Kaleidoscope of Sound: A Tribute to George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

Mary Callanan is a Broadway performer and Cabaret artist. Mary is best known for playing Rosie in the Broadway, Las Vegas and National Tours of Mamma Mia! On Broadway, she originated the role of Jean Ann Ryan in the Tony-Winning Musical Bandstand and played Mrs. Pugh and Miss Hannigan in the 2012 Broadway Revival of Annie. Mary has crisscrossed North America in seven National Tours and has performed in NYC Cabarets that include: 54 Below, Russian Tea Room, Green Room 42, Eighty Eight’s and Brandy’s. Additional Cabaret Engagements include Boston, Provincetown and cruise ships.

Louis Arques has been ascending musical heights in New York City for seven years. As a clarinetist he performs solos with orchestras and is a sought-after chamber music partner. A champion of new music, he commissions and performs works by European and American composers. He can also be heard playing saxophone and singing with Afro-Cuban and Jazz ensembles across the city. As an artistic director and conductor, he created the Avalanche Orchestra. He is also co-musical director of the Brooklyn Orchestra and an active artistic production consultant. As a passionate educator, Louis Arques has taught clarinet at Ithaca College and saxophone at Cornell University, and is on faculty at Diller-Quaile School of Music.

The Avalanche Orchestra was created with the vision to perform non-classical music with the soundscape and striking power of a full symphony. It has also thrived in exporting classical music beyond the walls of traditional venues, creating new concert experiences and music-making opportunities for all. Avalanche’s first recording premiered a piece by Fabian Beltran, mixing traditional Colombian melodies with jazz and contemporary elements. In 2022, Avalanche invited pianist Radosia Jasik and composer Mikolaj Gorecki for an evening of music, interviews, and an art exhibition at the landmark Consulate of Poland in New York. This coming February, the Avalanche Orchestra will be celebrating the centennial of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”.

Nicolee divides her time between experimental music and The Older Stuff, recently performing with Talea, the International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, and Wet Ink Ensemble in NYC; Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris; Alarm Will Sound in St Louis; and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in LA. She is co-founder of MEANINGLESS WORK, a performance series that happily meanders between sounds, performance art, text, and movement theater. Nicolee holds Bachelors degrees in horn performance and creative writing from Oberlin College & Conservatory and graduate degrees in contemporary music performance from UC San Diego.

Vladimir Rumyantsev is a prodigious pianist. Celebrated for his exceptional musicianship and virtuosity, he has appeared as a soloist under the baton of prestigious conductors, in venues around the world from Moscow’s Great Hall, to London’s Covent Garden, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. A fine improviser, he has also toured extensively with Georgy Garanian’s Jazz ensemble. Educated under luminaries like Sergey Dorensky and Nikolai Lugansky, he completed his Master’s degree at Mannes School of Music with Pavlina Dokovska. New York City’s first call pianist, he is a peerless sight-reader and generous performer, excelling as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and collaborative pianist (Mariinsky Ballet, American Ballet Theater).

Gordon Au, Called “comfortable in any idiom and fearless” in the press, plays and composes both modern and traditional jazz. He leads the Grand St. Stompers, a group called “a pillar of New York’s hot jazz scene” by the NY Times, and co-leads the Red Pavilion Jazz Band and their unique repertoire of Shidaiqu (historic Chinese jazz); he also appears with the Grammy-winning Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks, the Armstrong Eternity Band at Birdland, Dandy Wellington, and others. Gordon has written for Lizzy & the Triggermen, Terence Blanchard, Melissa Aldana, and others, and performs and teaches around the world at festivals, conferences, and swing dance events.

From Broadway to Hollywood, saxophonist, woodwind artist, composer and educator, Chad Smith has performed and recorded in concert halls and major films. He reinvented the music of the 1920’s through his multimedia show, Sax-O-Philm: Sounds and Sights of the 20’s, which highlights the music of Rudy Wiedoeft. Chad is an adjunct saxophone professor and woodwind doubling coordinator at Montclair State University. He is music director of the MSU Broadway Ensemble. Chad studied with Al Gallodoro, legendary woodwind player with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and proudly owns and performs on his Selmer alto saxophone.

