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	Ahn Trio		Michael J. Miles
	Manding Jata		Edmar Castanada
	Atlantic Brass Quintet		Georgia Guitar Quartet

Ahn Trio

The Ahn Trio - Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at Juilliard in New York City, the members of the Ahn Trio, sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella, are redefining the art and architecture of chamber music, breathing new life into the standard piano-trio literature with commissioned works from visionary composers like Kenji Bunch, Maurice Jarre, and Michael Nyman.

The trio’s latest CD, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac (recorded on their own label, L.A.M.P), is a showcase of this vibrant and original music. They have fused their work with that of dancers, pop singers, DJ’s, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, ecologists, and even kite makers.

Most recently, they performed live at the Czech Grammys with the Tata Bojs, and received critical acclaim for their collaborative project with the David Parsons Dance Company.

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Manding Jata

Manding Jata presents the performing arts and oral traditions of the Mali Empire, encompassing much of the region now known as West Africa.

In 1995/96 more than forty Manding performers living in Canada, the USA and Europe were interviewed and auditioned before selecting the artists of Manding Jata. Since then the group has performed for enthusiastic audiences around the world.

This distinguished group of musicians, dancers and singers come from Mali, The Gambia, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. The primary instruments featured are the kora (21 string harp lute),balafon (xylophone),ngoni (lute),djembe and dundunba drum ensemble, flutes and the nyri nyro (bull roarer).

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Atlantic Brass Quintet

Atlantic Brass Quintet - Founded in 1985, the Atlantic Brass Quintet launched its career with a phenomenal string of competition victories over a period of two years.

The Quintet has been heard in 48 of the United States and more than a dozen countries across four continents performing a unique repertory spanning Praetorius, Stravinsky, Rands, and music from the streets of Brazil, Cuba, and New Orleans. Winner of six international chamber music competitions, the Quintet’s distinctive sound has won praise from scores of critics.

In May 1992, by unanimous decision, the Quintet won the “Premiere Prix”at the International Brass Competition of Narbonne France recognized worldwide as the preeminent competition of its kind.

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Michael J. Miles

Michael J. Miles grew up in Chicago. With an master’s degree in music degree and four CDs to his credit, he also works as educator, sharing his zeal for music with both children and professional educators.

His work ranges from providing kindergarten students their earliest music experiences all the way through to leading postgraduate study for professional music educators. Since 1988, Miles has served as a visiting professor to Villanova University in Philadelphia, and the VanderCook College of Music in Chicago.

Miles specializes in preparing professional music educators to use the guitar, banjo, and folk music in the classroom. Miles is a member of Illinois Arts Council’s juried rosters.

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Edmar Castaneda

Edmar Castaneda - Colombian harpist, band leader and composer Edmar Castaneda was born in Bogota, Colombia where he started playing the Colombian harp at age 13.He has a unique style of playing harp combining Latin jazz with traditional Colombian music.

Edmar has carved a firm place in the international jazz scene. He transforms the harp into a lead instrument to phenomenal effect. Producing cross-rhythms like a drummer, smashing chordal flourishes like a flamenco guitarist and collating bebop and Colombian music, he is practically a world unto himself.

His style is fascinatingly percussive and he plucks dynamic bass lines almost invisibly while picking out melodies with his right hand.

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Georgia Guitar Quartet

The Georgia Guitar Quartet has established itself as a new leader in the realm of guitar ensembles. The group is part of the new generation of innovative artists who are changing the face of classical music.

Formed in 1996 and hailing from Athens, Georgia, the quartet has released two recordings and is currently completing work on two new CDs. The ensemble maintains an active national concert schedule, performing in a variety of venues, ranging from concert halls to popular music clubs.

In addition to performing classical music from the Renaissance through the present day, the Quartet explores other styles such as jazz, bluegrass, ragtime, and Celtic music. With their diverse repertoire, the group appeals to a wide range of music lovers.

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