Considered the world’s premier Native American flutist, RC holds the distinction of being the only American Native performer performing in the Indigenous genre to have a Platinum Record-Canyon Trilogy- with over one million sold. He serves as an effective ambassador in reaching new concert audiences consistently drawing capacity or near capacity houses. RC has a successful career in many genres of music. He is an eleven-time Grammy® nominee who has many fans who follow him into the concert hall. Nakai’s recordings have reached listeners worldwide and have been used in films, documentaries, and therapeutic contexts.
RC’s approach to the Native American flute is both innovative and respectful. Rather than simply replicating traditional songs, he has expanded the instrument’s expressive possibilities. Through new fingering techniques, extended melodies, and harmonics, he blends the flute’s haunting tones with elements of jazz, classical, and world music. He also composes original works for flute integrating influences from his heritage with contemporary sensibilities. His music carries a universal message of peace, healing, and connection to the land. Through his music and public work, he urges others to recognize the wisdom embedded in Indigenous traditions.
Natalie is one of the most sought-after cellists playing traditional music today. Credited with putting cello on the map of contemporary Celtic music, she brings a wealth of world influences to her instrument, fashioning a tone and rhythmic sense that transcends any single tradition. Along with her longtime collaborator Alasdair Fraser, with whom she has toured for over 26 years and released seven albums, Natalie has charted a new course through the string music of Scotland, Ireland, Spain, and beyond—all without losing the influence of classical technique or her American roots. She and her fiddling sister Brittany Haas (Hawktail, Punch Brothers, Crooked Still, the Dave Rawlings Machine) have also released an album together and have also been touring as a duo for the last several years in Europe, Australia and the US. Natalie continues to be in high demand as a studio musician and has been a guest artist on over 100 albums, including those of Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, Irish greats Altan, Solas, and Liz Carroll, and Americana icon Dirk Powell. Through her skills as an educator, Natalie has inspired a whole new generation of young cellists in folk music at fiddle camps across the globe.
Jesús Enrique “Chuchi” is a reference for the contemporary folk guitar in Spain. For over 20 years, Chuchi’s versatility and style have made him one of the most in-demand guitarists in the Iberian Peninsula for folk music. He is co-founder of the bands Vallarna, the Buho Dinámico duo with bouzoukist Carlos Martín Aires, award-winning fiddle & guitar duo Blanca Altable & Chuchi2, 22 Cuerdas, Atlantic Folk Trio, and duo Kornoj with Galician singer & percussionist Xela Confer. In his capacity as composer/arranger, Chuchi has also worked with Folkfussion, A Gramalleira, Celtas Cortos, Xerfa, María Salgado, Sons d’Cabiella, and Galician pipe virtuoso Anxo Lorenzo. He currently plays with Muyayos de Raiz, Xosé Liz’s Indala band, and piper Germán Ruíz. He is also in demand as a teacher at music camps and workshops around the world.
Christian Euman’s unique style, creative approach to performance and improvisation, and infectious energy have garnered him international attention and appreciation. Originally from Chicago, his musical foundation was shaped at Western Michigan University and further refined at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA (now the Herbie Hancock Institute), headed by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
Christian has since performed, recorded, and toured globally with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Kurt Elling, Billy Childs, säje, Jacob Collier, Rufus Wainwright, Larry Goldings, and many more. His recent collaboration with the Akropolis Reed Quintet and composer/pianist Pascal le Boeuf earned the GRAMMY Award in 2025 for Best Instrumental Composition for le Boeuf and his piece, “Strands.” He has also contributed his distinct musical voice to the film scores and live performances of award-winning films, such as Green Book, Malignant, Ford v. Ferrari, La La Land and more.
Now based in Los Angeles, Christian continues international performances and collaborations with a wide range of prominent artists — on projects stretching from modern jazz to genre-bending chamber ensembles. He is a proud endorser of Canopus Drums, Aquarian Drumheads, Vic Firth Sticks, and Zildjian Cymbals. His debut album, Allemong, was released in the summer of 2020, showcasing his compositional and band-leading voice.
Founded in 2009, the GRAMMY® Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet is “a sonically daring ensemble who specializes in performing new works with charisma and integrity” (BBC Music Magazine). Comprising five reed players and entrepreneurs unbounded by limits or categorization, Akropolis has graced the Classical Billboard Charts with each of their last three albums, including #2 in April, 2024, and has won seven national chamber music prizes including the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal. Having premiered and commissioned more than 200 works by living artists and composers, they are pioneers and champions of a new genre of classical music—the reed quintet.
Composed of the same five members that brought about its founding at the University of Michigan, they are the first ensemble to receive the University’s Paul M. Boylan Alumni Award. Akropolis delivers 120 concerts and educational events worldwide each year at luminary series including Tanglewood, Bravo! Vail, University Musical Society, Chamber Music Northwest, and more. Akropolis became the first ever GRAMMY® winning reed quintet with their 2024 album, Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?, in collaboration with Pascal Le Boeuf and drummer Christian Euman, taking home Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Strands” at the 67th Grammy Awards held in February, 2025.
Utilizing their “sheer musical imagination” (Gramophone), the quintet is also known for powerful collaborations with youth and others within its Southeast Michigan community. Certified as a 510(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Akropolis runs a Detroit-based summer festival called Together We Sound, holds an annual, school year-long music composition residencies at Cass Tech, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Detroit School of Arts high schools, and produces a 10-day Chamber Music Institute focused on artist training and mentorship in Petoskey, MI.
