Eliot Fisk
In addition to his extensive solo career, Eliot Fisk has collaborated frequently with such colleagues as flutist Paula Robison, violinist Ruggiero Ricci, the Juilliard String Quartet, jazz and flamenco guitarists Joe Pass and Paco Peña, castanet virtuoso Lucero Tena, Turkish musician Burhan Öçal, and vocalist Ute Lemper. He has premiered major works by Robert Beaser, Luciano Berio, Nicholas Maw, Xavier Montsalvatge, Kurt Schwertsik, George Rochberg, among others. He has further enriched the guitar repertoire through numerous transcriptions of works by composers ranging from Bach and D. Scarlatti to Paganini (he is the first guitarist to record all 24 Capricci from Paganini’s Op. 1), Mendelssohn, Albeniz, and de Falla. Voted "Best Classical Guitarist" in the 26th Annual Guitar Player magazine readers’ poll, Mr. Fisk performed by invitation of the Spanish Royal Family for President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mr. Fisk is virtually the last direct disciple of Andrés Segovia and as such seeks to combine the great romantic tradition with the best of modernity.

Check out his website at: www.eliotfisk.com

William Bennett
William Bennett, affectionately referred to by friends and students as "WIBB", has been one of the most inspiring performers and teachers of the last 40 years. A student of Jean-Pierre Rampal, Marcel Moyse, and Geoffrey Gilbert, he has embodied the best of these three great masters thereby continuing their legacy with his inspiring masterclasses and approach to coaching flutists towards a greater musicality. To date, he has recorded at least 300 separate musical works from the solo flute repertoire, chamber music, including selections from his vast collection of personal transcriptions for flute – not including the numerous orchestral recordings he has participated in throughout his career.

His orchestral career has been prolific with his numerous performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and the English Chamber Orchestra. His years of recordings and international performances as a soloist and principal flute along with his gift of an unique imaginative teaching style, earned him the recognition of HM The Queen in 1995 with an OBE for his services in music. He is most known amongst flautists for his musical integrity, beautiful tone, and unique sense of artistry, not to mention his sense of humor. He was honored with the National Flute Association Lifetime Achievement Award in August 2002.

Check out his website at: www.williambennettflute.com

Jason Vieaux
" ...among the elite of today's classical guitarists."—Gramophone One of America’s leading guitarists, Jason Vieaux is changing the face of guitar programming and has earned a devoted international fan base along the way. As a result of his reputation for making "the single guitar seem like a body of instruments at work...an orchestra of sound..." (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Mr. Vieaux played well over 100 engagements internationally during the last two seasons. Highlights of the 2008-2009 season include recitals for New York’s 92nd St. Y Series and San Francisco’s OMNI Foundation for the Performing Arts, concertos with North American orchestras from coast to coast, a debut for the prestigious Nürtingen International Guitar Festival in Germany, tours of Mexico, debuts in Brazil and Poland, and triumphant returns as "series favorite" in Boston, Hartford, Cleveland, Knoxville and St. Petersburg. Mr. Vieaux is a frequent guest with orchestras across the United States. He has performed as concerto soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Ft. Worth Symphony, San Diego Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Orchestra 2001, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and the Auckland PhilharmoniaAs a passionate advocate of new music, Vieaux has premièred new pieces by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, José Luis Merlin, Eric Sessler, Arthur Hernandez, Gary Schocker and Fazil Say, and frequently plays works by Mario Davidovsky, Augusta Read-Thomas, Roberto Sierra, and John Corigliano. Mr. Vieaux already has ten recordings to his credit and many more to come under his multi-record deal with Azica Records."

