Cheryl Bentyne, Trist Curless, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, vocals
with
Ross Pederson, drums 
Boris Koslov, acoustic, electric bass 
Yaron Gershovsky, piano, electric keyboard

Founded in the early 1970’s in New York City, and garnering international popularity soon after, legendary ensemble The Manhattan Transfer  are known for their amazing harmony and versatility, incorporating pop, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, swing, symphonic, and a cappella music. The multi-GRAMMY winners have recorded over 30 albums and worked with countless musical greats including Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, Bette Midler, Phil Collins, B.B. King, Chaka Khan, James Taylor, Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons, Laura Nyro, Dizzy Gillespie, Ron Carter, and the Count Basie Orchestra. 

Their newest release The Junction, is dedicated to the memory of founder Tim Hauser who passed away in 2014. On it, the ensemble embraces a new dynamic and fresh possibilities for their legendary sound that artfully incorporates new member Trist Curliss’ low range into their established blend. Well-renowned for their spectacular re-imaginings of classics The Junction draws inspiration in part from The Transfer’s classic 1975 version of Glenn Miller’s “Tuxedo Junction”. A much anticipated national tour and PBS special with Take 6,“The Summit”, coincided with the album’s 2018 release. Of the album, The Transfer’s soprano Cheryl Bentyne said “As…the theme of the album reflects, democracy is the fabric of the group, and has been from the beginning, We all have a different take on music and appreciate different styles, so each member brings something to the table that is unique. We have tremendous faith in that process. This album is completely us, a true snapshot of who we are right now, having survived so many hardships, but looking forward to exciting new chapters in the band’s story.” 

Matt Munisteri’s journey through 20th century American music yields a vision which feels intrinsically whole, with his own music always serving as one-of-a-kind reflection of a life immersed in all the far-flung variants of American popular song. Matt’s debut CD Love Story in 2003 got him on the “Best Of” lists, and garnered him top slots on Amazon’s Top Ten Jazz CDs of The Year. He has been featured on France’s ARTE television, profiled in Downbeat magazine, honored with Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award, and been the subject of several broadcasts on NPR. When not working on his own projects his primary sideman gigs for the last few years have been playing with violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing; Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra; and with the singer Catherine Russell. His skills and originality as an accompanist have led to many recording opportunities with singers including Holly Cole, Madeline Peyroux, Liz Wright, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Geoff Muldaur, Sasha Dobson, and Kat Edmondson. Inside and outside of the jazz world, Matt is credited on over seventy CDs.

Three renowned visionary artists of the next generation combine talents in this eclectic new piano trio, Junction. Violinist Stefan Jackiw, recognized for musicianship that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique, returns with pianist Conrad Tao and cellist Jay Campbell. Tao, who appears worldwide as a pianist and composer, has been dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by the New York Times. Approaching both old and new works with the same curiosity and emotional commitment, Campbell has been called “electrifying” by the New York Times. Recent concerts of the trio have included performances at Washington Performing Arts, Portland Ovations and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.

Widely recognized for his vocal talents, George Takei has been a guest narrator with numerous symphony orchestras. Takei is thrilled to be returning to the stage with conductor Michael Barrett. In July 2018, Takei joined the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro Barrett in singing and performing the role of Pangloss in “Auto-da-fe” from Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide at Wolf Trap’s “Bernstein at 100” celebration.

In October 2019, Takei was guest narrator with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Northey commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the moon landing. In February 2012, Takei narrated “A Survivor from Warsaw” with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Philip Mann. He narrated “Sci-Fi Spectacular” with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in June 2012, Toronto Symphony Orchestra in May 2012, Detroit Symphony Orchestra in March 2012, Kansas City Symphony in January 2012,Naples (Florida) Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2011,Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in July 2010, Cleveland Orchestra in August 2009, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra in April 2009, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in January 2009, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in January 2008, and Seattle Symphony in September 2007. All “Sci-Fi” concerts were conducted by Jack Everly. Takei narrated “Look to the Future” with the San Francisco Symphony in July 2009. In February 2008, Takei hosted “To Boldly Go” with the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Sarah Hatsuko Hicks. In November 2004, Takei narrated Copeland’s Lincoln Portrait with the Honolulu Symphony conducted by Samuel Wong. He has narrated Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings with the Springfield, Mass., Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kevin Rhodes as well as with the Long Island Philharmonic, Denver Symphony Orchestra, Orange County California Wind Orchestra, and the Imperial Symphony Orchestra of Lakeland, Florida, all conducted by David Warble.

