Listen for Life Artists Promo 2012

8 renowned musicians, playing 8 different instruments representing 8 world cultures, will perform a unique program on January 8th (2012) at Carnegie Hall.

and

YOU can bring this same exciting program, and this unique group of renowned artists, to YOUR performing arts series or venue! They are all part of the Listen for Life family, and their goal is to help share the cultural riches of the world with the audiences of the world - anywhere they can!

{Each of the individual performers can also be contacted/booked separately, of course, and they also perform together in smaller units for duo concerts or chamber groups, in either world-music or classical programs}

Yair Naser Faisal Erin Donna Van-Anh Patrick Taylor Dalal Musa Zedan Nolan Stoering Vanessa Vo Landeza Eigsti

www.listenforlife.org

The page at www.listenforlife.org/womex contains further resources, including video clips, relating to this document.

Dear Performing Arts Presenter:

Are you searching for a completely unique approach to concert programming for the coming seasons? Are your audiences ready to be aligned with an exciting global family of music performers, creators, producers and listeners? We are Listen for Life (www.listenforlife.org) and we are working together around the globe to revitalize music of all cultures as a channel of communication and a unifying force for good in the world. We serve music - particularly traditional/world music genres – by supporting and promoting the musicians, sustaining their cultures, and sharing their gifts with a global audience, through live events, broadcast programs and outreach projects that altogether have impacted 9 million people in 55 countries thus far. And we have phenomenal master musicians as part of our global family, so we are excited for this opportunity to share a few of them with you in the hopes that you‟ll want some or all of them to perform for your audience as well, in the future!

On Sunday January 8th, 2012, Listen for Life will be presenting our first annual multicultural music event at New York‟s Carnegie Hall. In the music festivals and single concert events that we produce worldwide, we often like to offer a smorgasbord of cultures or instrumental styles in a “round the world” experience that will intrigue both first-time concert goers and seasoned music listeners alike. Our particular program at Carnegie will have global significance, in that three of the top word-music performers from Palestine, Syria and (Naser Musa, Faisal Zedan and Yair Dalal, respectively) will perform together on one stage, in a musical statement for peace. Oud master Yair Dalal will then be joined by international pianist Donna Stoering and sensational young violist Erin Nolan (who has already done four sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road ensemble) to premiere a new work being created for them by the renowned Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Donna Stoering will also be doing the NY premiere of “Walk within Winter”, based on Native American harmonies/rhythms and composed for her by world-music artist Brent Heisinger. The other special musicians on the program include Emmy-award winner and National music champion of Vietnam, Van Anh Vanessa Vo, playing solos on three different traditional instruments, award-winning Hawaiian music star Patrick Landeza who is thrilled to bring his culture into their mix, and the phenomenal Grammy-nominee jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti who has just completed composing/playing the music for Adrien Brody‟s new film but often tours/records with world music stars such as Columbian harpist Edmar Castaneda.

Listen for Life is offering this same Carnegie program, with some or all of the same musicians (your choice) to come to your own venue and provide the same unique concert experience for your community, anywhere on the planet! . You can alternatively book any one of these musicians as an individual, of course, or you might choose to take a particular subgroup among them as a smaller ensemble - such as the three Middle Eastern artists in a special concert of their own, or add the viola and piano to that combination so that Avner Dorman‟s new work can be included in the program along with other innovative works. If you decide to book the entire group, it could simply be billed as a “Listen for Life” event on your brochures and calendar. And that, again, could bring great benefits to your series, because Listen for Life‟s website has a high global Alexa rating due to its number of viewers from every country, so we are currently being sought after by advertisers and/or sponsors worldwide. When our artists or program formats are included on any platform or series, we will use our website, viewer numbers, and online community to heavily promote that venue/series and its community as well!

Because the Carnegie event hasn‟t yet happened at the time of this writing, we do not yet have audio samples from the exact program that we described above. As for video samples of each artist, we have created Artists‟ Pages on our Listen for Life website for each of the performers, where you can access their videos in good quality and also link to their YouTube content. Therefore the actual materials we have included in our promotional space on the RPS flashdrive include: · *informational materials about the “Carnegie program” that we can also offer your audiences as a package, if desired · *a one-pager for each musician with their photos, bios, and direct contact information for booking them individually *audio (MP3) files for each musician, together with a medley track "Listen for Life - Sample the World". Thank you so much for your time, energy and interest!