Dan Block has been active in mainstream and traditional jazz. In the numerous jazz parties and festivals in which he has participated, his concepts in both genres have been fully on display. He performed every year at Jazz at Chautauqua, and frequently at The Atlanta Jazz Party, the San Diego Jazz Party, the Sun Coast Festival and the Norwich Party sharing the stage with such artists as Joe Wilder, Bob Wilber, Bucky Pizzarelli and Dick Hyman. Recently he has been a participant in the 2022 and 2023 MCS Jazz Cruises. His big band experience includes the Toshiko Akyoshi Jazz Orchestra, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, Ken Pepowski Big Band, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Small group experience includes ensembles led by Tom Harrell, Richard Wyands and Jerry Dodgion. Dan Has worked and recorded with a number of vocalists including Tony Bennett, Linda Ronstadt, Michael Feinstein, Paul Simon and Catherine Russell. He is currently working with pianist and singer Judy Carmichael with annual appearances at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola. Dan is also conversant in classical styles having performed with the Orchestra of St Lukes, New York City Ballet, Mostly Mozart and the Moab Festival. Over the past twenty-five years he has been heard on numerous television and radio commercials.

Multi-instrumentalist, Alden Banta enjoys a varied career. On Broadway, Alden has played Camelot, The Music Man, Tootsie, HelloDolly, FindingNeverland, Motown, Chaplin, Catch Me If You Can, Sondheim on Sondheim, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Spamalot. He played 5 seasons of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Film and Television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Schmigadoon, Fosse/Verdon, My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, John Mulaney’s Sack Lunch Bunch, Documentary Now! and West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg. He has also performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Opera New Jersey, New York Pops, Gil Evans Project and BMI Jazz Composers Orchestra.

Alex Owen is a New Orleans style jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and educator based in New York City. Born and raised in New York City, he spent 7 years living in New Orleans, where he led the Messy Cookers Jazz Band, a band specializing in traditional New Orleans style jazz. The band was invited to play at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as the French Quarter Festival. In addition to leading the Messy Cookers, Alex was an in-demand sideman and had the pleasure of playing in the bands of musicians such as Steve Pistorius, David Boeddinghaus, John Eubanks, Don Vappie, Mark Brooks, Amy Sharpe, Duke Heitger, Jerry Embree, Jayna Morgan, Benny Amón, and Cassidy Holden. Alex could be found performing regularly at the Court of 2 Sisters, Arnaud’s Jazz Bistro, and on the Steamboat Natchez.

Patty Schmitt graduated from the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Daniel Katzen, a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She moved to the New York metropolitan area in 2003, where she now holds positions in several professional ensembles, including Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Garden State Philharmonic, The Symphony of Westchester, New York Chamber Players and Garden State Symphonic Band. Ms. Schmitt is a founding member of Chamberlain Brass, which has released two albums, including an album featuring renowned trumpeter Terell Stafford. She is also a substitute musician for Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra and Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Ms. Schmitt has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, NJPAC, and Lincoln Center. She has worked with conductors Gerard Schwarz, Eric Jacobsen, Constantine Kitsopoulos, and James Gaffigan, to name a few.

Ron Wilkins NYC based musician and vocalist Ron Wilkins performs on tenor and bass trombones, euphonium, tuba, , composer, and educator. He was recently trombonist for the Broadway revival of “Funny Girl”, and played numerous touring musicals including “Wicked”, “The Lion King”, “West Side Story”, “Phantom Of The Opera”, and more. Ron is currently the bass trombonist with the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, and tenor trombonist with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band and the Birdland Big Band. Ron Wilkins plays Greg Black custom mouthpieces and S.E. Shires trombones. He released his latest album, “Ron Wilkins-Trombocalist” ( Jazz Legacy Productions ) in August 2021. For more information go to ronwilkins.net

Luke Henderson, 20 years old, is a violin prodigy. He began playing at 3, made his solo debut with the Georgia Philharmonic at 12, and went on touring internationally. Concertmaster of the Avalanche Orchestra since its creation, Luke also travels the country performing and teaching with his quartet, The Dolphins. He is featured on NPR’s From The Top and has received numerous awards - Fischoff and Coltman Gold Prize, 2021 American 1st Prize and World Classical Music Grand Prize. Luke studies with Mr. Li Lin at The Juilliard School and is concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. When he isn’t playing violin, Luke enjoys hiking and listening to John Coltrane.

