David Hickman is an American trumpeter, author, academic, and is widely considered one of the preeminent trumpet virtuosi of the 20th century. He is a Regents' Professor of trumpet at Arizona State University and past President of the International Trumpet Guild.
Paul Schoenfield, also spelled Paul Schoenfeld or Pinchas Schoenfeld, is a classical composer. He is known for combining popular, folk, and classical music forms.
The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los Angeles. The school is located on the USC University Park Campus, south of Downtown Los Angeles.
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American trumpeter, pianist and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed on more than fifty. A frequent collaborator with director Spike Lee, he has been nominated for two Academy Awards for composing the scores for Lee's films BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020). He has won five Grammy Awards from fourteen nominations.
Robert Spano is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Aspen Music Festival and School, principal conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, and music director laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO).
Tina Davidson is an American composer.
Nikos Xanthoulis is a Greek composer and author. He is currently Artistic Consultant with the Greek National Opera, Assistant Researcher at the Academy of Athens (2009–present), Correspondent Member of the Archaeological Institute of America (2010–present), and Professor of Composition (2004–present) and Trumpet (1984-2013) at the Athens Conservatory. He was Artistic Director of the Public Broadcasting Orchestras and Choir (2014-2015), and Principal Trumpet Player with the Greek National Opera (1983-2007).
D'Anna Fortunato is an American mezzo-soprano. She has long been an admired favorite on the American orchestral-concert scene, while establishing herself as a respected operatic artist as well. Of her New York City Opera debut in Handel's Alcina, the New Yorker called her "a Handelian of crisp accomplishment".
Jerzy "Jurek" Dybał is a Polish conductor and soloist double-bass. Since 2013, he is the director of the International Krzysztof Penderecki Festival in Zabrze, Poland. Since 2014, he is the director of orchestra at Sinfonietta Cracovia in Kraków.
Sara Macliver is an Australian soprano singer, born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Macliver is a versatile artist, appearing in operas, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings. She is regarded as one of the leading exponents of Baroque repertoire in Australia, and lectures in Voice at the UWA Conservatorium of Music.
Marti Epstein is an American composer. She is Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Paul Neebe is an American classical trumpeter who performs widely as a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber player. He currently serves as principal trumpet of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, and formerly of the Charlottesville University Symphony Orchestra in Virginia. He released Te Deum in 2003, a CD released on the German label MDG that features solo trumpet and organ, and American Trumpet Concertos in 2006, a CD released on Albany Records that consists entirely of worldwide premieres with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. His chamber work can be heard on Walter Ross: Brass Trios, a CD released on DCD Records. Neebe garnered semi-finalist honors at the First International Trumpet Festival Competition in Moscow. He has performed several times for the Goethe Institute Cultural Program in Rothenburg, Germany, and regularly gives solo recitals across the United States and Germany. Neebe has served as Trumpet Mentor at the National Music Festival since its inception.
Hannah Roberts is a British cellist. She performs as a duo with her husband, pianist and composer Simon Parkin, and is also a soloist, chamber musician, principal cellist and teacher. She is currently principal cello of the chamber orchestra Manchester Camerata.
Marquita Lister is an American operatic soprano. She has sung with major companies in the U.S. and abroad, specializing in the lirico-spinto repertoire. Lister is considered one of the leading interpreters of Bess in Porgy and Bess, having performed the role hundreds of times in companies across the globe, and she is also renowned for her portrayals of Aida and Salome, two signature roles.
Boston Metro Opera was a semi-professional American opera company based in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. The company specialized in contemporary works and operated from 2008 to 2015. It also sponsored and ran the Boston-International Contempo Festival and its associated International Composers' Competition.
Jack Gallagher is an American composer and college professor. His compositions include orchestral, chamber, piano and choral works. He has written two symphonies, which have both been recorded.
Paul Terracini is an Australian composer, conductor, and educator.
Allan Zavod was an Australian pianist, composer, jazz musician and occasional conductor whose career was mainly in America.
Ballet No. 1 The Girl in White is a contemporary ballet in three acts written by American composer Robert J. Bradshaw. The story is based on Mexican folklore and the music is influenced by Mexican folk music or Mexican Son music. The ballet was commissioned and first recorded by James Ackley and the Palmetto Camerata with funding by a University of South Carolina Provosts’ Research Grant and additional support from two Crowdfunding campaigns through Kickstarter and GoFundMe.
The Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) is a not for profit organisation, which was established in 1981, "to represent the interests of Australian screen composers by developing and promoting employment opportunities, undertaking educational initiatives and increasing their profile amongst the industry." It was established by Bruce Smeaton and Bruce Rowland. The Guild's head offices are in Sydney, with successive presidents from 1987 being Bob Young (1987–91), Martin Armiger (1992–98), Chris Neal (1999–2000), Art Phillips (2001–08), Clive Harrison (2008–11), Guy Gross (2012–17), Caitlin Yeo (2018–20) and Antony Partos (2020–present). Since 1991 it has been sponsored by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