Contact Listen for Life on +1 510 540 8136, email [email protected], or visit our websites and YouTube channel. www.listenforlife.org www.travelswithmusic.org www.listenforlife.org/youtube The Listen for Life musicians being promoted in this package include: · Yair Dalal, Israeli oud master · Naser Musa, Palestinian oud master · Faisal Zedan, Syrian percussion star in all music genres · Erin Nolan, multi-genre violist, who has already played four sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall with Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road group · Donna Stoering, recording artist, TV presenter & Artistic Ambassador for both UK and USA in world-music & classical · Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Emmy Award winner and National Music Champion of Vietnam · Patrick Landeza, Award-winning Hawaiian Music artist (slack key guitar) · Taylor Eigsti, Grammy-nominee jazz phenomenon and composer As mentioned earlier, each of these artists is available for individual bookings on concert series and they can be contacted separately to arrange such schedules.

There are also subsets within the larger group, that can be booked for full-length concert programs: ● Erin Nolan and Donna Stoering perform classical programs and world-music pieces in appearances as a duo worldwide. In some of their upcoming programs they will also bring with them oud master Yair Dalal (and/or Naser Musa) to perform the new world-music work by Avner Dorman for oud, viola, and piano. ● Yair Dalal, Naser Musa and Faisal Zedan very much want to tour as a Middle Eastern trio to promote peace through music. And they would also like to add Erin‟s viola in many of those concert programs.

The musicians can also be engaged as a group, to replicate the same globally significant program that they are doing at Carnegie Hall in January 2012. That program of pieces/artists can of course be re-arranged in many different orders of performance, but one example of the format would be:

Patrick Landeza opens the program in one part of America with its own distinct culture: Hawaii. After 3-4 songs in his mellow, upbeat and engaging style, he introduces Donna Stoering who will play Brent Heisinger‟s “Walk within Winter” (in Native American idioms) before being joined by violist Erin Nolan for a short optional work and then they will both be joined by oud master Yair Dalal – the three will then premiere Avner Dorman‟s new work being commissioned for this program. Donna and Erin leave. Yair will then be joined on stage, in turn, by his friend and fellow oud master Naser Musa, and by Middle Eastern percussionist Faisal Zedan. The three of them will reminisce and play together; ending the 1st half.

The 2nd half of the program opens in Asia, with Van Anh Vanessa Vo, performing exotic compositions and improvisations on three unique instruments. She will be followed by jazz pianist phenomenon Taylor Eigsti, who has performed duo improvisations with major musicians of many different cultures/genres. He may or may not bring one of those along, but even just doing solo works Taylor sets a crowd on fire. Our plan is to then bring back most or all of the program‟s performers to join together and improvise in a final piece. ------Listen for Life was founded in London and has created multicultural, multi-genre programs like this around the world for the past 13 years, with tremendous success in all venues, locations and audiences. Three recent testimonials:

“I attend concerts year-round and in different cities - this was by far the best music experience I have ever had, discovering world-renowned musicians I hadn’t heard before, with tremendous artistry and dazzling variety of color and expression. But now I am truly spoiled!” attendee at Listen for Life “justGO!”concert at War Memorial Bldg, S.F.

"This was the most inspiring evening of my entire life. I have no words to explain it. You communicated so much more than (just) the content - you shared your joy, and connected to the hearts of each person in the audience". Director of National Fallen Firefighters Foundation fundraising event in Baltimore, Md.

This Listen for Life concert was honestly the highlight of my entire musical life - I’m serious! Every musician was just fabulous, and to hear so many instruments, styles and cultures- You are going to blow the lid off Carnegie Hall and any othervenue where you bring this special program! world-music composer Brent Heisinger, October 2011 YAIR DALAL Website: www.yairdalal.com email: Najema music [email protected] or [email protected] Tel: +972 (0) 544804055 (cell)

For further resources, including video clips, please visit his Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/yair-dalal

“The musical instrument oud is the most beautiful and important instrument in the middle east. It is the most beloved and shared instrument for and Jews. With the oud, as in the desert, time resonates in its own unique, boundless form, a type of Taqsim. Peace, too, takes its time”. Yair Dalal

Yair Dalal, born in 1955; composer, violinist, oud player and singer; a prolific ethnic musician, plays an important role in shaping the global world music scene. Over the last decade he has released 12 albums, covering wide and varied cultural territory, and authentically representing Israeli, Jewish and Middle Eastern cultures while fusing them into a whole.

