MEI HAN - FALL MOON CONCERTS - ARTISTS - WATCH - ASZA


ARTISTS

Róisín Adams, hailed as “a master composer and improviser” by The North Shore News, is a Vancouver-based visionary whose work combines ethereal, textured melodicism with an underpinning of intellectual rigor. An imaginative and prolific composer, pianist, bandleader and educator, Adams is also an astute collaborator in a range of projects. She founded the improvisatory instrumental jazz quartet Hildegard’s Ghost in 2013, and also performs with contemporary acoustic trio Adams/Hopkins/Romain and in drummer Dan Gaucher's project Stop Time III. Her work has been featured at the Silk Purse Jazz Waves Series, Queer Arts Festival, Sonic Boom Festival, Western Front, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Kay Meek Theatre, and TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Tess Anderson is a Vancouver-based singer-songwriter who enchants audiences with intimate and candid performances. Open and unapologetic, she invites listeners into her most vulnerable moments through honest and authentic storytelling. Whether alone on stage with nothing but a keyboard and a guitar, or backed by a full band, she’s been known to silence crowds with her captivating musical presence. Pulling inspiration everywhere from old-school jazz standards to modern pop, her sound is heavily driven by her unmistakable voice. With over ten years of songwriting and performance experience, 42 live shows in 2019 and four single releases to date, Tess continues to build a name for herself in the Vancouver music scene.

Nicole Arendt is as strong and flexible as a percussionist and composer as she is as a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. She’s been a drummer in an all-girl pop band, Baroque timpanist in early music groups, soundscape creator for modern dance, marimba and piano player in new music presentations, and an orchestral percussionist who delights in getting to play at the most exciting parts of the music. She holds an MMus from the University of Victoria and a BMus from the University of Alberta where she studied percussion performance and composition. Nicole is the Principal Timpanist of the Vancouver Island Symphony and a freelance percussionist in a wide range of orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout BC. She is co-director of Brave New Band which features her work as a composer, improviser, and marimba player. 

Parmela Attariwala is a violist, ethnomusicologist, arts equity advocate, and educator. Trained as an interpreter of Western art music, Parmela’s creative work explores the liminal space between musical genres, artistic disciplines and identities. Through the Attar Project, she has released three albums featuring avant-garde works for violin and tabla. She has also collaborated extensively with choreographers as composer and movement artist. More recently, Parmela has been creating musical responses to visual art installations, including those of Jeffrey Gibson, Nep Sidhu, Luciana Santos, Peter Morin, and Ayumi Goto. Over the past year, Parmela has been immersed in initiatives that radically reimagine the Canadian musical ecosystem, from education through presentation.

Anandi Bhattacharya is a child prodigy in a family filled with illustrious musicians and singers. Her father, slide guitar maestro Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, has been her constant guide. She was featured in her father’s award winning album Beyond the Ragasphere with  John Mclaughlin and Jerry Douglas. At 17, she recorded a Tiny Desk Concert on National Public Radio, in the USA. In 2018, her award winning debut album Joys Abound topped the World Music Europe and the Transglobal World Music Charts Europe for best album. Anandi was featured on Anoushka Shankar’s 2021 single Sister Susanah, and on Shankar’s recently released Opening, Flowering, Drinking with Nora Jones. She is the librettist, a co-composer and soloist for the Berlin Philharmonic’s mixed media production that will premiere in Singapore, 2022. Anandi Bhattacharya’s career spans 17 countries and is still growing rapidly.

Debashish Bhattacharya is a phenomenon! A master of the Indian slide guitar, inventor, festival organizer, and fundraiser using his international reputation to aid musicians in need. His transcendent music draws deeply from its Indian classical roots to also embrace jazz, and world music. The beauty and mastery of his music onstage is only matched by the beauty of the instrument he plays and invented, the incredibly ornate chaturangui, a favorite for museums around the world. Hs teacher was Brij Bhushan Khabra, the father of Indian classical guitar, and Battacharya continues Khabra’s spirit of blending tradition with innovation. Touring to major festival stages and concert series worldwide, Battacharya has won numerous awards, reached Billboard’s Top 10 and was nominated for a Grammy.