Check out his website at: www.jasonvieaux.com

Gary Schocker
Gary Schocker is a world-renowned flutist as well as an award-winning composer with over 100 compositions in publication, primarily with Theodore Presser. He has published more pieces for the flute than any other living composer. His engagements have included performances with the New York Philharmonic (under Michael Tilson Thomas), the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the West German Sinfonia and an extended tour with I Solisti Italiani as well as solo recitals in New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, and elsewhere. Mr. Schocker has collaborated with many artists on stage, including Pinchas Zuckerman, Michael Tilson Thomas, Earl Wild, Jessye Norman, Julius Baker, James Levine, James Galway, Bruno Canino, Oscar Shumsky, Eduardo Fernandez, Jean-Philippe Collard, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He concertizes in duo with guitarist Jason Vieaux.

Among the artists who have played his compositions, James Galway gave the American premiere of Green Places with the New Jersey Symphony. Mr. Schocker’s earlier association with that orchestra came when he replaced, for several concerts, an ailing Jean-Pierre Rampal, on a mere two hours’ notice. Winner of the 1985 Young Concert Artists Auditions, Schocker is also First Prize winner of the National Flute Association, the New York Flute Club and the East-West Artists Competitions. Internationally, he has toured and taught in Japan, Colombia, Panama, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, France and Italy.

Check out his website at: www.garyschocker.com

Christina Jennings
Flutist Christina Jennings is praised for virtuoso technique, rich tone, and command of a wide range of literature featuring works from Bach to Zwilich. The Houston Press declared: “Jennings has got what it takes: a distinctive voice, charisma, and a pyrotechnic style that works magic on the ears.” The first flutist in fifteen years to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, her other honors include First Prize at the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition and the William C. Byrd Competition. In 2007 Musical America listed her as “an artist to watch.”  Highlights of the 2008-2009 season include performances with pianist Lura Johnson, the Tallahassee Symphony, and the premiere of a new flute concerto by Carter Pann and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.  In great demand as a teacher, Ms. Jennings is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and on the summer faculty of the Texas Music Festival. 

Check out her website at: www.christinajennings.com

Jonathan Leathwood
Jonathan Leathwood is a guitar instructor at the University of Northern Colorado and at Denver University.  His first visit to the Lamont School of Music (at DU) was in 1996, when he spent the Spring Quarter as visiting Head of Guitar at the invitation of Ricardo Iznaola, then on sabbatical. Recently Denver University awarded him its Artist’s Diploma, the first time they have made this award in individual performance, and made him the first recipient of the Ricardo Iznaola Guitar Scholarship.

Some of Professor Leathwood’s recent recitals include appearances at the International Festival of the Classical Guitar at West Dean, the Nürtingen Festival in Germany, London’s Wigmore Hall (with flutist William Bennett), the Almeida Festival, the Cheltenham Festival (with cellist Steven Isserlis), and the Aldeburgh Festival (with the contemporary music group Jane’s Minstrels). He has performed in Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and Italy, and recently completed a short tour of the United States. He has also performed at the Lagonegro Festival in Italy, and was president of the jury of its international guitar competition.

Check out his website at: mysite.du.edu/~jleathwo

James Walker
James Walker graduated with honors from the University of Louisville and went on to play in the United States Military Academy Band at West Point. He subsequently studied with Harold Bennett and eventually won the associate principal flute position with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 1969. Eight years later he became principal flutist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and began working simultaneously in the recording studios for jazz/pop sessions, television and motion pictures. In 1980, Mr. Walker formed Free Flight, a jazz/classical quartet, resulting in four Tonight Show appearances, ten recordings, most recently Free Flight 2000 on CMP, and annual tours. He is a member of the Vivace Board of Advisors, a Yamaha Performing Artist and a master teacher for the New World Symphony. His recent publication The Young Artist Series I-VI (Warner Brothers Publications) is reflective of his continuing emphasis on flute education. In addition to being coordinator of flute at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Mr. Walker travels extensively giving clinics and master classes around the world.