Much of Dalal‟s work reflects his extensive musical skills in both classical-European, Jazz and Arabic music and also reflects the strong affinity that he has for the desert and its inhabitants. Dalal‟s family came to Israel from Baghdad and his Iraqi roots are embedded in his musical work. Whether working on his own, or with his Alol ensemble, Dalal creates new Middle Eastern music by interweaving the traditions of Iraqi and Jewish Arabic music with a range of influences originating from diverse cultures, from the Balkans to India. The result is a collection of evocative compositions with a unique and colorful sound.

Yair Dalal participates and lectures in various music educational institutes and universities in Israel and worldwide. Besides his musical endeavors, Dalal is also a peace activist, devoting much of his time and energy to helping to remove ideological barriers between different cultures and, in particular between Jews and Arabs. Dalal performed at the Nobel Peace Prize gala concert in 1994 honoring the Israeli Prime Minister , Foreign Minister and Palestinian Chairman .

Dalal has won several Israeli awards acknowledging his music and his contribution to Israeli music and was also nominated in 2003 by the BBC World Music Awards for his musical achievements, as “best musician from the middle east”. He of course continues to tour, playing in concerts and festivals and collaborating with top musicians from all over the world, from different disciplines and musical heritages, while also commencing some new projects and compositions. . .

Yair has been a treasured part of the Listen for Life family since 2004, and is a featured in several Listen for Life productions including the highly acclaimed series Travels with Music (www.travelswithmusic.org) that offers an interactive exploration of the world‟s cultures with their master musicians as the tour guides. TWM is now licensed to the BBC and several other international networks. Yair has for quite awhile been wanting to perform with UK violist Erin Nolan so he is excited to be premiering a work being written for the two of them, (along with pianist Donna Stoering) by Israeli composer Avner Dorman, as part of the Listen for Life program for Carnegie Hall and beyond.

NASER MUSA Website: www.nasermusa.net email: [email protected] Tel: (951) 333-3443

For further resources, including video clips, please visit his Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/naser-musa.

NASER MUSA is recognized by experts of middle eastern music as a talented singer, a gifted songwriter, an Oud virtuoso, an award winning composer, and a versatile studio musician. Naser Musa has composed, arranged, and recorded for numerous projects in the Middle East and in the United States. One of his recent recordings, the "Arabia 3D" sound track, was: winner of the GSCA award for best score and best sound track of 2010,. Other recordings include "Khaliji" (RT Productions): a collection of folk songs from the Arabian Gulf region, and "Christmas and Beyond "(SahaRaneen Productions): a collection of Western Christmas carols and Arabic church hymns. Naser Musa‟s name appears on dozens of albums, including projects for Hollywood with John Debney and John Cameron among others. He has recorded with pop stars Shakira, Beyonce and Michael Sembello. Naser Musa has shared the stage with Lebanese vocalists, Sabah and Ragheb Alame, and Egyptian vocalists, Hani Shaker and Hakim. Naser‟s Oud was heard on the soundtrack of the film "The Passion of the Christ" by director Mel Gibson. An active and sought after performer, Naser has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, the United Nations and Chicago‟s Symphony Hall. He toured the United States, South America and the Middle East, and he regularly performs with prominent ethnomusicologists Dr. A. J. Racy of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr. Scott Marcus of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Mr. Musa was featured as a soloist with the Cairo Orchestra during its 2005 U.S. tour with Grammy award winners Youssou N‟Dour of Senegal and Egyptian producer and arranger Fathy Salama. For the past 5 years Naser has been touring worldwide with highly acclaimed Persian band Niyaz and world renowned singer Azam Ali. The Washington Post described his compositions as “stirring”; the Beirut Times described him as “one of the most versatile vocalists and Oud masters of the Middle East”; and the Al Qabas newspaper of Kuwait described him as “a talented songwriter with a soothing voice that touches the heart.”