Sasha Margolis, violinist, has been praised by the Washington Post for his “incisive, vibrato-rich tone”. Fond of chamber music, he performed with members of the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Dallas and National Symphonies and Corigliano, Pro Arte, Enso, and Arianna Quartets. With his ensemble Big Galut(e), he won the Simcha Prize at the 2017 International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam, and played on NPR’s Performance Today. Concertmaster at the Spoleto Festival USA, he led U.S. Fun fact: Sasha grew up playing on a violin that belonged to no one but Kurt Helmut Dieterle, Concertmaster of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra!

A winner of Astral Artists’ National Auditions, Katie Hyun has been described as “a virtuoso by any measure” by The Berkshire Review. Her debut recital in Philadelphia showcased virtuosic works on both the Baroque and modern violins. She has recently appeared as a soloist with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Bay Atlantic Symphony, and the Busan Sinfonietta and Incheon Philharmonic in South Korea, among others. Recent festival appearances include Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Bravo! Vail, Tippet Rise Arts Center, Mostly Mozart, American Bach Soloists, and NYinCC in South Korea. Katie currently serves as the concertmaster of NOVUS Trinity Wall Street while frequently appearing with Trinity Baroque Orchestra and Seraphic Fire.

Nikita Yermak is a composer, producer and violinist whose work has been heard on Warner Classics, CBS, NBC, Naxos, and Albany Records, with performances in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, John F. Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MoMA. He has shared the stage with musicians such as Maxim Vengerov, Olafur Arnalds, Michel Legrand, and Dame Evelyn Glennie. Yermak holds a M.M. from The Juilliard School, and is currently writing his doctoral thesis at The Graduate Center (CUNY). He is a member of Vessels to Motherland, an award winning media composer duo and live act - www.vesselstomotherland.com premieres of operas by Janacek, Henze, Bellini and Donizetti. Sasha also served as associate concertmaster for three summers at the Glimmerglass Festival, and appeared as a strolling violinist on ABC’s Lost.

Israeli violinist Roni Shitrit is currently pursuing a master of music degree at The Juilliard School with Li Lin. Notable achievements include her Carnegie Hall debut at the Weill Recital Hall and a recital in the Ochsenhausen Bibliothekssaal after receiving the prestigious Bruno Frey Music Prize. She has also won numerous other competitions worldwide, including the first prize in the MTNA national competition and the Moscow International Competition. Roni has appeared as a soloist under the baton of renowned conductors and collaborated with top musicians in chamber music concerts in the US and Germany. Additionally, she has extensive orchestral experience with professional orchestras in NC and the NY area, serving as a co-concertmaster and a section player.

Stanichka Dimitrova, whose playing has been described as “wonderfully full in tone and exuberant in performance” by the San Francisco Classical Voice, was a winner of the 2010 Concerto Competition at Stony Brook University, which resulted in a solo performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. She has also been a First Prize winner in the “Barbara Krakauer Scholarship Award” Competition at the Associated Music Teachers League in New York City, and “Hopes, Talents, Masters” International Competition in Dobrich, Bulgaria. Ms. Dimitrova is a graduate from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Sally Thomas. She received her doctoral degree at Stony Brook University, studying with Philip Setzer, Pamela Frank, Soovin Kim and Philippe Graffin. In 2017 Stanichka made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in Weill Recital Hall under the auspices of St. Cyril and St. Methodious International Foundation. Stanichka is a founder and Artistic Director of PhiloSonia Chamber Music Series, designed to create a personal connection between audience members and classical music, and was most recently featured in the award-winning online magazine Guernica. For more information about PhiloSonia please visit www.PhiloSonia.com.