Jim Smith
Jim Smith is Chair of the classical guitar department at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, regarded as one of the finest in the world.  His students include prize winners in international competitions and two ensembles trained at the university, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) and the Falla Trio, have successful professional careers. He has given master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Eastman, Yale and the New England and San Francisco Conservatories, to name a few. Mr. Smith is very active as a performer, and plays throughout the Americas and Asia. He is a dedicated chamber musician, and performs with the Bel Arts Trio (David Shostac, flute, John Walz, cello), Canto Claro (Sun Young Kim, soprano), Windwood (Douglas Masek, winds) and with guitarist Dusan Bogdanovic and violinist Endre Balogh. Mr. Smith has performed concertos and solos with the Glendale, Marina del Rey, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Topanga, Brentwood, Los Angeles Opera and New Orleans Orchestras.

AlmaNova (Jessica Pierce and Almer Imamovic)
AlmaNova is a talented, classically trained flute and guitar duo presenting an eclectic program of styles from music all over the world. Each of these diverse musicians has been trained in the classical tradition while exploring other types of music. This great love of all musical genres shines through to their audience by way of dynamic performances and mesmerizing stage presence. AlmaNova has traveled all over the world playing their unique blend of music from the Balkans, Spain, Latin America, and the British Isles. 

Check out their website at: www.almanova.us

Rachel Rudich
The New York Times wrote of flutist Rachel Rudich, "Miss Rudich plays very beautifully, producing a smooth, silken tone, phrasing with spirited elegance, and operating with a crucial sense of linear continuity that characterizes a polished artist." She has premiered works by Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, Robert Dick, David Felder, Karl Kohn, Eric Moe, Mel Powell, and Harvey Sollberger. Ms. Rudich has appeared with The New Music Consort, The Group for Contemporary Music, Speculum Musicae, Parnassus, The Composers Conference Chamber Players, The Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, and The Fromm Players. She has appeared at the June in Buffalo Festival, the Composers Conference and Chamber Music Center at Wellesley College, the Lake Placid Institute, the Guggenheim Works and Process Series, the Ojai Festival, the Fromm Contemporary Music Series at Harvard University and The Dartington International Summer School in England. Ms. Rudich currently performs as a solo recitalist throughout the United States. She is currently a faculty member at Pomona College, and Professor of Flute at California Institute of the Arts.

Check out her website at: rachelrudich.com

Sarah Wass
Flutist Sarah Wass chose her instrument in the third grade because she knew it would fit in her back pack. As a soloist, she has recorded concerti by Mozart and Quantz and sonatas by JS Bach for the “Modulations” music therapy series by Tempo Space Productions. She appeared as a guest soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic at the age of 15. Ms. Wass has played interesting music with interesting people around the world, highlights of which include: an orchestral tour through Italy, performing world premieres at the REDCAT in Los Angeles and Music on the Edge festival at Stanford University, and solo recitals in Oberlin, OH, Buffalo and Los Angeles. She performs regularly with the experimental, improvisational band/chamber group Freshly Squeezed. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Wass is on the faculties of the Harmony Project and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in addition to maintaining a private studio. Sarah is also the co-director of the Academy of Creative Education, a summer performing arts school for elementary and high school students dedicated to empowering students through the creation and performance of their own work. She co-founded this school in 2003, and it continues to grow exponentially each year. Ms. Wass holds a BM from the Oberlin Conservatory and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

Daniel Boring
Daniel Boring is a rare performer who specializes in diverse instruments including baroque, classical and romantic guitars, baroque lute, and theorbo. He is a native of western New York where he received performance degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo and the Ithaca College School of Music. Mr. Boring made his European debut in Rome, Italy in 1995 where he participated as chamber artist with the Rome Festival Orchestra and Ballet Troupe. Return engagements throughout Italy include performances with the Opera Theatre of Lucca as an orchestral member and chamber music artist.  Mr. Boring currently performs frequently as soloist and in chamber music as an active member of Due Colori, a soprano/guitar-lute duo with soprano Megan Monaghan.

Check out his website at: www.danielboring.com/DB