Shelley Hirsch is “an unorthodox, extraordinary fusion of vocalist, composer, and performance artist” (Anne LeBaron) whose work encompasses story telling pieces, staged performances, compositions, improvisations, collaborations, installations, and radioplays, which have been presented on 5 continents. Hirsch has performed hundreds of concerts of improvised music with great musicians including Anthony Coleman, Christisn Marclay, Ikue Mori, Toshio Kajiwara, Hans Reichel, Min Xiao Fen & Tony Buck.
Armen Ra is an Armenian performer born in Tehran, Iran. Raised by a concert pianist mother and aunt, a renowned opera singer and Ikebana master, it was no surprise that Armen flourished, not only as one of New York’s leading aesthetes, but also as a self-taught master of the theremin. By combining both the visual and aural aspects of his craft, Armen has developed a unique art form that fuses Armenian folk music with modern instrumentation, melodic lounge standards and classical arias, resulting in inimitable, elegant recitals that transport the listener to a time and place of beauty, emotional healing, and sacred glamour.
Audrey Chen performs solo and with a wide variety of ensemble incarnations, which include traditional and invented instruments. Chen’s approach to improvisation and performance is extremely visceral. She utilizes traditional and extreme extended technique in order to create a hybrid language that pushes the boundaries of both instruments. These two combined with an unusually strong sense of movement, sound and space, contribute to the constantly fresh depth of her experimentation.
Jim Pugliese is a drummer, percussionist and composer. In his most recent work he combines years of experience improvising, playing new and experimental music and world music. For the last fifteen years, while living in the east village of New York City, Jim has been improvising and recording with many of the downtowns most prominent composer/improvisers including John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Zeena Parkins, David Shea and Anthony Coleman.