Festival Accompanists
Robert Tigger Benford
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| no photo credit |
Tigger Benford is a percussionist,composer, and educator, specializing in hand drumming, improvisation and music for dance. Work in 2011 included a set of appearances at Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC as percussion soloist in Quentin Chiapetta’s score for Jody Sperling Time Lapse Dance, and two sets of appearances with The Washington Ballet, one set in DC, and this past summer at the International Ballet Festival in Bodrum, Turkey. Over the years he has produced four full length CDs, some in collaboration with fellow Bates musicians Peter Jones and Jesse Manno, and released an instructional DVD on the subject of percussion for modern dance class. He produced half evening length scores for Sean Curran and Jane Comfort, and performed them live at the Joyce Theatre, New Victory Theatre, and various universities around the country. Benford is an Associate Professor in the Dance Department of Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University,which has become a powerhouse of a department that he is proud to be part of. He is pleased to return to Bates Dance Festival for the 12th time.
Rajesh Bhandari
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| photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen |
Rajesh Bhandari began studying tabla at the age of nine at the East Indian Academy in New York with Pandit Ravideen Ramsamooj. He continued his study of tabla, harmonium and classical Hindustani vocal techniques as well as studying Latin, West African, Jazz and Western Classical music. Often sought after to accompany, he began teaching and performing in Florida in the late 90's. From 2000-2007 he served as an accompanist for New World School of the Arts (Miami) playing for Peter London, Daniel Lewis, Mary Barnett, Robert Battle, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Ethel Winter, Toni Pierce Sands, the Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham companies. From 2007-08 Rajesh was an accompanist at Rutgers University, The Martha Graham School and Peridance in NY. Rajesh has had the privilege to perform with Shakira, Lakshmi Shankar (vocalist for the film Gandhi), Krishna Mohan Bhatt, Falu, Sharafat Ali Khan, Questlove, Krishna Das and many others. In 2009, Rajesh had the opportunity to do a six-day workshop and performance with master tabla player, Ustad Zakir Hussain, at Carnegie Hall. He currently studies with Pandit Samir Chatterjee, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and Ustad Zakir Hussain and is developing his own world fusion group, The Rajesh Bhandari Project.
Glen Fittin
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| photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen |
Glen is an Adjunct Professor and dance musician for the Hofstra University Department of Dance, and a visiting specialist for Montclair State University, Dance New Amsterdam, and Steps on Broadway. He began playing for dance at Rutgers University where he later recorded his CD entitled, Circulation with Michael Toal. He has worked with choreographers Robert Battle, Michael Foley, Sean Curran, Donald McKayle, Gabe Masson, Aya Shibahara, Keith Thompson, Mark Dendy and David Dorfman, among others. Glen is the recipient of Meet the Composer and Center for American Music grants for his scores for dance. Focusing on the use of global percussion, including the frame drum, he has performed and recorded with Glen Velez, (Rhythm Color Exotica Ellipsis Arts 1996), Bernie Worrell, Tigger Benford, John Tchai, Joseph Jarman, Annea Lockwood, Dez Cadena, Richard Barone, Tony Visconti, Valerie Naranjo, Montego Joe,Women of the Calabash, The Rhythm Monsters, Marafanyi, Mbiradinda, and many others. Glen has accompanied and performed at the Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, Korea Drum Festival, Seoul Dance and Music Improv. Festival Rhethymno Renn Fest Crete. Kaatsbaan (NY) and the North American Frame Drum Festival. His theater credits include The Lion King on Broadway and Shrek the Musical. His current projects include serving as percussionist for legendary FUNK keyboardist, Bernie Worrell (P-Funk, Talking Heads) and Jimmy Destri (Blondie). Upcoming recordings are planned with jazz legend, John Tchcai and Joseph Jarman (Art Ensemble of Chicago).
