Stephie Büttrich was born on the 4th of July in 1968 and decided to become a professional user of her vocal cords right after her first scream. After studying music in Köln, she went to Berlin with the musical group College of Hearts. Besides music, her passion has always been theatre. During the past several years she has performed in various experimental music/theatre works by Piotr Klimak, Matthew Ostrowski, Anne Wellmer, Scott Blick, and Paul Doornbusch. In addition she was featured as a soloist with the Gelsenkirchener Ensemble für Neue Musik. Since October 1997 she has been a member of the Crash Ensemble in Ireland, a group devoted to the promotion of contemporary music involving interactive multimedia. Since 1998 she works together with the German director U. Kirsten-Hanne and the Swiss choreographer C. Gehrig-Binder as a singer, actrice and composer. She started in 1999 the Trio Grand Mal with Justin Bennet and Anne Wellmer. In 2000 she performed Spi an electroacoustic cantate by Y. Kyriakides. In conjunction with her performance skills, Stephie Büttrich is an avid organizer and concert producer, directing and managing performances in Holland, Ireland, and Germany. A lot of Jolei's songs are explorations from her dream life and the writing on her forthcoming CD are quiet reflections on the nature of music in the everyday experience of living: observation and the mirror of desire, inspired by her work with the late cellist Arthur Russell. Jolei's father was a musician-turned-Economics professor who loved to sing and play guitar. All the kids, neighbors, strangers, who happened by sang along, hence a great sense of community was formed around the idea of music. At seventeen she went to New York City to record with the Shamanic singer Gabrielle Roth and she sang with Daisann McLane a.k.a. Lady Complaner and John Sherman (Peter Stampfel and the Bottlecaps), and then later on with Ernie Brooks and Arthur Russell on material from their Flying Hearts period. In the Summer of 1990 she toured with Jerry Harrison and the Casual Gods on a double bill with the Ramones. Joey ended up becoming a really good friend and when they returned to New York, she sang with him for awhile as a part of his side group The Resistance. There were vocal additions to other folk's work, including David Byrne's "Uh Oh" album (www.davidbyrne.com), the Tom Tom Club's "Dark Sneak Love action," the two Casual Gods' releases, and a bunch of stuff with Arthur Russell. She had acting parts in "Betrayed," "Black Rainbow,", "Crazy People," and others, and wrote some music for the TV show "Matlock." Since coming to Raleigh, North Carolina, she has worked with Stephen Ineson and Lee Kirby in the Milagro Saints and published the self-titled CD "Jolei" on Moon Caravan Music. (www.mooncaravan.com) Anne La Berge is a pioneer flutist/composer, working since the late '70's with interactive computer systems, microtonality, improvisation and as a leading interpreter of contemporary chamber music. At the core of her work lies the sound that first gained her an international reputation, paving the way for a new, more physical approach to the flute: "The miracle of her sound technique is supported by, among other things, different lip-positions, attacks, ways of breathing, distance from the microphone-everything has been foreseen and elaborated," writes Muusika. "Her textures are often two-voiced. It is all so complicated that it defies description and yet it sounds very natural, like a bird's song." Entracte adds, "This next to, and often combined with, normal flute playing; her playing is fully virtuosic." Anne La Berge grew up in Minnesota, USA and has lived since 1989 in Amsterdam. She currently performs with David Dramm, Cor Fuhler, Gert Jan Prins, Anna McMichael and in numerous improvisation and chamber music projects in Europe and the US. In the fall of 2000 she toured the US with Gert-Jan Prins with their duo "United Noise Toys" and will be touring again in May 2001. Their CD has been released by X-OR on Tour (08). She can be heard in a range of settings from modern ballet music in the music theaters of Holland to improvised electronic music in the local squat buildings. In October 1999 she co-founded the series "kraakgeluiden in de binnenstad" for weekly electro-acoustic improvisatiion sessions in Amsterdam. This series has received national recognition for it's adventuresome programming. It has also received financial support for it's third year from the Dutch government for the 2001-2002 season. In the 2001 season she commissioned Anne Wellmer and Alison Isadora to compose