MARIA BACHMAN, a violinist who combines outstanding musicianship with dazzling technical command, a tone of exceptional purity, and a magnetic stage presence, has been the subject of critical accolades worldwide from the very beginning of her career. The New York Times has hailed her as “a violinist of soul and patrician refinement,” and The Boston Globe has similarly praised Ms. Bachmann as being “astonishing in every musical and technical regard.” Ms. Bachmann has also had the rare distinction of being profiled by Time magazine, as well as by such journals as Mirabella, Fanfare and CD Review.

Among Ms. Bachmann’s numerous competition victories are First Prizes at the Fritz Kreisler Competition in Vienna, the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York and the Pro Musicis Foundation International Award. These distinctions were followed by acclaimed debuts with the St. Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center with Robert Spano and with Marin Alsop conducting the Pacific Symphony in Los Angeles. An active guest soloist abroad, Ms. Bachmann has been heard with the Taipei Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, MAV Symphony in Budapest, the Brabants Orchestra of the Netherlands, and with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra on tour in Japan. She has performed recitals in Tokyo, Kyoto, London, Paris, Shanghai, Taipei, Vienna, Budapest, Chicago, Herbst Theater in San Francisco, Ambassador Auditorium in Los Anglese, in New York's Town Hall, Merkin Hall and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, in Boston's Jordan Hall, and at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Of Hungarian descent, Ms. Bachmann is noted for her performance of Bela Bartok, and was invited by the Library of Congress to recreate the legendary Szigeti/Bartok recital of 1940 in a nationally broadcast performance there.Ms. Bachmann has been a notable performer of John Corigliano’s Red Violin Concerto, and has been heard in this work with the Omaha Symphony, Chicago Humanities Festival Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and at Royce Hall in Los Angeles with the Mancini Institute Orchestra. “The Red Violin,” Ms. Bachmann’s latest recording which includes music of Corigliano, Moravec, Ravel, Copland and Gershwin, was released in February 2007 on Endeavour Classics. It was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as the "North American CD of the Month" in May 2007, and selected as Classical Gold: Top Ten cds of 2007 by NPR's WGBH in Boston.Highlights of 2007-08 season are concerto performances at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center in the world premiere of a violin concerto by Jay Reise with Orchestra 2001, Vivaldi Concertos at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York with The Little Orchestra Society, and performances of John Corigliano's Red Violin Concerto with the Waukesha Symphony in Wisconsin. Ms. Bachmann performs recitals in Boston's Jordan Hall, Brooklyn’s Museum of Art for the Corigliano Festival celebrating his 70th Birthday (presented by The Brooklyn Philharmonic), at LACMA in Los Angeles for the “Sundays Live” broadcasts, and at The Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, among others. In the summer of 2008 she continues her role as Artistic Director of Telluride MusicFest in Colorado, which celebrates its sixth year, and she performs at numerous festivals including The Caramoor Festival and Maverick Festivals in New York, The Moab Festival in Utah, The Grand Canyon Festival in Arizona, and The Chappaquidick Festival in Martha's Vineyard, MA among others.

Ms. Bachmann has been equally successful as a performer of the established repertoire
and as champion of contemporary music. Her recordings for the BMG/Conifer label of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn violin concertos with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Libor Pesek have been praised for their elegance and musical insight.

Her CD “Fratres” features a recital of works by John Corigliano, Arvo Pärt, Paul Moravec, Albert Glinsky and Olivier Messiaen on the BMG/Catalyst label. This issue drew critical plaudits, receiving a “Best Classical Recording of the Year” rating from the New York Daily News. It was subsequently re-issued on the RCA Red Seal label in 2005. Ms. Bachmann has recorded a recital disc titled “Kiss On Wood” for BMG/Catalyst, “Rhapsody” for Violin and Orchestra by Ian Krouse for Koch, violin sonatas by Beethoven and George Rochberg for the Connoisseur Society and concertos by Lou Harrison for the Argo and Koch labels.She has premiered many new works, including those of George Rochberg, Leon Kirchner, James MacMillan, Sebastian Currier and 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec, who has written a total of fourteen works for Ms. Bachmann ranging from a violin concerto to works for violin and piano and other chamber forms. Moravec’s 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning work, TEMPEST FANTASY, was composed for her piano trio, Trio Solisti, with whom she maintains an active touring schedule.Maria Bachmann studied at The Curtis Institute of Music with Ivan Galamian and Szymon Goldberg, and she was awarded The Fritz Kreisler Prize for outstanding graduating violinist at Curtis. She performs on a 1782 violin by Nicolo Gagliano. www.mariabachmann.com