Mult-instrumentalist, Nick Russo (Banjo Nickaru) leads The Scooches (#1 album, Lift You Up July 2023 Folk Alliance DJ), Hot Jazz Jumpers & Nick Russo+11 and performing with artists such as Paul McCartney, Jon Batiste, John Lithgow, Joe Piscopo, The Hot Sardines, Antonique Smith, Deep Singh, Frank London, Zeb Bangash, Russell Hall (Bessie & The Rainbow Kids), Gordon Au: The Grand St Stompers, Alphonso Horne & many other musicians. Russo was guitarist for jazz legends Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy The Preacher Robins and Teddy Charles. Nick created/shot guitar video courses for JamPlay/TrueFire and recorded the 1924 Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with an orchestra with Princess Anne as honoree.

Dylan Reckner, bassist, draws from a broad performance experience across multiple genres while remaining firmly rooted in the classical practice. As a chamber musician, he has performed alongside established master performers including Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson Quartet, Amy Schwartz-Moretti of the Ehnes Quartet, and Cavani Quartet’s Annie Fullard, and one time performed some boogie woogie with Itzhak Perlman. As an orchestral musician, he is a regular substitute with Symphony in C, Waterbury Symphony, and the Brooklyn Orchestra.

Joseph Daley is a highly acclaimed instrumentalist, composer/arranger, and educator specializing in new contemporary music, jazz, and improvisation. He earned a master’s degree in music education at the Manhattan School of Music and retired as a music educator after over 30 years of distinguished service. Mr. Daley has received fellowships in music composition from the National Endowment of the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, Music Omi, and the Geraldine R Dodge Foundation: and has been commissioned for acclaimed works by the Tri-Centric Foundation and Dance Clarinet Ensemble (through Brooklyn Council on the Arts.) Joseph has performed, recorded, and toured internationally with Muhal Richard Abrams, Sam Rivers, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Howard Johnson’s Gravity, Liberation Music Orchestra, Far East Side band, Burning Bridge ensemble and Hazmat Modine. His enormous versatility and range have made him a much in-demand collaborator for a genre-bending array of superb artists, including Taj Mahal, Jayne Cortez, Dave Douglas, Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Craig Harris, Bill Cole, George Gruntz, Reggie Nicholson, Warren Smith, Natalie Merchant, Taylor Ho Bynum, The Kronos String Quartet, Hunn Hur Tu, The Alash Ensemble, and The Gangbe Brass Band of Benin. In 2011, Joseph formed the JoDaMusic label, primarily to release his orchestral music.

Taylor Goodson (Montclair State University, MA '13) is active as a freelance percussionist in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, participating in performance with members of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Opera, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at many notable venues in both New York and New Jersey. He is the principal tympanist of the East Brunswick Symphony Orchestra and he regularly performs with a plethora of varied ensembles, including the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, and the New York Percussion Group. Taylor is a member of ASCAP and AFM.

Mark Shane’s jazz piano is rooted in a tradition of jazz piano masters: James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Earl Hines, Nat Cole and Art Tatum. Mark Shane was house pianist in New York’s “Eddie Condon’s” jazz club, adding a distinctive new piano voice to the Condon tradition of hot ensemble playing. Shane has played with Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Buddy Tate and alumni from the bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Mark Shane has been featured on radio and television jazz specials and has appeared as a featured soloist at major jazz festivals worldwide. Shane toured with the Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble and was featured in the 50th anniversary Benny Goodman memorial concert in Carnegie Hall. Shane has played on the Grammy Award winning soundtrack for the film “The Cotton Club” as well as playing for other films, including: “Brighton Beach Memoirs”, “Working Girl”, “The Aviator” and Woody Allan’s “Café Society”, in which Shane’s piano is featured throughout the film. Shane’s piano can be heard throughout HBO TV’s series “Boardwalk Empire“.