Acclaimed by The New York Times as “an outstanding actress, as well as a singer of extraordinary grace and finesse,” soprano Corinne Winters has sung over twenty-five leading roles at major opera houses around the world. Recent performances include the title role in both Moniuszko’s Halka at Theater an der Wien and Katya Kabanova at Seattle Opera, Rachel in La Juive and Desdemona in Otello at Opera Vlaanderen, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at Michigan Opera Theatre and Arizona Opera, Leïla in The Pearl Fishers at Santa Fe Opera, Magda in La rondine at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Mimi in La bohème at Washington National Opera, Arizona Opera, and English National Opera, and Liù in Turandot with the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Corinne has brought her Violetta, praised by The Guardian as “a wonderful combination of feistiness and fragility, sung with unflagging intensity,” to audiences around the world – at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Theater Basel, Opera Australia, San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, English National Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, and Opera Hong Kong. Future engagements include debuts in Frankfurt, Brussels, Geneva, Valencia, and Salzburg.

On the concert stage, Corinne has appeared as soprano soloist in a European tour of Verdi’s Requiem led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Les nuits d’été with Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Bachianas Brasileiras with True Concord. She joined tenor Matthew Polenzani in recital for the George London Foundation, where she was praised by Opera News as “a striking brunette who manages to be simultaneously gamine and seductress, reveal[ing] an arresting, uniquely plum-colored soprano that could pass for mezzo in the middle but explodes with vibrant color on top.” She has also appeared in recital with the New York Festival of Song, Tucson Desert Song Festival, and Vocal Arts DC, showcasing Spanish song repertoire from her debut album, Canción amorosa.

Praised for his “spectacular performances” (Wall Street Journal), and his “unfailing virtuosity” (Chicago Tribune), percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years. As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, Mr. Rosenbaum has premiered over one hundred new chamber and solo works. He has collaborated with and championed the music of established and emerging composers alike. 

In 2017, Mr. Rosenbaum released his first full-length solo album, Memory Palace, on NS Tracks. He is featured on Andy Akiho’s 2018 album The War Below alongside The Knights and pianist Vicky Chow, and will release an album with Andy Akiho and the Dover Quartet in 2021. In 2012 Mr. Rosenbaum joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two) program as only the second percussionist they have selected in their history. 

Highlights of the 2019-2020 season included a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and debuts at the Moab Music Festival, Rockport Music, and Dumbarton Oaks. The virtual world premiere of Christopher Cerrone’s Don’t Look Down featuring pianist Conor Hanick and Sandbox Percussion was presented during the summer by the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. 

Future highlights include the world premiere of Seven Pillars, an evening- length multidisciplinary work by Andy Akiho with Sandbox Percussion, and world premieres by Douglas Cuomo, Molly Joyce, Harold Meltzer, and Jessica Meyer. 

Mr. Rosenbaum is a member of Sandbox Percussion, The Percussion Collective, and The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He has recorded for the Bridge, Coviello Classics, Innova, Naxos, and Starkland labels and is on faculty at the Mannes School of Music. Mr. Rosenbaum endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth mallets, and Remo drumheads.

Conrad has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer. He is acclaimed as a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” (The New York Times), a “thoughtful and mature composer” (NPR) and “ferociously talented” (TimeOut New York). In 2011, Conrad was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, a Gilmore Young Artist, and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts awarded him a YoungArts gold medal in music. He received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2012.

In 2018 Conrad made his Lincoln Center debut with a solo recital. He held a residency with the Utah Symphony, and had debut engagements with the Atlanta, New Jersey and Seattle Symphonies. Internationally, he has made appearances with Berner Symphoniker, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi Milano and with the Malaysian Philharmonic. 

Conrad’s career as composer has garnered an eight consecutive ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards and the Carlos Surinach Prize from BMI. His solo recitals and orchestral appearances often include his own compositions and he receives frequent commissions for orchestral, chamber and multimedia works. As the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s artist-in-residence, he premiered his orchestral composition, The world is very different now, commissioned in observance of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Most recently, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia commissioned a new work for piano, orchestra, and electronics, An Adjustment. 