Krystle Dos Santos is a 2x Western Canadian Music Award winning soul, jazz and R&B singer based out of Vancouver, Canada. With an extraordinary voice that is commanding, powerful and rich with talent, her music, inspired by classic and neo-soul combined with smooth R&B elements is executed brilliantly; It’s simultaneously elegant, bold and sensual as heard on her album BLOOM|BURN, Dos Santos which received the WCMA R&B Artist of the Year for 2020.  She has performed across Canada at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival, Victoria Jazz Festivals, Honey Jam Toronto, the Whistler International Film Festival and many more. In addition to her music career, her developed sense of performance and stagecraft have launched her into a successful acting and TV career. Whether as a solo artist, fronting a band, or being in front of the camera, Dos Santos exudes confidence, poise and power. A dynamic performer, Krystle is always a step ahead of the crowd.

Ellwood Epps has a vital voice on the trumpet, playing a range of contemporary music from World, Jazz, Musique Actuelle, and free improv. Born in Toronto, Epps lives and works in Montreal, where he plays with the leading innovators in the world of creative music including: Lori Freedman, Jean Derome, Steve Lacy, William Parker, John Butcher, Henry Grimes, Axel Dörner, and Marshall Allen. He is co-founder and artistic director of l'Envers and co-founder of the Mardi Spaghetti series; in all he has presented upwards of 1000 concerts. He has also worked as co-director of the Festival of New Trumpet Music Canada. Ellwood has played on over 85 records, including 25 as leader/co-leader. He also teaches a popular series of improvised music workshops through the Studio d'Improvisation de Montreal which he co-founded in 2009.

George Gao - Gemini-award nominated Canadian musician George Gao started learning erhu at the age of six and went on to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Today, he is a world-renowned erhu performer and a renaissance man who has written and arranged music for films, television and Broadway musicals. At the same time, he is also a producer to many global musicians and artists. George Gao is also known for his superior musicianship and for being one of the most innovative and representative fiddlers of his generation.

Besides performing with orchestras worldwide, George Gao is a visiting professor at the China Conservatory of Music, the National Taiwan University of Arts, the Zao Zhuang University, the Jiang Xi University of Science and Technology in China and Ogaki Women's College in Japan.

Mei Han - Mei Han is a rare blend of performer and scholar, specializing in the Chinese zheng (zither), the parent instrument of the Asian long zither family. Recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading virtuosi and authorities on the zheng, Mei’s career spans Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Mei presents music deeply rooted in over two thousand years of Chinese culture, combined with traditional and groundbreaking contemporary works that redefine the zheng as a serious instrument of expression for the international concert stage. The Montreal Gazette called her “The Zheng Master” and the Calgary Herald referred to her as a “virtuoso of the first order”. Mei has a Ph.D in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia and lectures worldwide.
Guilian Liu is recognized internationally as one of the world’s premiere pipa (Chinese lute) masters. Liu graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing and won the first prize in a national instrumental music competition in 1989. Before coming to Canada, she was the Director of the Shanghai Pipa Society, and a member of the Chinese National Orchestral Society. Liu has performed internationally, acclaimed for her impeccable expressiveness and techniques. Her superb virtuosity has made her a much sought-after artist in the west, and as a result she has worked in a wide variety of musical genres with top composers. Liu is a member of Mei Han's internationally touring Red Chamber ensemble.

Me:she’s music embodies a sophistication born of training, soul searching, and a rich life experience. From her dark smooth voice flow compelling eclectic lyrics that float on her jazz classical infused piano style, with forays into Roma, folk, and pop. Her Irish, French and Trinidadian roots are evident in her unique sound, that is at times theatrical, revealing her studies as an actor. She has been making music for close to 20 years, with songs speaking of growth, travel, transformation and awakening. Me:she’s music is hard to classify so best to just immerse yourself within and discover something amazing.

Jill Fai’s voice is made for stadiums, with a big rock band backing her up. Rock reverberates through every note and every cell of her being. These voices come once in a decade and she has it in spades. Backed by her husband, they are a team of hard rockin co-writers to watch and listen to. Deeply inspired by 80’s rock, they also pull liberally from Blues, Jazz and Metal. You can hear a host of influences in their music, from Heart, Kim Mitchell, and Aretha Franklin, to Sass Jordan, Nina Simone, and Alice In Chains. Yet their sound is uniquely their own. Their first single has received radio play around the world and they are building an audience quickly that is thirsting for this music. If you hear a big bold sound roaring in the night air, that is just Jill Fai & Moving Lines warming up.