A Jordanian of Palestinian decent, Naser Musa started playing the Oud, a Middle Eastern lute, and studying Arabic music, at an early age while living in Amman, Jordan. He moved to the United States in 1982 and continued his studies of music at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA. His artistic versatility and sense of musical adventure have enabled him to experiment with the blending of different musical elements and artistic styles. Throughout his career, his objective has been to combine Arabic maqams (melodic structures or series of phrases based on Arabic scales), with Western elements, in order to present a style of Arabic music that is understood and appreciated by the Western listener. Naser Musa is in great demand as an Oud and vocal instructor, giving lectures at colleges and universities and organizing workshops. He has been on the faculty at the Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California since 1999 and at the Heartland Seminar of Arabic Music in Racine, Milwaukee since 2004. He also represented the Arab world in the World Culture Open in 2004, in New York, NY.

Naser meanwhile continues his work as a peace activist by performing and promoting concerts and presentations with artists from all over the world, He performed his award winning song Salam at the United Nations‟ 60th year celebration in 2004.

Listen for Life was introduced to Naser by our mutual friend Yair Dalal, and we all immediately began discussions around the idea of bringing the two of them, along with Syrian percussionist Faisal Zedan, all together on one stage - not only at Carnegie but in as many cities around the globe as we can, to make a musical statement for peace in the coming year.

"Music is the sole border that we may all cross together with the passport of love in our hearts and peace in our souls." Naser Musa.

FAISAL ZEDAN Website: www.faisalzedan.com email: [email protected]

For further resources, including video clips, please visit his Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/faisal-zedan.

Born 1972 in Oum D‟Baib, Syria, Faisal Zedan grew up impassioned with the derbakki. At the age of 15, after intensive study with a local drummer, Faisal embarked on a journey of learning through exposure to a wide repertoire of Arabic classical and contemporary music. Years of tireless practice, along with God‟s grace, has resulted in the mastery of the derbakki, as well as the riqq and tar (frame drum).

Upon arrival in California in 1992, Faisal met UCLA's noted professor of ethnomusicology, Dr. Ali Jihad Racy, and was then invited to join the acclaimed UCLA Near East Music Ensemble.

In 1993, Faisal was a founding member of the Near East music group, Kan Zaman. Specializing in the classical singing genre of Muwashahat and Adwar, Kan Zaman performed at Arabic cultural centers, city-sponsored events, and private shows along the West Coast of the United States.

Along with Donovan Lerman, Faisal is also a founding member of the Los Angeles-based Youm It Talaata percussion group, performing at festivals, cultural events and with local Middle Eastern dancers in Southern California.

In 1996, Faisal taught at the Northern California Middle East Music Camp held in Mendocino. Since then, he has performed and studied annually with international artists and musicians at that event. Faisal also conducts workshops at the Kosmos Camp annually.

2009 saw the birth of another group, Ajyal. Under the direction of Faisal Zedan, Ajyal features prominent local musicians, Nazir Latouf, Husain Resan, Susu Pampanin and Laurie Eisler. The group preserves and performs diverse genres of traditional music and dance from the Arab world.

Currently, Faisal is also a member of Eliyahu & Qadim, Stellamara, Kan Zaman and Zikrayat.

Faisal Zedan‟s new recording “Madar” has been released in 2010 to high critical acclaim. In 2010 he also began working with Listen for Life, as a participant and leader in our new MusicMessage Campaign programs for inner-city schools (http://www.listenforlife.org/musicmessage) - teaching students of all ages about the power of music to influence (for good or for bad) their mood, thoughts, cultural attitudes, and behaviors - and helping each student to create their own positive musicmessages (rhythms or melodies) for peace. Faisal is extremely popular in any of our projects, programs or productions because of his genuine warmth and incredible musicianship.

ERIN NOLAN Web page: www.listenforlife.org/artists/erin-nolan Blog: www.notesfornourishment.org email: [email protected] Tel: (510) 316 5101

For further resources, including video clips, please visit her Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/erin-nolan.