solo works for her with interactive/improvised music and video. These works, Travelling barefoot and Native Tongue have toured Holland and will continue to receive performances in the next season. She commissioned and performed the Flute Concerto #1 by Hanna Kulenty with the Dutch ensemble, The Ereprijs, and performed her own works, The Freaks went to sea and Cross at festivals in Holland, Austria and the US. In November 2001 the city of Groningen, Holland is dedicating a week long festival called "anne around" to her recent projects, most of which involve interactive technology including powerbooks running MAX/MSP, LiSa, Imagine and the Clavia MicroModular. She is adviser for Brannen and Kingma flute companies, specifically for the development of extended-system flutes. Her repertoire is composed for these instruments. Her works and CD blow are published by Frog Peak Music. She has received regular funding for her projects from the Dutch Funds for the Performing Arts. An agenda of current performances and projects can be found at: www.annelaberge.com Peter Zummo has been composing for solo trombone and ensemble since 1967. He has performed and produced this body of work worldwide, and has recorded it for CD, LP and video release. Critics and colleagues describe him as an important exponent of the American contemporary classical tradition. His compositions include influences of the minimal, jazz, world music, and rock styles. Zummo has devised pioneering ensembles and new instrumental techniques for trombone, valve trombone, didjeridu, euphonium, synthesizer and other electronic instruments, and voice. In addition, from 1975 to the present, he has performed and recorded the work of many other major contemporary, jazz, popular, and classical composers in New York City, around the United States, and in Europe. Zummo's compositions are published by Frog Peak. Recorded releases of his work include the LP Zummo With an X, on Loris Records. CDs include Experimenting With Household Chemicals, on XI; Slybersonic Tromosome, on Penumbra; and Downtown Only, on Lovely Music. Xavier Verhelst is both a composer and musician, whose skills range from baroque to jazz. Next to freelance work for symphony and opera orchestras, baroque and contemporary music ensembles he leads his own 'virtually big band' The Mean Team. (cf. The Mean Team) Ernie Brooks is a real punk pioneer. You may recognize his bass playing from the Modern Lovers, one of the great proto-punk albums of all-time released in 1976. This is just one highlight in Ernie's career, he has performed with some of the real music legends - Jerry Harrison, New York Dolls even Allen Ginsberg. He has also performed or recorded with John Sherman, Ed Tomney, Randy Gunn, Jesse Chamberlain and English guitar legend Chris Spedding. Arthur Russell and Elliott Murphy nurtured Ernie's songwriting skills (separately) and their influence remains intact today, after a dozen records and countless tours. Apparantly, his limits are boundaryless - recording and performing with David Johansen, Peter Gordon's "Love of Life Orchestra" and minimalist composer Rhys Chatham's ensemble, which later expanded to a 100 guitar orchestra. Ernie regrouped with Jerry Harrison in the eighties for his Casual Gods albums, touring with Chris Spedding, Bernie Worrell and Joyce Bowden. He then moved to France where he worked with Elliott Rhys, Tony Truant and free-jazz grunge guitarist Jean Francoid Pauvros. He currently lives in New York and often performs with Gods and Monsters and various formations with trombone wizard Peter Zummo. Ernie plans to release his album with Moon Caravan in 2003. Mustafa Ahmed is an Afro-Caribbean percussionist. He has had a long association with composer/arranger Peter Zummo, contributing to many concert appearances and to Zummo's critically acclaimed "Experimenting with Household Chemicals." Since the 1980's, Mustafa has performed or recorded alongside a diverse group of "cutting edge" musicians, composers, and choreographers such as: Stanley Banks, Rashid Bakr, Jon Bates, Ernie Brooks, Trisha Brown, Ted Daniels, Peter Gordon, Curtis Fowlkes, Bill T. Jones, "Blue" Gene Tyranny, and Willie White. Mustafa's recent recordings include: "Portable Darkness" and "Seventh Moon" by Charles Compo; "Harmonic Protection Circle" and "Waking in New York" by Elodie Lauten; "Calling Out of Context" by Arthur Russell; and "Total Praise Live" by Total Praise/Emmanuel Baptist Church. Michael Weilacher was born (1969) in Rochester,NY where he attended the Eastman School of Music. Michael was in his earliest years active in