piano

STEPHANIE BACASTOW • PIANO, VOICE

Stephanie is a New York City based performer, originally from metro-Atlanta. Bitten by the bug for music and theater at an early age, Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia's Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

Upon moving to NYC, Stephanie completed a Master of Music in Musical Theatre and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy at New York University. As adjunct faculty, she taught private and group voice at NYU’s Steinhardt School and was recognized for Distinguished Leadership and Contribution in the Graduate Vocal Pedagogy Program.

Passionate about new music theatre and works in development, Stephanie was seen as Young Gertrude in the New York premiere of Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating, and workshops of Life of the Party (Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin) and Finding Home (music by Ricky Ian Gordon.) Other favorite credits include Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Luisa in The Fantasticks, and Mary Poppins.

She has appeared in concerts at The Town Hall, Feinstein's 54 Below, and Birdland Jazz Club, and was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Lotte Lenya Competition. Stephanie is a resident artist in the world’s only company exclusively devoted to the music of Victor Herbert, the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project.

NOLAN BYRD • PIANO, DRUMS

Nolan Byrd is an award-winning and critically acclaimed drummer currently based in New York City. After displaying a talent for drumming at a very early age, Nolan started pursuing a life in music. Upon enrolling at the University of North Texas in 2010 on scholarship, Nolan began his invaluable years as a student of Ed Soph, culminating in several Downbeat Student Music Awards and drumming in the six-time Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band. A year after graduating from North Texas, Nolan began attending the Manhattan School of Music, earning his master’s degree in 2017. During his time there and under the guidance of John Riley, Nolan began to establish himself as one of the more in-demand drummers of his generation. He already has performed at notable venues such as The Blue Note, The Apollo Theater, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Kennedy Center in addition to holding monthly residencies at The 55 Bar, Zinc Bar, and the Producer’s Club. Touring has also brought Nolan out of New York to play throughout the county and travel internationally, including going to Sweden in 2016 to perform at the Stockholm Jazz Festival. In 2017, Nolan was one of three finalists in the J.C. Heard National Jazz Drumset Competition sponsored by the Detroit Jazz Festival.

As a creative musician, Nolan’s versatility as a drummer and deep interest in composition allowed him to travel to Washington DC to be a member of Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead residency held at the Kennedy Center in 2016 and to Alberta, Canada in 2015 to participate in the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. These exclusive programs provided Nolan with the opportunities to be mentored by and perform with notable artists such as Mark Turner, Eric Harland, Billy Hart, Jason Moran, Vijay Iyer, JD Allen, Eric Revis, Wadada Leo Smith, Zakir Hussain, Becca Stevens, Harish Raghavan, Tyshawn Sorey, Carmen Lundy, and Cyrus
Chestnut.

Chien Chien Lu • Piano

Chien Chien Lu is a classical pianist, jazz vibraphonist, contemporary percussionist, educator, arranger, and composer from Taiwan.

Chien Chien Lu had her first exposure to music when she started learning the piano at the age of six. At the age of ten, she developed a passion for percussion. In 2008, She joined world renowned Ju Percussion Group and performed throughout Taiwan, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore.

Chien Chien collaborated with composer Ching-Mei Lin and performed her marimba concerto for six-mallet marimba, entitled “Pulsing Wave.” In 2012, she played percussion accompaniment for the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre’s rendition of “Legacy,” and in 2013, she performed a solo percussion concert at Taipei Novel Hall. In 2014, Chien Chien was awarded as “Emerging Young Artist” for her work with her marimba duo.

Chien Chien graduated from Taipei National University of the Art with a master's degree in classical music in 2015. After that, she came to the USA to study Jazz in Philadelphia with famed vibraphonist, Tony Miceli. Shortly after, she taught a few jazz workshops alongside Tony Miceli in Taiwan. In 2016, she received a monthly residency at Chris' Jazz Café in Philadelphia. In September, Chien Chien performed with Vertical Current at Silkcity. The concert was a tribute to Roy Ayers. In the same month, Chien Chien performed with Chris Stevens Quintet as part of the John Coltrane Memorial festival in Philadelphia.

In 2017, she graduated with a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts. In August, she attend the prestigious Banff Jazz Residency under the direction of well-known jazz pianist, Vijay Iyer. In October, Chien Chien Performed at The Stone with Okkyung Lee. The Stone is a non-profit experimental music performance space located in the Alphabet City neighborhood in New York City.

Chien Chien is a Vibraphone instructor and performer for vibesworkshop.com. The site includes online communities for professional players and students, with lessons, performances, and other features. She started to teach private piano since 2008, also taught Juvenile Percussion Ensemble from 2011 to 2015. She was a music teacher at National Jhongli Commercial High School in 2014.

GREGORY GOOD • PIANO, SONGWRITING

Gregory Good is a composer/arranger/vocalist based in New York City.