Young multi-genre violist Erin Nolan is an avid chamber musician, world-music performer and orchestral musician. Erin grew up in Italy and the UK, studying on full scholarship at the Junior Dept of the Royal Academy of Music in London and then at The Purcell School for International Young Musicians. She learned her love of chamber music at an early age from mentor Emanuel Hurwitz and primary teacher Ivo Van der Werff of the Medici String Quartet. While still a student at Rice University, Erin was given the opportunity to be coached by the Guarneri String Quartet, the Juilliard String Quartet, and members of the

Cleveland String Quartet. In 2005, Erin was chosen to be a member of the Resident Young Artist String Quartet at both the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and the La Jolla Summer MusicFest. From 2006-2010 Erin was based in London where she was touring with the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

After traveling to Bosnia for the first time in 1998, Erin developed a strong interest in improvisation and in learning about diverse musical cultures, leading to further travel and performances in Bosnia, Croatia, Lebanon and Panama. In 2004 she participated in a ten-day program with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project which culminated in four performances in Carnegie Hall, featuring works from Iran, India, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Romania, and China. Erin has also toured throughout Europe with Russian music legend Boris Grebenshikov in his new cross-cultural group involving traditional musicians from Ireland, India, Poland, England, and Russia.

Erin is currently based in Boston and continues to travel/perform as violist in a variety of concerts while also working for WGBH radio‟s „From The Top,‟ a classical music radio program that features outstanding young musicians. Erin is also the founder of Notes for Nourishment (www.notesfornourishment.org), a global project that enables musicians to donate their time and talents to play benefit concerts that raise money for a variety of worthy causes. Notes for Nourishment is a project under the Listen for Life umbrella, as well, but Erin has actually been a part of Listen for Life activities for several years, performing in our events on several continents and appearing in some of our media productions.

Erin‟s playing can be heard on several CDs: one with popular flautist/singer Wissam Keyrouz in Lebanon, two recorded with Rumanian violinist Melinda Dumitrescu in Bosnia and Croatia, and on recordings with the ECO, RPO and the BBC. Composers around the world have written pieces for Erin to perform, and presently the Israeli composer Avner Dorman is creating a new work for Erin to premiere at Carnegie Hall with oud master Yair Dalal and pianist Donna Stoering. The three of them hope to share this new work in many performing arts series and various types of venues in the coming years.

DONNA STOERING Websites: www.donnastoering.com www.listenforlife.org {projects enacting her vision} www.travelswithmusic.org {product of Donna Stoering & Listen for Life} Blog: www.listenforlife.org/blog email: [email protected] Tel: (cell) +1 408 406 6240

For further resources, including video clips, please visit her Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/donna-stoering.

*Award-winning concert pianist since age 5, with ongoing tours worldwide as both pianist and vocal soloist. *Recording artist, composer, conductor, coached soloists for La Scala, London and Munich opera houses *Youngest-ever Judge at international competitions in Russia, Italy, UK, Canada, USA and other countries. *Marshall Scholar who completed both her BA and MA degrees (in music and sociology) at age 19. *Protégé of the late Sir Georg Solti, and Grammy-category nominee for her first recording, an all-Debussy collection *Author of magazine articles (UK&USA) and books; upcoming book “Change your Music, Change your Life” *Has been the subject of one-hr specials on BBC, NPR, PBS, HongKongRT, & many other international networks. *Television presenter/producer of programs on Brazil TV, Russian TV, USA, UK, Republic of Georgia, Italy... *Has been a guest-artist coach at all major music conservatories throughout the world. *Artist in Residence at Oxford University; former Artistic Ambassador for both Great Britain and the USA. *Internationally known keynote speaker & lecturer on a variety of topics. *Creator of Travels with Music (http://www.travelswithmusic.org) cross-cultural music series around the globe. *Afghan music festival asked her to help create & perform a piano version of their country‟s most beloved melody in concert *Performed concerti with major orchestras & in major venues worldwide, from Turkmenistan to Prague & Salzburg to Panama *Founder of the global hybrid social venture Listen for Life, which has thus far impacted the lives of 9 million people through its message, music projects, programs and affiliate production studios in over 55 countries.