the local orchestra scene as well as the rock music scene. He later attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he studied with the Percussion Group Cincinnati and recieved his Bachelor's diploma in music performance. While in Cincinnati he worked as a free lance musician in rock groups, a steeldrum group as well as with dancers from different schools in the area including at the Conservatory. After finishing his studies ,he received an invitation to study as an assistant to marimbist Robert Van Sice at the Rotterdamse Conservatorium in the Netherlands. He did his first performances in Gent (1992) in the New Ears festival with the guest composer Mauricio Kagel. There he became acquainted with several Belgian composers and musicians alike; Frank Nuyts, Karel Goeyvaerts, Lucian Goethals, Godfried Willem Raes, Luk Vaes and Geert Logghe to name a few. While studying in Rotterdam, Michael became acquainted also with the Belgian new music ensemble Champ d'Action and after receiving his 'Masters' diploma, moved to Antwerp to work with the ensemble. Michael has since then (1993) lived and worked in Belgium both as a soloist and as a performer in many groups; ensemble Musique Nouvelle, Zeitklang (with Alain Franco), Ictus ensemble, QO2, Blindman quartet, the Flemish Opera (with Rene Jacobs), the Royal Flemish Philharmonia, Il Novecento, the Young Philharmonic Orchestra, and several others including the Television actress Els de Schepper. Michael's solo carreer has brought him recognition in Europe as well as abroad where he has performed and given master classes in Brazil, the U.S.A., Canada, Finland, Italy, Portugal, France, Poland, Greece, and farther. He has worked with composers James Wood, Steve Reich, Helmut Lachermann, Volker Staub and the Belgian composers Serge Verstockt, Geert Logghe, Frank Nuyts, Eric de Visscher, Frederic Rzewski (who lives in Brussel),and Karel Goeyvaerts. Michael has made numerous recording of works from these composers as well as some of his own works for solo percussion as well as ensemble pieces. Michael has been working extensively with vzw De Krijtkring and the artistic director Luc Mishalle, where he performed for the opening ceremonies of Brussel 2000 and furthermore composed pieces for Fanfarrah who performed in the Zinneke parade as part of Brussel 2000. His work with the vzw has also led him into other fields including musictheatre, where along with Luc Mishalle and Guy Cassiers he created a piece based on texts from the American writer Sam Shepard. Michael is presently working with Ictus ensemble and the Rosas dance company where he has recently performed the new creation APRIL ME in the De Munt theatre in Brussel. Michael also received a commission to compose music for steeldrums with concerts which took place in Het Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp and continues to work with other dancers in Belgium including ex Rosas dancers Vincent Dunoyer and Roberto Olivan. He has recently recorded a full length CD with the composer Paulo Chagas and will be performing some of his music next year in Brazil as well as in California. Michael plans to continue his work with Ictus and will be giving workshops in Bethlehem as well as concerts and workshops in the US. Michael Weilacher Guy De Bièvre - Self taught composer, arranger, musician, sound engineer and sound designer. He seems to have decided to quit writing (late) 20th Century music in 1999. Before that his music has been commissioned and/or performed by musicians such as Guy Klucevsek, Seth Josel, Anne La Berge, The Bozza Mansion Project, Gene Carl, Annette Sachs, Zivatar Trio and various local and international organizations. 'Polka Dots and Laser Beams' was recorded by Guy Klucevsek and the Ain't Nothin' But a Polka Band and issued on CD on the Japanese Eva label and the Italian Pierrot Lunaire label; other works have been recorded and broadcasted by the Flemish Public Radio. In 2002 a collaboration with Phill Niblock was published on the Ringtones CD (Touch). He is active as a performer (microphone, guitar and computer), which recently issued in collaborations with composers Phill Niblock, Tom Hamilton and Peter Zummo. As a composer/performer he now focuses on experiments which combine computer, live electronics, acoustics and standard arrangement formats. Next to all this he is freelancing as a sound engineer, sound designer and advisor, microcontroller developer for various organizations and artists and is the curator of the audio art series Earwitness at CCNOA (Center for Contemporary Non Objective Art). www.guydebievre.org