new solo and chamber works. His podcast, Reflections on Music and Nature, explores the intersection of this topic in the activist and philosophical sense through interviews with musicians. 

​Ryan completed his Ph.D. at University of California, Davis, where he wrote his dissertation on Unsuk Chin’s Cello Concerto through the lens of dreams and performance. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music and has held teaching positions at the Sacramento State School of Music and UC Davis. He resides in Boston with his partner and several furry animals. More information available at www.ryansuleiman.com.

Composer from SF Bay Area, currently residing in Sacramento.

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