Jocelyn Pettit is a multicultural artist with heritage from Scotland, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and Malaysia, whose music celebrates Canada’s cultural diversity, integrating Celtic and folk traditions of her roots. Jocelyn has toured across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and Malaysia. Performances have taken her from international festival stages and theatres, to intimate house concerts and community dances; to medieval castles and royal events. Jocelyn has appeared on CBC and BBC radio and television; performed for Her Majesty The Queen, and HRH Prince Charles; and shared the stage with internationally-renowned artists, The Chieftains, The Battlefield Band, and Carlos Núñez.
Jodi Proznick is a Juno-nominated bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator who has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ‘08 and the Galaxie Rising Star at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in ‘04. In addition to leading her own group, Jodi has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, such as PJ Perry, Don Thompson, and Dee Daniels, or visiting jazz artists including Michael Bublé, Byron Stripling, and Michael Feinstein. In addition to recording her own Juno-nominated CD as a leader, Jodi has been featured on over 40 recordings as a side person.
Tissa Rahim, the Persian Powerhouse, is an established West Coast musician with a 40-city North American tour under her belt, Tissa has performed at House of Blues in New Orleans, the Gramercy Theatre in New York, and Vancouver’s quintessential jazz and soul club, Guilt and Co. Named one of 24 Magazine’s “Top 24 under 24,” her collaborators include producers such as 100 Monkeys’ Jackson Rathbone. As a solo artist, Tissa is able to freely infuse Soul/RnB with the traditional Persian music her family has made for generations. Tissa's signature vocal style combines the depth of Lauryn Hill with the melodic playfulness of Googoosh.

Kathryn Schulmeister is a bassist who brings radiant energy and rigorous expression to her musical performances ranging from classical to experimental. With a fearless curiosity for collaborative environments, Kathryn’s enthusiasm for seeking opportunities to integrate improvisation, movement and theatre into her creative practice have led her to thrive as an active performer in festivals and venues around the world. She performs with a number of contemporary music ensembles from around the world. Kathryn is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Contemporary Music Performance, and studying with internationally acclaimed bassist/improviser/composer Mark Dresser. 

Jesse Stewart is a Canadian composer, improviser, percussionist, instrument builder, visual artist, educator, community arts activist dedicated to re-imagining the spaces between artistic disciplines. He has performed and recorded with musical luminaries including Pauline Oliveros, Hamid Drake, William Parker, Joe McPhee, David Mott, Ernst Reijseger, Stretch Orchestra (with Kevin Breit and Matt Brubeck), Michael Snow, and many others. He has been widely commissioned as a composer and artist. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Order of Ottawa, and the 2012 Juno “Instrumental Album of the Year” award for Stretch Orchestra’s self-titled debut CD.

Ellen Waterman is both a music scholar with a strong focus on music in Canada and a flutist specializing in creative improvisation. Ellen Waterman’s distinctive musical practice seamlessly blends flutes and vocalization. She has performed at national and international festivals and venues including Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound, the Guelph Jazz Festival, the Suoni Per Il Popolo, and the Onassis Stegi in Athens. Ellen is represented on premiere recordings of works by Brian Ferneyhough, R. Murray Schafer, and ~spin~ duo with James Harley. Her current projects include the improvisation duo Pama with Michael Waterman (theremin and invented instruments). Ellen holds the Helmut Kallmann Chair for Music in Canada at Carleton University.
Susana Williams’ musical career began in Caracas, Venezuela at the age of 13 when a professional band began rehearsing in her apartment building’s basement. The group of musicians let her sing one day for a laugh – only to hire her on the spot after recognizing a natural, powerful voice. From there she began singing everything from folk music to rock and roll while writing her own music and learning to play drums, congas and guitar.  Her credits include several Vancouver International Jazz Festivals, the Victoria Jazz Festival, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has shared the stage with internationally award-winning artists Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Johnny Rivera, Adonis Puente and Alex Cuba. She is the Musical Director of “Raices y Alas Flamenco” the avant-guard experimental flamenco company based in Vancouver, B.C and a film and TV composer for Melodie, Australia.