2023 ARTISTS
Scroll down to read about this season’s artists!
Maeve Gilchrist
Described by one critic as “a phenomenal harp player who can make her instrument ring with unparalleled purity,” Maeve Gilchrist (she/her) has taken the Celtic (lever) harp to new levels of performance and visibility.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, and currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Maeve Gilchrist has taken the Celtic (lever) harp to new levels of performance and visibility, and her innovative approach to her instrument stretches its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. Maeve tours internationally with the Silkroad Ensemble, Arooj Aftab’s Vulture Prince Ensemble, progressive folk-quartet DuoDuo, and bassist Viktor Krauss. Maeve’s recent album, The Harpweaver, was hailed by the Irish times as “Buoyant, sprightly and utterly beguiling….a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.” In 2018 Maeve was a featured soloist on the Dreamworks blockbuster movie soundtrack, How To Tame Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
She tours internationally and has appeared at Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Tanglewood Jazz Festival, the World Harp Congress in Amsterdam and the historic opening of the Scottish Parliament. She has played with such luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, Esperanza Spalding, Tony Trishka, Ambrose Akinmusire, Darol Anger and Kathy Mattea.
Steph Davis
Steph Davis (they/them) is a marimbist, arranger, composer, educator, cultural activist, and researcher. Their work engages people, traditions, and technologies of the African diaspora as means for uncovering truthful historiographies, finding creative self-actualization, and reaching for collective liberation.
Hailed as a "captivating" performer who brings "bright humanity and expressive depth" to contemporary music (Washington Post), Steph’s repertoire spans a wide variety of musical styles, including African American folk, Western classical, post-modern, and contemporary music, with a focus on composers of African descent. A passionate collaborator, they have performed chamber music with noted artists and ensembles; including grammy-nominated flutist Nathalie Joachim, PaviElle French, Mazz Swift, Michi Wiancko, Castle of Our Skins, and New Gallery Concert Series. As an arranger, commissioner, and composer, Steph has contributed over 20 works by Black composers to the marimba's solo and chamber repertoire. They have premiered works by Avik Chari, Christa Duggan, Damien Geter, Alissa Voth, Pamela Z, and Bilin Zheng.
Steph received their B.M. in percussion performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where they are currently pursuing a M.M. in marimba performance. Additionally, they studied music composition, African American history/music, and music theory. Their primary teachers include Nancy Zeltsman (marimba) and Sam Solomon (percussion). Steph resides on land of the Massachusett people, also known as Boston, MA. Steph is a Marimba One Artist.
Sam Amidon
Sam Amidon (he/him) is an American folk artist, originally from Vermont, US. His parents are Peter Amidon and Mary Alice Amidon, both well-established folk musicians who raised him on a diet of old Irish and Appalachian folk. Amidon is a member of the Icelandic music collective/record label Bedroom Community, and is a multi-instrumentalist. As well as singing, Amidon plays fiddle, guitar and banjo.
He has released a string of acclaimed albums on the Bedroom Community and Nonesuch labels, ranging in theme from interpretations of traditional Irish fiddle pieces to old-time melodies and tales from traditional American folk history. His albums draw on old work songs, ballads, hymns and other sonic artefacts from the past, reimagining them in bold, creative new ways to breathe new life into them and recontextualising them alongside original compositions.
Over the years he has collaborated with classical composer Nico Muhly, experimental composer/producer Ben Frost, composer/violinist Eyvind Kang, composer Aaron Siegel, Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), guitar legend Bill Frisell, producers Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Frightened Rabbit), veteran jazz drummer Milford Graves, and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily.