“Thank you for being a conduit for transformation and elevation of the human spirit. We need this now more than ever! You are to music what Mother Teresa of Calcutta was to the poor, sick, orphaned and dying….” Michelle Anton, nationally respected media consultant & former producer of Oprah

"Our phones have been ringing off the wall since your interview and live radio performance - When can you come back?" Head Producer of HKRT Syndicated Live Radio Show, Hong Kong

“Stoering made a huge impression, with convincing performances that showed she has a true musician‟s heart.” -Stavanger Aftenblad (Norway)

“Much energy and dramatic shifts of mood. Her performance- hard driving, solid and powerful - evidenced a real involvement with the music” Boston Globe (USA)

“Playing of tremendous lyricism, and an intellectual depth of interpretation that showed Rachmaninov‟s „Paganini Variations‟ to be a chamber-music work and not just a virtuoso showpiece.” -Bergamo Oggi (Italy)

“…a tremendous send of tone and clear conception…powerful virtuosity and playing of ravishing intensity.” Berchlesgadener Anringer (Germany)

“As an artist, Donna Stoering has inspired so many audiences around the world, whether performing as a pianist or vocal soloist, and whether in classical or world-music genres - but she is also a brilliant speaker, as her words are equally moving. She is a true ambassador of culture”. Ron Tamura, former Gen Mgr.& Head of Intl Mktg for Apple

VAN-ANH VANESSA VO Website: www.vananhvo.com Blog: blog.vananhvo.com email: [email protected] Tel: (510) 996 8457 Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Van-Anh-Vo/140592602666447

For further resources, including video clips, please visit her Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/van-anh-vo.

Van-Anh Vanessa Vo dedicates her life to creating music on the dan Tranh (16-string zither) and other traditional instruments of her culture, fusing her traditional Vietnamese foundation with a freshness of new structures and compositions.

Since settling in California, she has been a collaborator and solo artist with such musicians and groups as Kronos Quartet, Nguyen Le, Paul McCandless, Ali Ryerson, Charles Loos, SOMEI Taiko Ensemble, Wobbly World, Winnie Wong and the China Spirit Music Ensemble as well as lending her talents to fundraising events for several non- profit organizations. Continually cultivating the beauty and versatility of the dan Tranh to feature her beloved instrument in an international music genre, Van-Anh has been co-composer and arranger for the film Daughter from Danang (2002) which was nominated for an Oscar® and won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. She has also been a co- composer and performer on the soundtrack for the Emmy® Award-winning program Bolinao 52 (2008), and the multiple award-winning film A Village Called Versailles (2009).

Recently, Van-Anh released her newest CD “She‟s Not She” with award-winning composer Do. Ms Van-Anh began studying the dan tranh from the age of four, and graduated with distinction from the Vietnam Academy of Music. In 1995, Van-Anh won the championship in the Vietnam National Dan Tranh Competition along with the first prize for best solo performance of modern folk music. She has since performed in more than fourteen countries and recorded in many broadcast programs inside and outside of Vietnam. Her first CD “Twelve Months, Four Seasons” was released in 2002. She lives in California where she teaches dan tranh and other Vietnamese traditional instruments, and has been chosen to be a speaker and performer at the TEDx conference held there in October 2011. .

Van-Anh Vanessa Vo has been a highly valued member of the Listen for Life family since 2010, when she was one of 120 international musicians who generously donated their cultural gifts to perform in Listen for Life‟s annual UN International Peace Day (www.listenforlife.org/peaceday) music events that we held in the United States, UK, and Eastern Europe. She has been helping to plan and prepare this special program for Carnegie Hall and beyond, as she is excited to represent her Vietnamese culture and instruments in other locations and venues.

PATRICK LANDEZA Websites: www.patricklandeza.com, www.landezapresents.com email: [email protected] Tel: 510.452.4266 (Pu'unaue Productions) Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-Landeza/131716736842831

For further resources, including video clips, please visit his Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/patrick-landeza.

An award winning musician, composer, producer, Patrick Kahakauwila Kamaholelani Landeza is considered a leading exponent of the Hawaiian slack key style. Born and raised in Berkeley to Hawaii-born parents, Patrick began guitar while in high school and soon became a protégé of the Hawaiian slack-key masters, dedicating his life to sharing this art form with the world.

At 34, he was the youngest recipient of the prestigious Kapalakiko Aloha Spirit award for his work with slack key. Patrick received the 2010 Hawaii Music Award for his latest release “Ku`u Honua Mele” (My Music World) in the slack key category. This past April, Patrick‟s CD received the Na Hoku Hanohano nomination, Hawaii‟s equivalent to the Grammys. He is the only mainland born artist of Hawaiian descent to ever be nominated for this meaningful honor!