JAMES BILAGODY, vocals/instrumentals. James Bilagody leads his life with a song in his heart. He was exposed to traditional Navajo song through his aunt and uncle at an early age and they introduced him to what would become his lifelong passion. He also listened extensively to classical music as a child and it opened his eyes to the diversity and beauty of music. While he was starting his prolific journey into music, he worked as a radio DJ at KRCL in Salt Lake City, Utah, which had a multiple music format and at KGHR in Tuba City, Arizona, which had a country music format. He also played rhythm guitar for a country band for a short time. As he grew older, he was introduced to Elvis Presley’s music and became entranced by the energy of rock and roll. He later returned to his Native roots and sang traditional and fusion vocals for several albums. He sang on 1989’s Sacred Feelings with flute by Douglas Spotted Eagle, 1990’s Canyon Speak, 1991’s Sound of America Records (SOAR) Sampler with various other artists and 1994’s SOARS Solo Flights II with various other artists as well. He also contributed to the vocals on Wolf Moon in 1997 with Little Wolf, Contact from the Underworld of Red Boy in 1998 with Robbie Robertson and One Nation in 1999 with Brule. James wrote, recorded and contributed to the production of two of his own albums, Beauty Ways in 1992 and Sing For Me in 1999. With his knowledge and skills developed through the years by his involvement in the music business, he has supported the musical development and efforts of the tremendously popular Native rock band The Cremains. It only seemed natural for James Bilagody and The Cremains to collaborate on a musical project since they share a similar love of rock and traditional Native song. The result, Sacred Stage is a testament to this fusion of styles. They have already performed at many locations throughout the Southwest with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from their audience. The tracks consist of beautiful Native vocals backed by traditional drumbeat and they naturally progress to a full rock set with vocals sung by James in Navajo. Everyone involved with this collaboration are both excited to be exploring new territory and consider themselves to be writing a new chapter in a book the history of rock and roll. Never in the history of music has anyone solemnly fused the heritage of Native America with the vigor of hard rock. Jump at any opportunity to come and hear something that has never been done before… — K. McGinnis

ROBERT BONFIGLIO, harmonica, is founding director of the Grand Canyon Music Festival. Called "the Paganini of the Harmonica" by the Los Angeles Times, Robert Bonfiglio dazzles audiences worldwide with his constant reinvention of the harmonica, from classical concertos to sizzling blues. In 2007 he made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra, the Bochumer Philharmoniker in Germany, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. His 2006 season included solo performances with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Pittsburgh Symphony under the baton of Marvin Hamlisch. Mr. Bonfiglio regularly performs with the world’s top orchestras, including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Leipzig MDR-Radio Symphony, Madrid Radio Television Española Orchestra, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, and the Mexico City, Luxembourg and Hong Kong Philharmonics, as well as the Minnesota, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Oregon and Utah Symphonies, the Los Angeles and Brooklyn Philharmonics, the Boston Pops with John Williams on PBS, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with John Mauceri. His RCA recording of the Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto was released to critical acclaim and his “Through the Raindrops” CD remained on the pop billboard charts for 9 months. Robert has appeared on "CBS Sunday Morning," "CBS Morning Show," "Live with Regis and Kathy Lee," "Larry King," and Garrison Keillor's "American Radio Show" and had feature stories in The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He holds a masters degree in composition from Manhattan School of Music, studying with Charles Wuorinen and, as the first recipient of the Mihaud Scholarship at the Aspen Music School, Aaron Copland. He studied harmonica with Cham-ber Huang and Andrew Lolya.

AMY BURTON, soprano, enjoys a busy and diverse career of opera, concert, and recital appearances throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Burton regularly appears on the stages of leading opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and Atlanta Opera, as well as international houses including L'Opéra de Nice, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and Opernhaus Zürich. She has also performed with some of the world’s finest conductors, including Marin Alsop, James Conlon, Christoph Eshenbach, John Mauceri, Gerard Schwartz and Robert Spano. In the 2007-08 season, Ms. Burton can be heard in recital in Kansas City as well as in performance of Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the 2006-07 season, Ms. Burton appeared as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Boston Baroque and as Jenny in Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny with Opera Boston. Ms Burton returned to the San Francisco Symphony for performances of Handel’s Messiah and also performed the Governess in The Turn of the Screw with Opera Cleveland. Amy Burton returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the spring of 2006 to sing Marzelline in Fidelio. Other highlights of her 2005-06 season included her return to the Eugene Symphony in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and a performance with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall. A regular at New York City Opera, her roles have included Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, both Susanna and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice, and Alice Ford in Falstaff, in addition to several Handel roles.