Greg’s orchestral works have been performed by the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony, Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra and the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra. Recently, the Westminster Choir College featured a set of Greg’s choral arrangements at a conference in China and has toured them throughout various locations in the United States. Now, several high school and college choirs around North America are performing them, and they will soon be published as a part of the Music from Westminster Choral Series. He was granted the Lee Goldstein Music Composition Award at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, in which he graduated from in 2017.

Greg was the artistic/music director for Baldwin Wallace’s PRISM 2016 concert and assistant music director for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s 2014 summer season, in which he was a part of Singin’ in the Rain, Legally Blonde, Footloose, CATS, and Monty Python’s Spamalot. Greg teaches musical theatre, piano and composition at Art House Astoria. He is currently writing Mother Never Speaks with Jordan Silver, a new musical based on the story of Grendel from the Beowulf tales.

John Melendez • Piano

John Melendez is a pianist and composer currently pursuing his Masters degree in jazz performance at NYU.

He has studied privately with Vic Juris, Drew Gress, and Alan Broadbent and has performed at venues all over the East Coast. He has shared the stage with Ole Mathisen, Lauren Sevian, Kanoa Mendenhall, and Michael Veal. He plays regularly with his band, Arctic Circle.

Norman Pors • Piano, Jazz Workshop

Norman Pors grew up in Charlottesville, VA, and began playing piano at age 10.

He studied classical music for many years and while in high school, started playing in local rock and dance bands. In 1979, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts graduating in 1982 with a B.M. in Performance and Arranging. The following year, he attended New York University where he earned his M.A. in Jazz Composition. While there, he studied with Jim McNeely, Hilton Ruiz, and Joanne Brackeen. Over the years, Mr. Pors has proven his versatility by performing not only with jazz groups but also rock, R&B, blues, and fusion bands. Some of the performers he has played with include Brian Torff (bassist with George Shearing), Vernell Fournier (drummer with Ahmad Jamal), Marcus Mclaurine (bassist with Clark Terry) Bob James, David Sanborn, the Gil Parris Band, the Dave Matthews Band, and Marsha Heydt and the Project of Love.

In addition, Mr. Pors has had many of his compositions and arrangements recorded by various artists including Marsha Heydt (“One Night” & “Diggin’ the Day”) and jazz vocalist Donna Cumberbatch (“Daughters of the Nile” and “Seasoned Elegance”). He has also written/arranged music for documentaries (“Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood”) and other independent film projects. He has performed in many musical theater productions including “Cabaret”, “Once Upon a Mattress” and “American Fantasy 1,2 & 3”. Also, he was the musical director for the off-Broadway shows, “Five Guys Named Moe” and “Smokey Joe’s Café”. As a teaching artist, Mr. Pors has been on staff at the Brooklyn Queens Conservatory of Music, helped co-found CenterStage: the Queens Center for the Performing Arts, and currently coaches the New Jazz Vocal Workshop at Art House Astoria.

BEN BREWER • PIANO, GUITAR, VIOLIN, UKULELE

Ben Brewer is a musician and educator from Long Island, NY.

Growing up, he was actively involved in his school’s music program and gained a sharp ear for both classical and popular music styles. He has performed with various groups including the renowned Nassau-Suffolk Jazz Ensemble, with whom he was televised on PBS. He attended Stony Brook University where he studied both classical and jazz performance, along with composition, theory, and history from professors such as world-class trombonist Ray Anderson, and renowned composer Peter Winkler. At Stony Brook, Ben rose to the top of his class, receiving multiple awards for musicianship and academics and went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude.

Currently, he is living in New York City as a musician and teacher and can be found both in the studio and playing throughout the country with many different groups that range though all musical styles. As an instructor, Ben is informative, patient, inspiring, and develops individualized lesson plans tailored to the unique abilities and goals of each student. His motto is: “It’s not what you play, but how you play it.”

JESSY TOMSKO • PIANO, SONGWRITING, GUITAR, VOICE

Jessy Tomsko is a composer, music teacher, and vocal coach in New York City.

As a songwriter, Jessy has shared the stage with such esteemed artists as Loudon Wainwright, Dar Williams, Edwin McCain, and Joan Osborne, and has performed at such festivals as Musikfest, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and NJ Folk Fest. She was twice a featured performer in Sesame Street’s Leslie Carrara-Rudolph’s Halloween Cabaret "Moonlight Madness", and in 2019 she was assistant vocal director on Sesame Street and Apple TV's "Helpsters". Jessy is a co-founder of NYC semi-professional a cappella group The Lost Keys, and she is now developing two of her original musicals with director Mia Walker (Jagged Little Pill, Waitress). Jessy is also a contributing writer for the musical production of "Ramona" (now in development), which made its stage debut in 2019 at the NYC Furnace Festival. Also in 2019, Jessy released a new record, titled "Wild and Good."

JESSY TOMSKO • PIANO

Jessy Tomsko is a is a composer, music teacher, and vocal coach in New York City.

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