Patrick is the founder of The Institute of Hawaiian Music and Culture and is responsible for planting the seeds for many Hawaiian music performers to enjoy sharing their culture in concert tours on the mainland. “I remember when I was growing up in Berkeley, you couldn‟t find Hawaiian music, now it‟s everywhere,” Landeza says. Landeza continues to tour, performing and teaching slack key. He runs a Hawaiian Music venue in Concord, California called “The Cue” and together with his production company, LandezaPresents, he continues to bring Hawaiian Music to the world! Patrick‟s positive energy, ideas, enthusiasm and warm spirit make him a treasured member of Listen for Life, and like Vanessa Vo he first became involved with LfL as a performer in the UN International Peace Day events of 2010. Offstage after performing, he turned to LfL founder and artistic director Donna Stoering and shared his dream of bringing Hawaiian traditional music to Carnegie Hall. Vietnamese artist Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, who was the next performer onstage, was immediately invited to be part of a core group of Carnegie performers - and the plan was born. ------“Patrick Landeza is one of the best and most dedicated of the new generation of Slack Key players.. ” George Winston, pianist, producer

“He's as good of a ki ho'alu (slack-key) guitarist as any I've seen, right up there, in my book, with the likes of Cyril Pahinui and Keola Beamer, and he possesses a tender, warm and appropriately friendly singing voice. He’s the real deal.” - San Jose Mercury News

“Patrick Landeza is one of the most talented and passionate guitarists that I have ever had the fortune of seeing play live ” Jim Harrington - Oakland Tribune

--“Some of the best slack key I’ve heard in a while… ” -Islands Magazine

“I’ve known Patrick since he was 17 years old and his slack key has come a long way. I’m very proud of him and what he is doing to perpetuate slack key guitar ” Cyril Pahinui, slack key master and Hawaiian Music Legend

“A true innovator of Hawaiian Music and a vocalist of pure nahenahe (sweet sounding) quality ” Dennis Kamakahi, Hawaii‟s legendary composer and slack key master

“Patrick has learned his Kiho`alu from the masters, the elders of this tradition -- and they would be very proud of how he has continued in the older style… Dancing Cat Productions

TAYLOR EIGSTI Website: www.tayloreigsti.com email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/tayloreigsti Twitter: www.twitter.com/tayloreigsti

For further resources, including video clips, please visit his Listen for Life page at www.listenforlife.org/artists/taylor-eigsti.

27 year old jazz phenomenon Taylor Eigsti became devoted to the piano after the death of his sister, Shannon, a talented pianist who succumbed to cancer when he was just three. He began playing a year later, and at eight, he opened for his friend and mentor, jazz pianist David Benoit. At 12, Eigsti shared the stage with Diane Schuur and also opened for Diana Krall and Al Jarreau. When he was 13, he sat in with Dave Brubeck, who commented, "Taylor is the most amazing talent I‟ve come across. Remember him." During his high school years in northern California, Eigsti worked with such respected jazz artists as Bobby Hutcherson, Red Holloway, and Kevin Mahogany. He also made his mark in the classical field, performing with singers Frederica von Stade and Sylvia McNair, as well as with numerous symphony orchestras.

