2017 Artists
The Mivos Quartet, “one of America’s most daring and ferocious new-music ensembles” (The Chicago Reader), is devoted to performing the works of contemporary composers, presenting new music to diverse audiences. Since the quartet's beginnings in 2008 they have performed works by emerging and established international composers who represent varied aesthetics of contemporary composition. Mivos is invested in commissioning and premiering new music for string quartet, particularly in a context of close collaboration with composers over extended time-periods. Recent collaborations include works with Mark Barden (Wien Modern Commission, Dan Blake (Jerome Commission), Richard Carrick (Fromm Commission), Patrick Higgins (ZS), Sam Pluta (Lucerne Festival Commission), Kate Soper, Saul Williams, Scott Wollschleger and Eric Wubbels (CMA commission). Mivos is committed to working with guest artists, exploring multi-media projects involving live video and electronics, creating original compositions and arrangements for the quartet, and performing improvised music. The quartet has appeared on concert series including Wien Modern (Austria), Transart (Italy), Music at the Phillips (Washington, DC), Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), HellHOT! New Music Festival (Hong Kong), Festival International Chihuahua (México), Edgefest (Ann Arbor, MI), Asphalt Festival (Germany), and Aldeburgh Music (UK). www.mivosquartet.com
Critics have described David Friend's performances as "astonishingly compelling" (Washington Post), "magical" (New York Concert Review), and The New York Times calls him one "of the finest, busiest pianists active in New York's contemporary-classical scene." He has performed at major venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall (London), and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and in major festivals including the Lincoln Center, Aspen, Gilmore, Donau, Rewire, and Beijing Modern Music Festival. He has performed regularly with respected ensembles including Ensemble Signal, American Composers Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and he is a founding member of TRANSIT New Music, Grand Band, Hotel Elefant, and Bent Duo. David Friend has recorded for the New Amsterdam, Harmonia Mundi, Albany, Dacapo, Cedille, and Innova labels, and his performances have been broadcast nationally on radio programs such as NPR's Performance Today, WQXR's Hammered!, and WNYC's New Sounds. In 2016, the recording he made with Third Coast Percussion was awarded the Grammy award for best chamber music performance.
Hailing from all ends of the United States, cellist Maria Jeffers has been happily making music in New York City since 2001. Her classical background has led to performances of timeless masterworks for chamber and orchestral ensembles; her love to rock has ushered her into studios and onto stages with some of the funkiest, raucous, boundary breaking, innovative and legendary artists of our time. Her string quartet Osso plucked, growled, snarled and howled it's way into existence on the Run Rabbit Run record with Jeffers leading the fine-feathered ensemble on a successful North American tour. Jeffers holds degrees in both performance and education from the University of North Texas in addition to her tutelage under Manhattan School of Music's distinguished teachers. Her pursuit of the classics has led to opportunities with orchestras from Key West to Colorado Springs, and performances around the world with music that ranges from Bach to rock and everything in between.
Originally from Queens, New York City, Bill Kalinkos is the newly appointed Visiting Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Missouri - Columbia. He has been called "a powerhouse" (San Francisco Chronicle), "a superb performer" (San Jose Mercury News), and his playing has been lauded as "ethereal, yet grounded" (Oakland Tribune). Bill enjoys a diverse musical career as a member of critically acclaimed groups such as Alarm Will Sound, Ensemble Signal, Deviant Septet, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Eco Ensemble, and Splinter Reeds. Recognized by the Washington Post as a "notable contemporary music specialist," he has been fortunate enough to work with and premiere pieces by many renowned composers. As an orchestral player, Bill is the principal clarinetist of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, a member of both IRIS Orchestra and the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, and he has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra. Prior to his appointment at Mizzou, Bill served on the faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz and Berkeley. As a recording artist, he can be heard on the Cantaloupe, Nonesuch, Euroarts, Naxos, Mode, Orange Mountain, Albany Records, and Deutsche Gramophon labels. Bill is Deviant Septet’s Executive Director.
Michael McCurdy is a drummer and contemporary classical percussionist based in New York City and is a co-founder and artistic director of Mantra Percussion. As a classical performer, Michael focuses on commissioning, premiering and recording music written by living composers. Many of his collaborations blend music with dance, with text and theatre, and with electronics or interactive computer.
In addition to his work as a classical percussionist, a clinician and a soloist, Michael performs and records as drummer with critically acclaimed progressive rock bands. Recent projects have included the Knells, Hi Red Centerand, most recently, hoferlanz with Ben Lanz (The National/Beirut) and Aaron Arntz (Grizzly Bear). Michael has released recordings on New Amsterdam Records, Cantaloupe Music, Joyful Noise Recordings, Albany Records, Innova, and Lockstep Records.
In addition to his work as a classical percussionist, a clinician and a soloist, Michael performs and records as drummer with critically acclaimed progressive rock bands. Recent projects have included the Knells, Hi Red Centerand, most recently, hoferlanz with Ben Lanz (The National/Beirut) and Aaron Arntz (Grizzly Bear). Michael has released recordings on New Amsterdam Records, Cantaloupe Music, Joyful Noise Recordings, Albany Records, Innova, and Lockstep Records.
Christa Van Alstine recognized by The New York Times as "animated . . . careful and diligent," Christa lives in New York City and is dedicated to new music repertoire. She is the clarinetist with Red Light New Music; clarinetist/bass clarinetist with Hotel Elefant; and performs frequently with contemporary ensembles Talea, Wet Ink, Novus NY (Trinity Wall St.), Mantra Percussion, Iktus, Argento, Ascolta (Germany), Toca Loca (Toronto), and skogensemble (Sweden). She has performed and premiered works at festivals including Darmstadt (Germany), Impuls (Austria), soundXis (Canada), avantX (Canada), Moving Sounds (New York City), and the 12 Nights (Miami). She received an Artist's Diploma from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and her master's degree from Stony Brook University in New York. She is currently on faculty at the United Nations International School.