Andy Baker, Trombone, composer and arranger
Musical Affiliations: Artistic Director of the New Standard Jazz Orchestra and Co-leader of BakerzMillion, HardArtGroop, Broadway in Chicago.
Academic Affiliations: BMUS Guildhall School of Music, MM DePaul University, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Musical Interests: Pretty much everything creative. I especially love to perform new music – jazz and classical – and see the boundaries becoming less and less relevant.
Outside Interests: Spending time with my family. EPL soccer, attempted vegetarianism.
Mark Brandfonbrener, Cello
Musical Affiliations: Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Santa Fe Opera and Music of the Baroque, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
Academic Affiliations: University of Michigan and The Juilliard School.
Musical Passion: My tastes encompass avariety of all great composers: Bach to Basie and beyond.
Outside Interests: golf, bridge, and Yoga… when not taking my three kids to school, soccer or cross country practice, or piano or violin lessons…or…Joshua Scott
Matthew Baker, Trumpet
Peter Brusen, Contrabassoon
Musical Affiliations: Chicago Sinfonietta, The Metropolitan Jazz Octet, Broadway in Chicago, Extra with other Chicago organizations
Academic Affiliations: University of Iowa, Civic Orchestra of Chicago
Musical Passions: Anything new, Anything old, Any music yet to be composed
Outside Interests: Travel, Gardening, Nature, Baking, Political Activism, friendship
Wagner Campos, Clarinet
Musical Affiliations: Chicago Sinfonietta , Chicago Philharmonic
Academic Affiliation: DePaul University
Musical Passions: Stravinsky, Prokoffiev, Shostakovich. Their music is so rich with great harmonies, rhythms, and exotic melodies.
Outside Interests: Cooking all types of cuisines, listening to great Salsa and Brazilian music, reading and movies
John Corkill, Percussion
Musical Affiliations: Chicago Center of Contemporary Composition Grossman Ensemble; Curator of Fulcrum Point New Music Project's Aux In and Discoveries Series
Academic Affiliations: Lecturer of Percussion at the University of Chicago; Percussion Ensemble Director at Loyola University
Musical Passions: The development, process, and creation of artistic works that provide accessibility to the public at large
Outside Interests: Culinary Adventures
Dalia Chin, Flute
Musical Affiliations: Fonema Consort Ensemble, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Folks Operetta, Chicago Metamorphosis Orchestra Project, Dante+Chin Duo
Academic Affiliations: DePaul University (Studied) and DePaul University Community Division (Teaching), Florida State University (Studied)
Musical Interests: Working with living composers, chamber music, orchestral, solo, experimental, improvisation, collaborative, etc. Teaching!
Outside Interests: Meeting people, traveling, spending time with my family. Trying new things, exploring new places.
Christian Dillingham, Percussion
Musical affiliations: Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Opera Theatre, HardArtGroop
Academic Affiliations: Youngstown State University, Duquesne University
Musical Interests: Jazz/improvised music, Americana, folk, new music, classical, baroque, avant-garde, and blues
Outside interests: fatherhood, culinary arts, basketball, running, and nature
Ian Ding, Percussion
Musical Affiliations: New Music Detroit (co-founder), Virgil Moorefield Band, Bang on a Can All-Stars (percussion sub), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (percussion sub)
Academic Affiliations – teaching:DePaul University School of Music, 2014-present, University of Michigan School of Music, 2005-2014, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, summer 2011
Academic Affiliations – studied:Juilliard School, M.M. 2001, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.M. 1999
Musical Passions: Contemporary music of all styles, improvisation Outside Interests: Sports (esp Chicago Bulls), yoga & meditation, food: cooking & eating out, reading
Greg Flint, French Horn
Musical Affiliations: Principal Horn of the Elgin Symphony, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Present Music of Milwaukee, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra
Academic Affiliations: BM Northwestern University, Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Musical Passions: Chamber music of all genres, especially Third Stream
Outside Interests: Traveling with my family, fixing things around the house
Larry Kohut, Bass
Matthew Oliphant, French Horn
Mathias Tacke, Violin
Musical Affiliations beyond FPNMP:Chicago Ensemble, Chicago Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Evanston Bach Week
Academic Affiliations (study/teaching): Studied at Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Germany Teaching: Northern Illinois University (professor for violin and chamber music), Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, Midwest Young Artist, Music Institute of Chicago Academy (coaching college and pre-college chamber ensembles)
Musical Passions (composers, styles, interests): I grew up with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, being part of a generation, that has lived through many interpretational changes. I value musical versatility, but J.S.Bach’s music never grows old.