In more recent years Eigsti has performed with Lee Konitz, Steve Nelson, Patti Austin, Johnny Frigo, Keter Betts, Peter Bernstein, Alan Broadbent, Anton Schwartz, Terrell Stafford, Kitty Margolis, Madeline Eastman, Joshua Redman, Dayna Stephens, Ben Wendel, Edmar Castaneda, and many other major musicians. He has performed to rave reviews at venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Taylor has now released a total of seven albums of his own, and participated on many more. His newest album, “Daylight at Midnight” as just released in September 2011 and is his third album on Concord Records, building on the momentum of his two previous releases on that label: “Let it Come to You” (2008) garnered tremendous awards and included electrifying duets with world-music artists as well as jazz stars. Before that, his album "Lucky to Be Me" (2006), was nominated for two GRAMMY awards for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Jazz Solo, ending the year in the top 15 most-played jazz albums on the radio. His album before that, “Resonance” (2003) was released when Eigsti was only 19 years old and climbed to the top 5 in National Radio Airplay for several weeks, receiving many 4-star reviews from publications such as Billboard Magazine, All Music Guide, and DownBeat*. *full of fresh enthusiasm, ideas, and formidable technique....{Taylor Eigsti’s new album} is nothing short of astonishing. 4 Stars!" - Judith Schlesinger, ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Taylor has been featured on the cover of both JAZZIZ and Keyboard Magazine, made the Downbeat Critic's Poll for two years in a row, and was featured in his own BET Television special. He has been the featured guest on a studio taping of Marian McPartlands‟ NPR program Piano Jazz and was the featured performer on a live recording with her at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. He can also be seen in several BET concert specials, filmed at Lincoln Center and in the British West Indies. Most recently, Taylor enjoyed being invited to compose and perform the soundtrack for Adrien Brody‟s latest film! He is managed by acclaimed jazz manager Mary Ann Topper, most notable for making stars of Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, and Joshua Redman, among others. Musicians that Eigsti frequently uses in his group include Julian Lage, (Eigsti's most frequent collaborator), Eric Harland, Reuben Rogers, Harish Raghavan, Ben Williams, Aaron McLendon, Kendrick Scott, Larry Koonse, and many others. Eigsti says, "There are so many amazing musicians to learn from constantly. I like always being challenged by the musicians that I play with, and all of the people I am lucky enough to play with inspire me to never stop trying to develop and grow as a musician and human being”.

Taylor first met Listen for Life‟s founder Donna Stoering through their mutual friend, composer Brent Heisinger, who had by coincidence written specific pieces for each of them to premiere. Taylor was impressed with the scope and nature of LfL‟s goals and offered to create a promotional video for their website. Due to constant travel schedules for them both, the video has yet to happen, but he did recently join some Listen for Life musicians in an extremely successful benefit concert and we are thrilled that he is able to join us for this Carnegie program, as his musical wizardry makes any concert very exciting!

Audio tracks included with this document: by kind permission of the artists concerned

 Listen for Life – Sample the World [3m28s], a medley of samples from the tracks listed below, performed by (in order of playing) Yair Dalal, Naser Musa, Faisal Zedan, Erin Nolan, Donna Stoering, Van-Anh Vanessa Vo, Patrick Landeza, and Taylor Eigsti (with Edmar Castaneda).

● Yair Dalal - Al Ol.mp3 [7m42s] ● Yair Dalal - Acco Malca.mp3 [3m17s]

● Naser Musa - Allah alaik.mp3 [4m42s] ● Naser Musa - Allah for hali alam.mp3 [4m56s]

● Faisal Zedan - Weli Weli Min Hubun.mp3 [4m53s] ● Faisal Zedan - Aziz Alaya Elnom.mp3 [4m01s]

● Erin Nolan - Bach Cello Suite No1 Courante.mp3 [2m02s], transposed for viola ● Erin Nolan - Bach Cello Suite No3 Bourrees.mp3 [3m46s], transposed for viola ● Erin Nolan - Insegnaci Signore.mp3 [2m14s], by Agostino Ricotta

● Donna Stoering as PIANIST: - A Walk Within Winter [Heisinger].mp3 [9m50s], composed for Donna by Brent Heisinger, based on Native American harmonies/rhythms, “about internal winter, or the process of meditation”. ● Donna Stoering as VOCALIST: - Rachmaninov Vespers.mp3 [1m09s], Contralto solo chant

● Van-Anh Vanessa Vo - Cherry Blossom Serenade.mp3 [7m08s] ● Van-Anh Vanessa Vo - Go Hunting.mp3 [5m01] ● Van-Anh Vanessa Vo - She's Not She.mp3 (excerpt) [1m27s]

● Patrick Landeza - Keawes Slack Key.mp3 [2m22] ● Patrick Landeza - Kilalila Na Rough Riders.mp3 [3m43]

● Taylor Eigsti - Fever.mp3 [5m37s], world-music duo with Columbian harpist Edmar Casteneda ● Taylor Eigsti - Daylight.mp3 [5m56s]

www.listenforlife.org/womex contains other materials (including Video), relating to this document.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]