Kyle Sanna
Hailed by The New Yorker as a “first-rate, versatile musician,” guitarist Kyle Sanna’s (he/him) musical practice includes composition, improvisation, the recording studio, coding, and the traditional music of Ireland. Kyle Sanna has received commissions from an international array of artists and festivals. WNYC’s New Sounds and Soundcheck host John Schaefer called his music “unconventionally beautiful.” He has also arranged music for Béla Fleck, Jan Vogler, Anne-Sofie Von Otter, Martin Hayes, and for Yo-Yo Ma on two Grammy Award-winning albums: 2010’s “Songs of Joy and Peace” and 2016’s “Sing Me Home” with Silkroad. His arrangements have appeared on The Colbert Report, NPR’s Performance Today, and on the Sony Classical, Sony Masterworks, In a Circle, and Naïve labels.
In addition to his composing and arranging, Sanna performs regularly as an improvising guitarist with Kinan Azmeh’s CityBand and Ground Patrol, and performs music based in the Irish tradition with the Seamus Egan Project, Martin Hayes and the Common Ground Ensemble, and a duo with violinist Dana Lyn. He is equally at home in the recording studio as on the stage, and has produced nine full-length albums by various artists. Kyle Sanna studied jazz at the University of Oregon and composition at the Université Lumière Lyon II in France. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
The ACF Music Walk
Blood Drum Spirit
Blood Drum Spirit is an American jazz quartet that brings a new global vision to music, exploring the world’s great traditions through the prism of live performance and working for universal consciousness, connection, and change. The group explores the art of jazz in its myriad branches, incorporating complex rhythmic, timbral, melodic, and harmonic structures into radical new works, arrangements of jazz classics, and songs and rhythms from West Africa, India, Native America, the Philippines, China, and around the globe.
Since their founding in 1991, the ensemble has appeared at numerous international festivals, and has released three double CDs, blood drum spirit (2004), live in china (2008), and time changes (2019), as well as the award-winning film We Are One (2017). Dr. Hartigan appears on recordings by Fred Ho, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and many others. Wes Brown toured the world with Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines. Art Hirahara leads his trio and has recorded with Akira Tana and Don Braden. David Bindman co-founded the Brooklyn Sax Quartet, leads his sextet, and has performed with Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton.
Blood Drum Spirit draws on the spirits of ancestors, on traditions passed along by teachers, and on members’ experiences across jazz’s eras and genres.
Aisha Burns
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and currently based in Western Massachusetts, violinist and singer-songwriter Aisha Burns (she/hers) began playing violin when she was 10 years old, and has been touring and recording since 2006. Soon after moving to Austin in 2005, she gained her start with folk-rock outfit Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band, and joined the instrumental ensemble Balmorhea on violin in 2007. After years of secret singing, she released her solo debut Life in the Midwater in 2013. Called "twisting, ethereal...arresting" by Dazed Magazine, and praised for its "delicate intimacy" by NPR, Life in the Midwater explored mortality and relationships with candor and wisdom.
Her new album, Argonauta, is a collection of songs about her struggle with the grief of losing her mother, while also navigating a new relationship, and ultimately trying to discern the new normal for her life.
Lily-Rakia Chandler
With ancestors from almost every continent, Lily-“Rakia” Chandler's life’s work has been navigating the many nuanced ways oppression affects people and the Earth. Her music is a reflection of that love and liberation in practice. Receiving inspiration from her many ancestors and growing up in the 80s and nineties Rakia’s music is a unique mix of hip hop, Reggae, and sacred chant. With drumming centered around a heartbeat and vocals ranging from thoughtful 90s style hip hop flow to, haunting Hebrew melodies, to traditional Mohawk chant.
Travis Laplante
Travis Laplante is a saxophonist, composer, improviser, and qigong practitioner. Laplante leads the acclaimed tenor saxophone quartet Battle Trance, as well as Subtle Degrees, his duo with drummer Gerald Cleaver. Recently, Laplante has composed long-form works for new music ensembles such as the JACK Quartet, Yarn/Wire, and Nois saxophone quartet. Laplante is also known for his raw solo saxophone concerts and being a member of the avant-garde quartet Little Women. He has performed and/or recorded with Tyshawn Sorey, Caroline Shaw, Ches Smith, Peter Evans, So Percussion, Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, International Contemporary Ensemble, Michael Formanek, Buke and Gase, Darius Jones, Mat Maneri, Julia Bullock, and Matt Mitchell, among others.