Described as “pure gold” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Akropolis Reed Quintet performs worldwide and is represented exclusively by Ariel Artists.
Mark is a Grammy® Award-winning clarinetist and a man of many horns, maintaining firm roots in classical music while ever-expanding into the vast world of improvised music. Since 2016 he has served as the clarinetist of Imani Winds, and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Albany Symphonies, and the American Composers Orchestra. Most recently, Mark was awarded a Grammy as a player and producer for “Best Classical Compendium” at the 2024 Grammy Awards for Imani Wind’s latest release, “Passion for Bach and Coltrane.” His debut album with Imani Winds, “Bruits,” was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
In 2023 Mark also joined the chamber ensemble yMusic. 2023 highlights include appearances at Carnegie Hall Presents with both Imani Winds and yMusic, NPR’s tiny desk with yMusic, and debuts at La Jolla Music Society and Tippet Rise Arts Center.
Mark joined the chamber music faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021 and also serves on the clarinet faculty at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and at Queens College, CUNY.
Mark has an extensive background in improvised music. He is a frequent collaborator with Vulfpeck, an American funk band formed in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mark received his Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan. He is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Artist
From the heart of Catalonia to the vibrant streets of New York City, Lau captivates as a self-taught composer and virtuoso guitarist, weaving her independent artistry into every performance. Praised by distinguished musicians, from Phoebe Bridgers to Jackson Browne for her poetic compositions and the masterful guitar-voice counterpoint on her music, Lau has become one of the most unique independent artists in her generation.
She played a Tiny Desk Concert in February 2019, making her the first Catalan to perform in the prestigious series, has given lectures in Ivy league universities and conservatories around the world, and scored multiple award-winning films. She has been featured on the BBC, the Recording Academy and Billboard Magazine and has performed her music in legendary venues like the Royal Albert Hall and NYC’s Summer Stage. In the past two years, Lau has opened for Chris Thile, Ben Folds & Jacob Collier. In 2024, she released her first LP “A Dos” featuring some of the most influential musicians of our time: Jorge Drexler, Jacob Collier and Cécile Mclorin Salvant among others. In the same year, Lau was a finalist in the American Songwriter Competition and won Best New Artist at the Music Awards in Spain.
Community dances are part of Moab’s tradition; dances took place here from the pioneer days up until the mid-20th century. The idea to revive the tradition and start a new community dance band in Moab first came from then Moab Music Festival artist-in-residence Christopher Layer, who is, among other things a veteran contradance musician. He gathered local players, some of whom are still part of the band, and introduced us to the contra dance repertoire– traditional and modern tunes from Ireland, New England, Quebec, and elsewhere. After two decades we’re still going, playing for frequent community contradances and gigs around town welcoming musicians of all skill levels and ages.
Triple Cortado is a pioneering trio known for its innovation, virtuosity, and energetic performances. Featuring Caleb Hudson (trumpet, USA), Achilles Liarmakopoulos (trombone, Greece), and Ahmed Alom (piano, Cuba), the ensemble unites three distinctive musical voices to craft a fresh and compelling approach to chamber music.
Caleb Hudson and Achilles bring a decade of shared experience from their time with Canadian Brass, shaping their close-knit collaboration and dynamic stage presence. Caleb, praised as “brilliantly stylish” by The New York Times, is renowned for his artistry in both modern and historical performance, including appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. Achilles, a globally acclaimed trombonist, has performed with ensembles ranging from Pink Martini to the Malaysian Philharmonic and boasts an extensive discography spanning classical, jazz, and world music. Ahmed, an award-winning pianist and conductor, is praised for his versatility across classical, jazz, and Latin genres, having performed with major orchestras and produced groundbreaking projects such as Exilio, his acclaimed debut album.
With a focus on originality and artistry, Triple Cortado explores a diverse repertoire ranging from timeless classical works to bold new compositions. Their debut album, set for release in 2025, showcases this breadth, featuring Bach, Mendelssohn, and Ahmed’s original cycle, ‘Hermann’s Reverie.’
Caleb, a Lexington, Kentucky native, blends virtuosity and sensitivity as a classical trumpeter. A Juilliard graduate, he spent over a decade with Canadian Brass, earning praise from The New York Times as “brilliantly stylish.” In March 2024, he released his debut solo album, “Nothing Less,” featuring new works, including his own, alongside classics by Corelli and Philip Glass. Known for Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 on modern and baroque trumpets, Caleb has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and others. In June 2024, he premiered David Biedenbender’s “River of Time” for trumpet and wind ensemble at Carnegie Hall.
Also an arranger and composer, his original composition, “White Rose Elegy” debuted with the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass at Lincoln Center. He’s part of Triple Cortado, a trio noted for innovative performances at Curtis, Juilliard, and Yale, with a 2025 album forthcoming. Caleb’s contributions also extend to educational literature; he was the recording artist for the groundbreaking Suzuki Trumpet School, Volume I. Now Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, he’s taught at North Texas and Colorado State, guiding students to success. Rooted in a deep faith in Christ, Caleb resides in Texas with his wife, Amanda, and their three children.