Ms. Burton is especially well known for her interpretation of French repertoire, having recently triumphed as Elle in Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine in Glimmerglass Opera’s production that was created especially for her. The Wall Street Journal praised her “subtle realism and beauty of sound that was infinitely wrenching and vulnerable.” Other French works she has sung include Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias and La Dame de Monte Carlo, L'Amour and La Folie in Mark Morris’ production of Rameau’s Platée, and Concepción in Ravel’s L'heure espagnole. In fall 2002 Ms. Burton conceived of and stared in the one-woman show Yvonne Printemps: A French Diva Unveiled, a production dedicated to the music written for French diva Yvonne Printemps and presented by L'Opéra Français de New York and the French Institute/Alliance Française.

As a concert artist Ms. Burton regularly performs with leading orchestras, including the National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Baroque, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She recently sang Mozart's Mass in c-minor with the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the New York premiere of John Harbison’s Four Psalms with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Her orchestral repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Gorecki's Third Symphony, John Musto's Dove sta amore?, and Mahler's Fourth Symphony. She has also performed with the Israel Philharmonic for concert performances of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Ms. Burton has been in steady demand as a recitalist since her New York recital debut at the 92nd Street Y in May 2000. She has performed in recital at the Lincoln Center Festival, at Merkin Hall, and the New York Festival of Song. Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series featured her in a program of American songs at Walter Reade Theatre and she performed Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 2 with the Tokyo String Quartet at New York's 92nd Street Y.

Ms. Burton is a graduate of Northwestern University and was one of three winners in the 1995 Marian Anderson International Vocal Arts Competition. Her other honors include the George London Award, and the 1998 Kolosvar Award and 2000 Christopher Keene Award from New York City Opera. Her recordings include Richard Wilson's Persuasions, a cantata for soprano and chamber ensemble, released by Albany Records; Blue Monday, an early Gershwin opera, on the world premiere recording for Angel/EMI; and a collection of songs of Ernest Bacon entitled Fond Affection on CRI.

RAVEN CHACON, composer, originally from Chinle, AZ on the Navajo reservation, is one of the few American Indian composers working in the world today. His work ranges from quiet, almost silent music for classical chamber instruments and ensembles to solo deafening performances for noise devices created by Chacon himself.

His pieces and installations have been performed and exhibited in across U.S. as well as Europe, Canada and New Zealand. He has also studied and worked with notable composers such as James Tenney, Morton Subotnick, Wadada Leo Smith and Glenn Branca and has received commissions from the University of Mary Washington and the ERGO Ensemble.

Recent projects include performing in the west coast noise trio KILT, in the Albuquerque ensemble Cobra//group. Chacon also is a member of the First Nations Composers Initiative, a collective of composers and musicians working to progress the education and works of young Native composers. He has also written essays on the subject of 'New Native Art' and contemporary American Indian art forms.

As an educator, Chacon has taught courses in experimental art and performance at the University of New Mexico and annually he serves as Composer-in-Residence with the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project, a month-long intensive course teaching composition to young Reservation students.
The recently released full-length disc, Overheard Songs is available on Innova Recordings.

He lives anywhere between Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

JOHN CORIGLIANO is one of the finest and most widely recognized American composers. Among the dozens of citations, doctorates, and other honors he has received are included all of the most important music awards — several Grammy’s, a Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 2 (2001), a Grawemeyer for his Symphony No. 1 (1991), and an Academy Award for his score to Francois Girard's 1997 film "The Red Violin." One of the few living composers to have a string quartet named after him, Corigliano's work has been performed by some of the most visible orchestras, soloists and chamber musicians in the world, and recorded on the Sony, RCA, BMG, Telarc, Erato, Ondine, New World, and CRI labels.

JOE DENINZON, electric violin, mandolin. Joe Deninzon has established himself as a versatile, on-demand violinist and composer. A musician who transcends many genres, he has recorded and performed with a variety of artists including Sheryl Crow, Everclear, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Smokey Robinson, Johnny Matthis, Les Paul, Phoebe Snow, Jane Monheit, and Robert Bonfiglio. Joe has recently made his film scoring debut with the soundtrack for “What’s Up Scarlet” (Open City Entertainment). He has appeared in Lincoln Center’s Meet the Artist program, as a soloist with the New York Chamber Orchestra, has performed on MTV and at the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and has played for former President Clinton.

Joe has been hailed by critics as "The Jimi Hendrix of the Violin" because of his innovative style on the electric six and seven-string violin and his compositions combining jazz, rock, and world music. He has been featured in publications such as Jazziz and Relix magazine. Joe and his band, Stratospheerius, have released three CD’s to international acclaim, and were recently named "Best Jam Band" in the Musician’s Atlas 2005 Independent Music Awards. The group has toured throughout the United States and has developed a reputation for their explosive live performances.