In 2013, Conrad curated and produced the inaugural UNPLAY Festival at the powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn. The festival explored the fleeting ephemera of the Internet, the possibility of a 21st-century canon, and music’s role in social activism and critique. 

Conrad is a Warner Classics recording artist. conradtao.com.

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation”. 

Jason recently made his debuts for Domaine-Forget Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Wolf Trap, and made returns to San Francisco Performances, Caramoor, Ravinia, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.  Other recent venues include the National Gallery of Art, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the 92Y, Seoul Arts Center, and Shanghai Concert Hall.  Jason Vieaux has performed as soloist with over 100 orchestras, including Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, Nashville, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

In March 2021, Jason Vieaux performs the premiere recording of a new solo work, “Four Points of Light” composed for Jason by jazz legend Pat Metheny for his new album Road To The Sun.  Jason performed the live recording of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Guitar Concerto with Nashville Symphony in 2019 (Naxos).  Jason’s passion for new music has also fostered recent premieres from Jeff Beal (House of Cards Symphony, BIS, 2017), Avner Dorman, Vivian Fung, Mark Mancina, Dan Visconti, and many more.  Slated for Summer 2021 release is a new solo Bach recording on Azica.  Of his Grammy-winning 2014 solo album Play, The Huffington Post declared that Play is “part of the revitalized interest in the classical guitar.”  

Vieaux’s multiple appearances over the years with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, Strings Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, etc., have forged his reputation as a top chamber musician.  Regular collaborators include the Escher String Quartet, Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, and accordion/bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro. 

As a teacher, Vieaux co-founded the guitar department at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2011, and has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 25 years.  Jason’s online Guitar School has subscribers from over 30 countries.

Stefan is one of America’s foremost violinists hailed for playing of “uncommon musical substance” that is “striking for its intelligence and sensitivity” (Boston Globe). He has appeared as soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, and such ensembles as the London, Seoul, Tokyo Philharmonics and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Festivals and concert series appearances include the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, the Celebrity Series of Boston, the Philharmonie de Paris, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.   

An active chamber musician, Stefan is a member of the Junction Trio, together with pianist Conrad Tao and cellist Jay Campbell. His discography includes the complete Brahms violin sonatas on Sony, and a forthcoming recording of the complete Ives violin sonatas with his frequent collaborator, pianist Jeremy Denk. Jackiw also recently recorded the Beethoven Triple concerto with cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Inon Barnatan, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Alan Gilbert on Decca. Stefan is a committed teacher and has recently joined the Faculty at the Mannes School of Music. He frequently gives masterclasses at prestigious conservatories and universities, such as the Colburn School, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Bard College, Manhattan School of Music, Vanderbilt University, Sydney Conservatorium, and the Australian National Academy of Music. In 2020, Jackiw started a free monthly online masterclass series, called Stefan’s Sessions, in which he leads an analysis of one of the masterpieces of the violin repertoire, addressing matters of interpretation, technical solutions, historical context, and performance preparation.

Described as “trailblazing” (LA Times) and “an imaginative composer” (NY Times), Andy Akiho is a composer and performer of new music. 

​Recent engagements include commissioned premieres by the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, China Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony, Oregon Symphony with Soloist Colin Currie, American Composers Orchestra, Music@Menlo, Chamber Music Northwest, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, LA Dance Project, and experimental opera company The Industry.

Akiho has been recognized with many prestigious awards and organizations including the Rome Prize, Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize, Harvard University Fromm Commission, Barlow Endowment, New Music USA, and Chamber Music America. Additionally, his compositions have been featured on PBS’s “News Hour with Jim Lehrer” and by organizations such as Bang on a Can, American Composers Forum, The Intimacy of Creativity in Hong Kong, and the Heidelberg Festival.
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Akiho is also an active steel pannist and performs his compositions with various ensembles worldwide. He has performed his works with the Charlotte Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Grand Rapids Symphony, Nu Decco Ensemble, LA Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series, the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble, Miyamoto is Black Enough, the International Drum Festival in Taiwan, and has had four concerts featuring his compositions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Akiho’s recordings No One To Know One (innova Recordings) and The War Below (National Sawdust Tracks) features brilliantly crafted compositions that pose intricate rhythms and exotic timbres inspired by his primary instrument, the steel pan.
 
Akiho was born in 1979 in Columbia, SC, and is currently based in New York City and Portland, OR.