Laplante has toured his music extensively and has appeared at many major international festivals such as The Moers Festival (Germany), Jazz Jantar (Poland), Saalfelden (Austria), Jazz em Agosto (Portugal), Earshot (Seattle), Hopscotch (North Carolina), and the NYC Winter JazzFest. As a composer, Laplante has been commissioned by the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), the JACK Quartet, Roulette Intermedium, Yarn/Wire, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the MATA festival, and The Jerome Foundation. He and his wife are the founders of Sword Hands, a qigong and acupuncture healing practice based in Putney, Vermont. Laplante is currently pursuing a Ph.D in music composition at Princeton University.
James Bird
James Bird is a facilitator, poet and multi-instrumentalist musician hailing from Shelburne Falls, MA. James aims to invite the magic out of seemingly ordinary moments, using improvisation or one of his many mythic songs, weaving atmospheres that invite us to feel and remember. Bird is a threshold bard, playing for those journeying through life's many thresholds, including marriage, birth and death. He also teaches "Bardic Embodiment", for those wishing to expand their experience as songwriters and song carriers from the vantage point of the old troubadours.
Annaleah Gregoire
Annaleah Gregoire is a painter and sculptor from Massachusetts who recently graduated with BFA from California College of the Arts. Her design work has been seen on Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Gregoire is further investigating material in an effort to accommodate the shifting circumstances of the pandemic.
The Music Walk String Quartet
Justus Ross
Justus Ross has completed performance degrees in violin performance at University of Southern California and New England Conservatory under Dr. Lina Bahn and Ayano Ninomiya. While at USC, Justus was a finalist in the Concerto Competition and a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. During his time at NEC, he won first prize in the Dorothy Bales competition where he was loaned a Guarneri violin. Justus has performed in many ensembles such as Fermata, Myrska trio, American Youth symphony, Juventas and Cape Cod chamber orchestra. As a member of the Griot string quartet, he has also had the opportunity to tour with pianist & arranger, Damien Sneed.
Sarah Briggs
Sarah Briggs teaches violin at Amherst College, and performs regularly with Berkshire, Springfield Symphonies and New England Repertory Orchestra. April 2023 events: quartet with jazz combo (Hamden County jail), soloist in Bach concerto (the Drake, Amherst), women composers concert with Juno chamber orchestra (Brattleboro), and Mahler 2 with Smith college orchestra (Northampton and Philadelphia). She was tenured in Colorado and Charlotte Symphonies; played with Chicago and Utah Symphonies; soloed with Colorado Philharmonic, Holyoke Civic Symphony; toured Japan, Poland, and Germany. Summer festivals: Central City Opera, Tanglewood, Brevard and Williamstown Theater. Sarah holds degrees in violin performance- Eastman School of Music (BM) and UT, Austin (MM) and calls Northampton home.
Ken Allen
Ken Allen, founder and president of the Massachusetts Viola Society, is an active chamber and orchestral musician, performing regularly with the Cape Ann Symphony, Lexington Symphony, New England Repertory Orchestra, Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, and Worcester Symphony Orchestra. He has also recently participated in the Portland Bach Experience and Wagner in Vermont summer festivals.
Ken completed his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill before earning his Master of Music degree in viola performance from the Boston Conservatory. He went on to earn a Historical Performance graduate diploma from the Longy School of Music.
Julie Carew
Julie Carew majored in Cello Performance at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, where she studied with Steven Thomas. Upon finishing her undergraduate work, Julie decided to pursue long-term Suzuki teacher training with Carol Tarr at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. During her time in Denver, she grew immensely as a cellist and teacher and was inspired to figure out how to make the high-quality music education she was learning about and observing at Suzuki Workshops and Institutes accessible to every child and knew she wanted to work to offer that opportunity in communities where it didn’t already exist. Julie is now the director of Strings for Kids, a member of NERO (New England Repertory Orchestra) and the music director at Artspace Community Arts Center.