Lewis Kirk, Bassoon
Musical Affiliations: Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Philharmonic, Bach Week in Evanston
Academic Affiliations: Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, former faculty member at DePaul University and Northwestern University
Musical Passsions: Bach, Schubert, Beethoven piano sonatas, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Blues, and Heavy Metal
Outside Interests: Cooking, cycling, dog, and Lewis is a recovering juggler
Elizandro Garcia-Montoya, Clarinet
Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff, Viola
Musical Affiliations: Music of the Baroque, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Peninsula Music Festival, and has performed with Present Music, Music Now, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Grant Park Music Festival. Academic Affiliations: BM University of Denver, MM and a Post Graduate Performance Certificate Northwestern University. Adjunct Professor of Viola at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Guest Lecturer at DePaul University, Chamber Music Coach at Music Institute of Chicago-Academy. Faculty Associate, School of Theatre & Music, University of Illinois-Chicago
Musical Passions: Working with living composers and performing chamber music
Outside Interests: Gardening, Cooking and Travel
Jeremy Ruthrauff, Saxophone
Musical Affiliations: Freelance with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Music Now, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Contempo, Eighth Blackbird
Academic Affiliations: Professor of Saxophone at DePaul University, Concordia University Chicago and William Rainey Harper College
Musical Passions: Exploring extended saxophone techniques through his own composition. His repertoire often includes works outside of the “concert” arena including Coltrane, Eric Dolphy and Piazzolla compositions, traditional shakuhachi
Outside Interests: films by Atom Egoyan and Peter Greenaway along with Cronenberg films; especially the older horror films
Collins Trier, Bass
Musical Affiliations: Lyric Opera Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago, Present Music, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Rembrandt Chamber Players, and Bach Week of Evanston
Jim Gailloreto, Saxophone
Musical Affiliations: Founder of Jazz String Quintet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (extra), Grant Park Symphony Orchestra (extra), Broadway in Chicago, Recently: “Motown”, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Chamber Musicians BakerzMillion, HardArtGroop, Volcano Radar, Music Now, Chroma Chamber Orchestra, William Ferris Chorale, Chicago Opera Theatre
Academic Affiliations: Chicago College of the Performing Arts (Roosevelt University), University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern University, DePaul University
Musical Passsions: Humanistic aspects of improvisation, composition and jazz. Thrilled when I hear Lenny Tristano, Brad Mehldau, The Bach Cello Suites or anything by Igor Stravinsky
Outside Interests: Chess, Indian food, old radios, the philosophies of Eckhart Tolle, mechanical watches and music boxes, distant space
Jeff Handley, Contractor, Percussion, Education Director
Musical Affiliations: Chicago Sinfonietta, Tower Brass, Lyric Opera (extra), Grant Park Symphony (extra), Broadway in Chicago
Academic Affiliations: DePaul University, BM and MM
Musical Passions: World music, film music
Outside Interests: Movies, hiking
Paula Kosower, Cello
Musical Affiliations: Music Institute of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, WFMT, and extra with the Lyric Opera, CSO, Milwaukee Symphony
Academic Affiliations: BM, MM Indiana University, DM Northwestern University, Faculty of North Park University, Northwestern, and DePaul Universities
Musical Passions: Contemporary music, music of living composers, having the opportunity to meet and work with them
Steve Roberts, Electric Guitar
Musical Affiliations: Countless “almost made it” bands, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Numerous musical theater productions. Most recently: Sting’s THE LAST SHIP,Book of Mormon
Academic Affiliations: MA Music Composition Governors State University, Improv study with the late great saxophonist Joe Daley
Musical Passions: Experimental “New Music”, Jacob TV, Captain Beefheart, Fred Frith, Trip Hop (Massive Attack, Tricky), Jeff Beck
Outside Interests: Great Danes, Martial Arts (Hapkido, Muay Thai), Espresso
Constance Volk, Flute
constance volk (flutes, voice, visual art) is a founding member of ensemble dal niente. she performs with lookingglass theatre, fulcrum point new music project, chicago wind project, musical bridges to memory and vicarious tool tribute. constance has collaborated with ensemble adapter, alarm will sound, distractfold, spokane symphony, sympathy for astronauts, international contemporary ensemble and spektral quartet. she was awarded the ella fitzgerald award for outstanding vocalist at the essentially ellington competition. she won the concerto competition at musicfest northwest. constance works as a visual artist in a variety of styles. her paintings, poster art, coloring books and portraits can be viewed at constancevolk.com. art is the infinite playground of sensory exploration. art is the realm for contemplation and expansion of one’s perception. art is humankind’s mass reaction to its own existence.
Kuang Hao, Piano
Musical Affiliations: Fulcrum Point New Music Project and Chicago Philharmonic; Artistic Director, Make Music Chicago
Academic Affiliations: Artist faculty – Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University; Adjunct faculty – Concordia University-Chicago
Musical Passions: The beauty of ensemble playing, collaboration, teamwork, listening to one another, trusting one another, and working towards something that is greater than what can be accomplished alone.
Outside Interests: Anything that involves my family.
Kevin Harrison, Tuba
Andrew Nogal, Oboe
Musical Affiliations: Grossman Ensemble, Dal Niente, Chicago Wind Project, Ritual Action, Lucerne Festival Alumni
Academic Affiliations: Faculty, Loyola University Chicago
Musical Passions: Chamber music
Outside Interests: Coffee, dogs, public transit
Rika Seko, Violin
Musical Affiliations: Grant Park Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic
Musical Passions: Other than New Music (of course!), my interest within classical music is always shifting.
Outside Interests: Running nursery for Monarch Butterflies in summer.