.:: SWITCHBOARD MUSIC FESTIVAL ::.

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"I enjoy playing with genre and have a hard time defining/confining myself. In the past few years I have written music for different projects that could be defined as pop songs, chamber classical, psychedelic jazz, gypsy folk, and even heavy metal. Within these obviously disparate stylistic choices are a unifying compositional esthetic that slowly reveals itself, the more projects you hear of mine. This esthetic relies heavily on rhythm, harmony, melody and order. All elements of good music that can be tossed away by many in the name of experimentation. Personally I find that it is more interesting to experiment within these confines to push each to new and exciting places. New rhythmic subdivisions and poly-rhythms, surprising melodic and harmonic choices. "

Amy X Neuburg is best known for her wildly entertaining "avant-cabaret" performances, in which she uses an electronic drumset, a looping machine, and an array of sounds and samples to construct complex, emotionally intense songs and stories one layer at a time. Amy's songs are diversely influenced and sung in various styles -- from rock to bel canto to avant-garde -- over a nearly four-octave vocal range. She has performed at clubs, theaters, festivals, schools and museums throughout the U.S. and abroad.
A recipient of numerous grants and commissions, Amy also composes for modern dance, visual media, and chamber ensembles in combination with live electronics, and she enjoys performing vocal works by contemporary composers. Her current focus is performing and recording with her new ensemble The Cello ChiXtet.

Christopher Adler (www.christopheradler.com) is a composer, performer and improviser whose music draws upon over a decade of research into the traditional musics of Thailand and Laos. He is a foremost performer of traditional and new music for the khaen, a free-reed mouth organ from Laos and Northeast Thailand, and is the pianist and composer-in-residence with NOISE and co-founder of the soundON Festival of Modern Music in San Diego. His work may be heard on Tzadik, Innova, pfMENTUM, Nine Winds Records, Artship Recordings, Vienna Modern Masters, Circumvention, Accretions, and WGBH's Art of the States.

Christopher Adler will perform his solo khaen compositions Epilogue for a Dark Day and Five Cycles, and he will be joined by members of the Thai ensemble Wong KrajaukThet, Supeena Insee Adler and Tanitkorn Khamsopa for the performance of traditional Thai and Northeast Thai works. Supeena Insee Adler will perform on the jakay (zither) and saw (fiddle) and Tanitkorn Khamsopa will perform on the phin (lute) and khlui (flute).

Dan Becker likes to compose music, teach music (by way of the SF Conservatory of Music), organize music (as founder of the Common Sense Composers' Collective" and thru other projects), and serve the cause of new music (as a board member of the American Music Center and other groups.) He lives in SF with his wife (and fellow Common Sense comrade) Belinda Reynolds and his 4-year old daughter Eleanor, who never ceases to amaze. He takes special delight in watching his former students, many featured on the SwitchBoard festival and unique delinquents all, go on to do great things.

The Del Sol String Quartet, a dynamic, San Francisco-based ensemble "steeped in bravery and imagination" is recognized for its ability to showcase living composers in relevant, responsive and deeply passionate performances. Del Sol commissions and introduces new work from prominent and emerging composers, collaborates with other musicians across cultures and genres, and presents a Bay Area season concert series.

Edmund Welles, the bass clarinet quartet, has the distinction of being the world's only original, composing band of four bass clarinetists, they invent and perform heavy chamber music. Drawing virtuosic precision from the classical realm; innovation and texture from jazz; and power, rhythm and overall perspective from rock and metal, the quartet's sound is characterized by a thickness of tone, a density of texture, absolute rhythmic precision, and the extreme use of dynamic contrasts: a dense, pulsing sound capable of expressing and reflecting the full range of human emotions. There is no precedent for a wind-based ensemble such as this attempting to build these massive bridges between avant jazz, new music, black metal and classic rock. Those with truly open ears will be ready for this sound and will understand the sounds.

