Results for "Viola"

Szilard Mezei

Born: February 12, 1974

Szilard Mezei was born on February 12th, 1974 in Senta, Serbia (then Yugoslavia) as a member of the Hungarian minority in the multiethnic region of Vojvodina. He completed his violin studies in Senta and Subotica and studied composition for four years at the University of Arts in Beograd with Prof. Zoran Eric. As violinist, violist, double bass player and composer and in various formations (from duo to nonet) he has held many concerts: Senta, Kanizsa the Jazz, Improvisative Music Festival, Subotica, Novi Sad (all Serbia, then Yugoslavia), Maribor (Slovenija), Szeged (Hungary, MASZK Festival), Budapest (Hungary, FONO), Gyor (Hungary, Mediawave Festival, also Gyorfree Impro Workshops, Gyergyószentmiklós (Romania), Leverkusen (Germany, Leverkusener Jazz Tage), Düsseldorff (Germany, Düsseldorffer Altsadt Herbst- special prize for improvisation), Copenhagen and Aarhus (Denmark, Magic Music Festival), Kluj-Napoca (Romania, Charta Minimumia Festival), Odorhei Secuiesc (Romania), Beograd (Serbia, Ring Ring Festival), PEcs (Hungary, Gassztro Fest, POSZT), Kishegyes (Dombos Fest), Copenhagen, Aero, Aalborg, Aarhus (Denmark, tour with the Creative Workshop Ensemble), Debrecen (Debrecen Jazz Days), Klagenfurt (CIK, Austria, 2004), London (Klinker Nunhead, 2005), Cerkno Jazz Fest (Slovenia), Avignon, Warszawa.

His orchestra plays contemporary improvised music, mostly performing his own compositions

Judith Insell

Judith Insell, a New York native, has been an active member of the New York jazz scene since the mid nineties. Ms. Insell is on a personal mission: spreading the word that "the Viola can play any style of music!" Lee Konitz, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Antonio Hart, and Miguel Zenon are just a few of the many jazz greats with whom Ms. Insell has had the pleasure of performing and recording. She has recently been performing throughout the eastern United States with the chamber jazz string group "Sojourner." As a founding member of "Sojourner," Ms. Insell has not only explored self expression through improvisation, she has also ventured into the realm of composition with the title track of the group's new CD Journey and arranging such standards as Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You." Her debut CD, Dark Wood Explorations, a duo project with acclaimed jazz bassist Joe Fonda, was released in September 2008. Ms

Leanne Darling

Born: November 2, 1968

Leanne Darling creates a powerful new voice for the viola. She draws from her classical technique, her skills in many musical genres, and her passion for improvisation to break the boundaries of this underused instrument. A versatile performer, composer, and improvisor, Darling has has appeared with virtuoso oudist Simon Shaheen in Carnegie Hall, with poets Robert Bly and Clarissa Pinkola-Estes at the Omega Institute, and with the Cedar Lake Ensemble's premiere performance in Chelsea. Her unique solo viola compositions use the entire scope of her instrument, mixing more traditional sounds with electric sound effects

Allison Cornell

Born: November 24, 1962

Allison has a Masters from Juilliard. As she continued her education in New York as a singer songwriter learning the ropes, she toured with Joe Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega, Shania Twain, Angelique Kidjo, Jann Arden, Tracy Chapman, Pat Benatar, Ann-Margret and Ronnie Spector. Her recording credits include work with Cyndi Lauper, Jann Arden, Pat Benatar, Joe Jackson, Rachael Sage, Carter Burwell, Tim Booth, Angelo Badelmente and Branford Marsalis. Allison's new solo cd is a mixture of jazz infused pop, with almost something for everyone. She's a masterful chameleon - effectively incorporating R&B, Pop, Dance, Jazz and even Americana

Nicole Federici

Born: September 5, 1970

Nicole Federici is a violist.

Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin

Born: August 18, 1978

Hailed by Billboard Magazine as "one of New York's fastest-rising composers and instrumentalists", LJOVA (Lev Zhurbin) stands at the forefront of his generation as the premiere bridge between the world's musical cultures. Ljova was born in 1978 in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. He divides his time between performing as a violist in diverse groups ranging from his own LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND, to string quartets, jazz combos and Gypsy bands; studying and arranging music for Yo-Yo Ma, the Kronos Quartet, Jay-Z and others; and composing original music for film, TV, theatre and the concert stage. Ljova is the author of more than 70 compositions for classical, jazz, and folk ensembles, as well as scores to three feature and over a dozen short films

Mat Maneri

Born: October 4, 1969

Mat Maneri, born on October 4th, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York is an American composer, improviser and jazz violin and viola player, specifically derivatives such as the five-string viola, the electric six-string violin, and the baritone violin. He is the son of the saxophonist Joe Maneri. Maneri has recorded with Cecil Taylor, Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris, Joe Maneri, Gerald Cleaver, Tim Berne, Borah Bergman, Mark Dresser, William Parker, Michael Formanek, John Lockwood, as well as with his own trio, quartet, and quintet. He has also played on various band releases: Club d'Elf, Decoupage, Brewed by Noon, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Buffalo Collision

Stefan Smulovitz

Born: December, 1971

Stefan Smulovitz is a highly accomplished musician (viola & laptop) and composer. His work as a programmer has led to the development of custom software called Kenaxis, a major innovation in the use of the computer as a real-time instrument. Kenaxis VBAP, his newest software, allows for performance in an immersive surround sound environment. He has performed as part of John Zorn’s Vancouver Cobra project ,with Uri Caine as part of his Goldberg Variations, with pianist Paul Plimley, guitarist Fred Frith, the 15th Annual Time Flies Festival, and the NOW Orchestra. At the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (2002-5), Stefan has played with many of the world’s best including Evan Parker, Mark Dresser, Lori Freedman, Paul Rutherford, Francois Houle, Jesse Zubot, Mark Feldman, Peggy Lee, Torsten Muller, and Ron Samworth. His electroaccoustic work has won awards nationally (CEC’s JTTP competition) as well as recently being part of an exhibit at MOCA in LA as part of a Frank Gehry exhibit

Eric Golub

Born: May 20, 1955

Professional jazz violin and viola improviser since 1978. Performed and/or recorded with Bobby Hutcherson, Paul McCandless, Gary Burton, Tom Harrell, Sadao Watanabe, Toshiyuki Honda, Larry Vuckovich, Jerome Richardson, Charles McPherson, John Kaizan Neptune, David Grisman, Kronos Quartet, Solar Plexus, Ancient Future, San Francisco Mime Troupe, Tom Taylor, and Ian Dogole & Global Fusion. Innovative performer of jazz and world music improvisations on Japanese kokyu and koto, Chinese jing hu and er hu, Indian esraj and Indonesian biola and kacapi. Authentic Hawaiian singer, balladeer and ukulele performer

Tanya Kalmanovitch

Born: July 5, 1970

Born in Fort McMurray, Alberta, violist and violinist Tanya Kalmanovitch now lives in the spaces between modern jazz, classical music and free improvisation. Actively performing in New York City since 2004, she has been named “Best New Talent” by All About Jazz New York, while Time Out New York identified her from a small pool of suspects as “the Juilliard-trained violist who’s been tearing up the scene”. Tanya’s debut recording with her quartet Hut Five was hailed by the Montreal Gazette as “an exceptional recording, one of the more engaging recordings heard in some time” and was garnished with a number of stars by DownBeat magazine