Emi Ferguson, Flutist and Composer
Hailed by critics for her “tonal bloom” and “hauntingly beautiful performances,” English-American flutist and composer Emi Ferguson stretches the boundaries of what is expected of modern-day musicians. Ms. Ferguson can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as well as at home in New York City where she is a member of the New York New Music Ensemble, NYBI, Argento Ensemble, and New Vintage Baroque. This season, she is producing two albums: a flute and piano album highlighting Cesar Franck’s Sonata in A major; and a cross-genre “baroque-pop” album that takes 16th and 17th century French texts and motifs and spins them into 21st century indie-pop songs.
Ms. Ferguson was a featured performer alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and James Taylor at the 10th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of 9/11 at Ground Zero, where her performance of “Amazing Grace” was televised worldwide. Her performance that day is now part of the permanent collection at the 9/11 Museum. Ms. Ferguson is passionate about developing new music and has premiered works by Wayne Oquin, Kendall Briggs, Elliott Carter, and even C.P.E. Bach. She has been a featured performer at the Marlboro Music, Lake Champlain, and Lucerne Festivals, June in Buffalo, Twickenham Fest, and Chamberfest Dubuque, and has been featured as a soloist and ambassador for Elliott Carter’s music in China and Japan. Having passions for both “new” and “old” music, Ms. Ferguson is the only flutist to have worked simultaneously with conductors James Levine, Pierre Boulez, and William Christie on modern and baroque flutes in Lucerne, New York, and France.
Ms. Ferguson is the First Prize winner of the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, of the New York Flute Club Young Artist competition, the Mid-Atlantic Flute Competition, the Juilliard Concerto Competition, and the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition and was a recipient of the 2014 Salon de Virtuosi grant. She is currently on the faculty of the Juilliard School teaching Ear Training in the Evening and Pre- College divisions and has taught on the faculty of the University of Buffalo. Born in Japan and raised in London and Boston, she now resides in New York City.
emiferguson.com
Photo credit: Adam Kohut
JP Jofre, Bandoneonist and Composer
Argentinean bandoneon player and composer JP Jofre has been repeatedly highlighted by The New York Times and praised as one of today’s leading artists by Great Performers at Lincoln Center. His music has been recorded by 16 Grammy Winner Paquito D’ Rivera and choreographed/performed by ballet star Herman Cornejo (Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre). A recipient of the National Prize of the Arts grant in Argentina, Mr. Jofre has taken his form of contemporary tango to some of the most important venues in Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean as soloist and composer. He has collaborated with many famous musicians in a wide range of musical styles, including Paquito D’Rivera, Kathryn Stott, Symphony Silicon Valley, Santa Rosa Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Argentina, Sacramento Philharmonic, Philippe Quint, Fernando Otero, New York Jazzharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Napa Symphony and Fred Sturm, among others.
Mr. Jofre has received commissions and been part of many prestigious festivals including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Umbria Jazz Festival, Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Seattle Town Hall’s Global Rhythms, Belgorod Music Festival, Sudtirol Jazz Festival, and Seoul Arts Center, among others. For the world premiere of his Bandoneon Concerto, The Mercury News wrote: “…he is an electrifying composer-bandoneon player.” In 2012, Mr. Jofre was invited by the Free University of Bolzano and SudTirol Festival (Italy) to perform in homage to Argentinean Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Perez Esquivel. He proudly uses the New AA by Bandonion Fabrik Klingenthal.
jpjofre.com
Photo credit: Mihyun Kang
Mary Bianco, Guest Composer
Mary Bianco is a San Francisco, Paso Robles, Los Angeles and New York based composer of primarily Classical chamber music. She received her M..A. degree in Music Composition from Mills College in 201, her primary teachers being David Bernstein, Fred Frith, Chris Brown and Roscoe Mitchell. Her thesis is titled, “Understanding and Dealing with the Loss of Absolute Pitch as One Ages”. Mary received her B.A. with concentration in composing from Sarah Lawrence College.
Currently studying with David Garner, her previous teachers include Darius Milhaud, Ezra Laderman, Meyer Kupferman, and Irwin Stahl. Mary composed for the Salome Chamber Orchestra and the Carpenter Trio from 2011 – 2016, and currently composes for Symphony of the Vines in the Central Coast, Music for Healing, the Solera Quartet, the Manhattan Chamber Players, and various California artists. Mary is a longtime board member of The Music Conservatory of Westchester, and also serves on various educational boards both in the U.S. and abroad. She accepts selected commissions particularly for the not-for profit sector where music assists in raising the sights of funders and providing special thanks for generous ongoing supporters.
