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Project PROPOSAL — CONFIRMED PERSONNEL
New York based Theo Bleckmann is a multi GRAMMY® nominated vocalist, composer and ECM recording artist who has recorded over 17 albums and collaborated with artists such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Sheila Jordan, Kneebody, Ben Monder, John Hollenbeck, Phil Kline, David Lang, Ulysses Owens Jr., Bang on a Can All-Stars and, most prominently, with Meredith Monk since 1994. Bleckmann has been interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and performed on the David Letterman show with Laurie Anderson. He has consistently appeared in top spots in DownBeat polls, and is a recipient of the prestigious JAZZ ECHO award from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie in his native Germany. Most recently he released an album with the celebrated brass quartet ‘The Westerlies’, toured Finland with the Oulu Symphony Orchestra and UMO Jazz Big Band performing his repertoire and own compositions. Most notably, Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer David Lang wrote a monodrama for Theo Bleckmann which was commissioned by the Japan Society and directed by legendary actor/director Yoshi Oida. The entire production was taken to Tokyo in Feb of 2023. A recording of it will be forthcoming. A new recording for ECM is also in the planning with Bleckmann’s new group tether trio.
Allison Easter has worked with Meredith Monk since the 1985 revival of Quarry. As a member of Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble, she has sung on recordings, toured the US, Europe, Asia, and received a “Bessie” Award for The Politics of Quiet.
She directed the chorus of Quarry in the 2003 Spoleto Festival. She was the first American woman to appear in the Off-Broadway percussion sensation STOMP. She played Vengeance in Will Pomerantz’s A Tale Of Two Cities, Jerri Lewis in Tony Zertuche’s Anchors, Ms. Porgy in the feature Vacuums, Anita Chambers on Law & Order, and danced with Susan Marshall and Company receiving a special mention in The Village Voice. Recently she toured with Jane Comfort and also appeared in Michelle Dorrance’s “Rhythms of Being” created for five STOMP veterans.
She has produced and directed original works at Ensemble Studio Theatre, the NY Fringe Festival, and has taught dance and performance at Bennington College, Naropa Institute, Marymount Manhattan College, Pace University, Sarah Lawrence, Horace Mann High School, NYU-Tisch and Music & Movement at Bank Street School Of Education.
Allison has also taught in the Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble education program at Bard HSEC, LOMA (Lower Manhattan Arts Academy), has staged the Folk Dance from Monk’s A Celebration Service worldwide, from Syracuse NY, Budapest, and Kiev to the Philippines. She currently teaches Pilates for Dancers and Moving with the Voice at Barnard College.
Nitcha(e) Tothong is a Thai-born, Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary , researcher and designer whose works focus on cross-medium pollination and the juxtaposition between digital and analog that inform each other to investigate how technology and media affect and shape us. Working alongside multidisciplinary teams and a wide range of clients, from individual artists to established companies internationally.
Nitcha's projects have been featured widely in the media, including Fast Company, T3, Adafruit and NHK World (Japan), IdN World (Hong Kong), as well as being exhibited at major festivals and institutions including IndieCade East, SXSW, and the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, as well as the industry-leading annual global event, ISWC.
Tamara Saffir is a multi-disciplinary performer originally from Sydney, Australia, now based in London, UK. A graduate of the BA (Hons) Acting: Musical Theatre program at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, she specializes in devised and physical theatre. As an actor, deviser, and puppeteer, she has worked with Lecoq- and Gaulier-trained companies such as Haste Theatre and Bric-a-Brac, as well as in immersive and children’s theatre with companies like Full House Theatre and Secret Cinema.
Her dance credits include Age Before Beauty (BBC) and work with the National Film and Television School (NFTS), showcasing her ability to merge movement with storytelling. As a Story and Movement Consultant on this project, she brings a deep understanding of movement’s role in narrative, drawing from her experience as an assistant director and choreographer at RCSSD. Passionate about discovering new ways to tell stories, she thrives in collaborative, cross-disciplinary environments where theatre, music, and visual media intersect.
Nicole resides in the world as a sound maker; mainly with percussion and electronics. They live in Brooklyn where they currently sub on Broadway’s, Hell’s Kitchen, tour with Blue Man Group World Tour and play in groups that could be genre-fied as highly composed art-rock (Goldfeather), to improvised ambient adjacent music (Alaara), or co-leading a hyper pop-punk band (pop kiss).
Nicole hopes to bring patience, listening, explosivity, respect and creativity to whatever collaboration they might find themselves in.
Morten Duun Aarup, a guitarist and composer from Aarhus, Denmark, has established himself as a sought-after figure in the international music scene. With a vast range of influences and a unique artistic voice, Morten's captivating guitar playing and innovative compositions have garnered widespread recognition. Having studied at the Jazz Institut Berlin under renowned mentors such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jim Black, and John Hollenbeck, and then completing his master's degree in Jazz Arts at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York, Morten's musical journey has been shaped by invaluable learning experiences. He has immersed himself in the vibrant jazz and creative music scenes of the many cities he has called home. Performing alongside esteemed musicians like Greg Cohen, Nels Cline, and Ingrid Jensen, he has showcased his virtuosity and seamlessly incorporated his diverse experiences into his music and his improvisation.
In 2024 Morten released his debut album, recorded at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The album features a collaboration with two highly celebrated vocalists and composers, Grammy®-nominated artist Theo Bleckmann, and Australian songwriter Mim Crellin. With this upcoming release, Morten Duun Aarup continues to push boundaries and leave an enduring impact on the global music landscape, captivating audiences with his expressive playing and fresh musical perspectives. He is currently based in New York City.
Kengchakaj is a Thai diaspora, Bangkok-born, Lenapehoking-based artist, pianist, improviser, and synthesist. His practice engages with organizing, synthesizing, and improvising sounds drawn from personal experience influenced by political complexities, ancestral soundscapes, and modes of collaboration and expression rooted in Southeast Asian tradition and lineage. His medium of expression spans acoustic piano, electronics, Southeast Asian tuned analog synthesizer, multichannel spatial audio, instrument making, and live coding—a practice of writing and executing code in real-time—utilizing technologies to produce a multisensory live performance.
Kengchakaj is a Manhattan School of Music (MM) graduate, a Fulbright Scholarship recipient, and a Gold Award Lumen Prize winner. He is a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, Lincoln Center Collider Fellow, and a Y11 NEW INC member. His projects have received development funds and support from the Jerome Foundation, the Lincoln Center, NEW INC, Queens Council on the Arts, City Artist Corps, Rhizome, Processing Foundation, CultureHub, Babycastles, Eyebeam, and Institute for Electronic Arts. He is one-half of elekhlekha อีเหละเขละขละ, a collaborative duo with interdisciplinary media artist, Nitcha Tothong.