Erik Jekabson is a freelance trumpet player and composer who received his master’s degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2006, where he studied with Elinor Armer. Erik has toured with John Mayer, Illinois Jacquet, and Galactic, and has composed for film and dance projects. His solo album “Intersection”, a jazz record recorded in New York, was released in the fall of 2003 by the Fresh Sound/New Talent label. Erik attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and received his Bachelor’s of Music in jazz trumpet in 1995.

Gamelan X world music ensemble presents dynamic, original music for concerts and dance events. Drawing musical inspiration from Indonesian, Balkan, African, Indian and American traditions, Gamelan X combines complex interlocking rhythms and sinewy melodies into a visceral groove experience that excites and entrances its listeners. Instruments used include dozens of small and large gongs, wind and stringed instruments, synthesizers, drum set, and percussion from across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. With this sound-palette, injected with engaging group choreography and crowd interaction, Gamelan X takes audiences on a journey through a wide range of exotic musical spaces.

American born composer and performer Ian Dicke (b. 1982) creates music that is uniquely representative of today's overlapping musical cultures. His compositional voice emerges from a range of influences including electronica, math-core rock, pop music from Southeastern Asia, and contemporary concert music. Ian's music has been presented around the world by a variety of ensembles and festivals including the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop, Capital M, the University of Michigan Philharmonia Orchestra, Gamma-UT, 60x60, and the Midwest Composer's Symposium.

A San Francisco native, Ian earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz studies from California State University, Sonoma and his MM at the San Francisco Conservatory. In 2001 Ian was an ASCAP/Mancini Scholar in composition at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles. Ian has composed or arranged works for the Universal Music Jazz Chamber Orchestra, Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra, SFMC New Music Ensemble, Santa Rosa Symphony Chamber Players (string quartet), Punk Rock Orchestra, JH Big Band, Mike Vax Big Band, and the 16mm Orchestra.

Noted for their quirky sound influenced by Frank Zappa, Sun Ra, and Magma, Inner Ear Brigade combine early 70s fusion ramps, space ships, and other psychedelic paranormal phenomena into their music. The album’s twisting odd meters and harmonies drive songs that will appeal to more adventurous listeners. Stretching boundaries and sweeping genres, the music fits somewhere between jazz, experimental, art-rock, funk, and progressive rock. Utilizing the vintage sounds of a Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, and Moog synthesizer, you may notice sounds that are all at once sweet and silly, riff-crazed, but deceptively free and simple.

Jonathan Russell writes music for a wide range of ensembles, from orchestra to chorus to rock band. His works have been performed by many groups, including the San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Empyrean Ensemble, new music bands Capital M and FIREWORKS, Edmund Welles, and pianists Sarah Cahill and Lisa Moore. Also an active performer, he is co-founder of the Sqwonk bass clarinet duo, and a member of the Edmund Welles bass clarinet quartet and the klezmer/Balkan/avant-improv band Zoyres.

Robin Estrada ranks among the bold and innovative talents in Philippine composition today. His works meld Western forms with
Southeast Asian musical styles that accentuate the finesse and fire of the region's cultural diversity. His pieces evoke a unique sound that brings Asia to the world of contemporary art music. Robin is presently completing his PhD in Composition at the University of California, Berkeley and serves as composer-in-residence for the San Francisco Choral Artists. His music has been performed in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Composer-performer Ryan Brown's compositions have been performed by many notable groups, performers, and presenters, including Bang on a Can All-Stars Lisa Moore and Mark Stewart, the Robin Cox Ensemble, the BluePrint Project, and the MATA Festival. He recently won the Gerbode Foundation's 2007 Emerging Composer Award. Upcoming premieres and commissions include music for violinist Todd Reynolds, Sqwonk, and the Paul Dresher Electro-Acoustic Band.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Slydini plays multi-metered groove music, integrating a unique blend of funk, jazz, rock and new music. Blending through composed musical forms with improvisation, Slydini always entertains and mesmerizes audiences. Slydini is Bill Wolter guitar, John Ingle saxophones, Vicky Grossi bass, and Jan Jackson Drums.