Peter Jones
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| photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen |
Peter Jones is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and improviser with a wide stylistic range. He has been an active musician in the dance field for over 20 years. He has created numerous scores for choreographers including, Viscous Beauties for Kevin Wynn, 21st Century Stride for Danny Buraczeski’s JAZZDANCE! and The Metal Garden for Sean Curran. He has released seven CDs of music on his own recording label, Joneschord Music. New releases include Gradual Motion III and Gradual Motion IV. He is Musical Director for the dance program at Mount Holyoke College in western Massachusetts. www.joneschord.com
Carl Landa
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| photo by Arthur Fink |
Carl Landa is a full-time accompanist at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. He plays piano, synthesizer, percussion and hammered dulcimer and has composed scores for dance, video, film and television. Before joining the Skidmore faculty in 2000 he accompanied classes on a full-time basis at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Studio, Julliard School, Jose Limon Institute and many private studios in New York. http://www.carllanda.com/
Jesse Manno
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| photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen |
Jesse Manno is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and teacher based in Boulder, CO, where he is Music Director of the University of Colorado Dance Department and runs a small recording studio. His work has been presented all over the US, as well as in several European and Asian countries, and he has received three Meet the Composer grants, among others. Playing for dance classes has been his favorite professional activity for 25 years running. He is honored to be enjoying his thirteenth season doing so at the Bates Dance Festival. http://www.jessemanno.com/
Shamou
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| photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen |
Shamou’s music career began at an early age in his native Iran where he also studied and performed as a dancer with the Iranian National Ballet as a dancer. He began his formal music training in Tehran, studied with teachers from the Royal College of Music in London and completed his training at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is known nationally for his collaborative work with dancers, including the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., Mark Morris Dance Company, ODC/San Francisco and Prometheus Dance Company. He has contributed music to several CD compilations and has released his own solo CDs entitled Spirits Dance, Traces, and Shodjah with his former band by the same name, and Live at CCE with his current ensemble, Loopin. Shamou has taught hand drumming, percussion, music for dance and body music across the country in a wide variety of settings. http://www.shamou.com/
John Clark Stiefel
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| no photo credit |
Born in Atlanta, GA, keyboardist and composer, Clark Stiefel began his musical training at an early age taking piano lessons and singing with the Atlanta Boy Choir. He later attended the Oberlin Conservatory where he studied piano and electronic music. While a student at Oberlin, he began improvising for ballet and modern dance classes, going on to become a successful pianist for dance, working at such institutions as the American Dance Festival, the Bates Dance Festival, the Juilliard School, the Wuppertal Tanz Theater of Pina Bausch, The Salzburg Festspiele and the Paris Conservatory. The dance studios provided fertile ground for improvisation, experimentation and collaboration with choreographers, resulting in the creation of numerous works including Para 'M', first prizewinner in the 1994 Madrid Choreography and New Music Competition. From 1996-2001 he toured with Meredith Monk, performing concerts throughout Europe. In 2007 he became the lead singer, keyboardist and principle songwriter for the electro pop band Maison Vague, going on to become a three-time prize winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition (JLSC). In 2011 his debut album, Synthpop's Alive was released with critical success. Since 1992, Clark has been living in Essen, Germany where he is on the faculty of the Folkwang University of the Arts. He continues to give concerts, compose music for theater and dance, perform experiments in his home studio, and enjoy a full life of music making.
Dave Wiley
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| no photo credit |
Dave Willey is a multi-instrumentalist, dance accompanist, producer, engineer and composer. He is a graduate of the Naropa Institute. Dave leads the group Hamster Theatre as accordionist and primary composer, and is the bassist for Thinking Plague. Both groups have released numerous CD's on the Cuneiform label and performed at festivals in the US and in Europe. He has recorded many scores for dance for Colorado choreographers including Nancy Smith, Onye Ozuzu, Deborah Reshotko, Michelle Ellsworth and many others. Dave has worked in the Colorado University dance department since 1996, accompanying both graduate and undergraduate modern classes. He is known for playing a variety of instruments in a range of styles, incorporating re-interpretation and improvisation. His solo CD, Immeasurable Currents, has just been released on the Italian label altrOck, and his collaboration with Elaine di Falco and Cedric Vuille, 3 Mice, will be released in November on the Swiss label Les Disques Rayes. He currently performs in Colorado with Julie Monley and Frederic DesMoulins, The Dexter Payne Quartet, MIME, The Corvettes, Brian Mullins, and Hamster Theatre.
