Accompanying Musicians
We are pleased to be working with the following musicians.
Cristian Amigo
is a New York-based composer, guitarist and ethnomusicologist who has produced music for film, dance, theater, and live performance. His work combines elements of world music, Latin American music(s), electronics, new music (experimental, composed, improvised), jazz and interdisciplinary/intercultural artistic work. In September of 2003, Amigo was awarded the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer. He has received fellowships and commissions from the Jerome Foundation, the American Composers Forum (Composers Commissioning Program/NY, Subito Program/LA), Meet the Composer, the Sundance Institute's Film Composer Labs, the UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance (APPEX/Asian Pacific Performance Exchange), the ASK Playwright/Composer Labs, Making Books Sing (NY), the Smithsonian Institutionšs Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the Durfee Foundation. His film scores have been featured at the Sundance Film Festival and the Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles. In 2004, Amigo received commissions from Teatro del Pueblo (Minneapolis) and Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington, D.C.), and was a fellow at Raw Impressions Music Theater (New York City).
Guillermo Cardenas
Ethnomusicologist Paul Austerlitz has written of Dominican percussionist Guillermo Cardenas: "In addition to possessing expertise in the Cuban and Brazilian bass rhythms of most Latin Jazz, Guillermo Cardenas is a virtuoso performer of Afro-Dominican genres ranging from merengue to seldom heard forms such as gaga, palos and pri-pri. He fuses these expertise with an acute sensitivity to jazz aesthestics, thus representing a unique voice in contemporary improvised music."
Arun Ramamurthy
is an exciting young violinist who hopes to make a mark in the coming years as a classical and contemporary musician. He had his initial training in Western music, which gave him precise bowing and fingering techniques. Influences from his grandmother and parents drove Ramamurthy to start learning in the South Indian classical tradition, Carnatic music. Arun studied Carnatic music from the esteemed violinist Sri Anantha Krishnan followed by the dynamic brothers, Mysore Nagaraj and Mysore Manjunath. who are considered to be two of the best in Carnatic music. In 2003, Arun spent eight months with his gurus and received extensive training in the traditional gurukula fashion. Ramamurthy's knowledge of the intricacies of Carnatic music allows him to adapt to various styles of music. His return from India sparked a keen interest in bringing the tradition to the New York music scene. He performs in Carnatic venues all over the country and has recently starting performing and recording with various other styles. In March, Arun played a solo concert in New York City Mayor Bloomberg's residence, Gracie Mansion.
Gautam Siram
began playing mridangam at age 13 under the guidance of Sri Kannan Krishnaswami, and received advance training from Yella Venkateshwara Rao and 'Kalaimamani' Tiravur Bakthavathsalam, with whom he has been studying since 1995. Siram has performed throughout the U.S., U.K. and India, most recently at the Asia Society with Kadri Gopalnath, A. Kanyakumari, and Rudresh Mahanthappa. Siram has also performed at the Gayana Samaja in Bangalore, with renowned artists 'Gaana Kala' M.S. Sheela, D.K. Nagarajan, T.V. Ramprasad, Balaji Shankar, and the Dhananjayans. In 1999, he received the "Promising Up and Coming Artist" award from Padma Bushan Sudha Ragunathan.
