enhake (in-HA-kee) is an emerging classical chamber ensemble comprised of members from South Korea and the United States. Drawing its name from the Seminole (Creek) word for sound or call, enhake is committed to bringing sublime chamber music to its audience with a sincere respect and love for the score. Its distinctive instrumentation (clarinet-cello-violin-piano) allows its musicians the flexibility to perform repertoire from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras to the most captivating contemporary works.
Originally formed at Florida State University in 2007, enhake has been praised for its "frighteningly good" (Tallahassee Democrat) and "invigorating" (WFSQ Nuances Show) performances. In less than two years since its inception, the group has collected an impressive array of recognitions, including the Grand Prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition (2009), Gold Medal at the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition (2008), Judges' Special Recognition Award at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition (2008), and the James and Lola Faust Chamber Music Scholarship (2009). enhake has also received American Composers Forum's Encore grant and FSU's Musical Associate Grants. Following its acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut at the 2008 ICMEC Winner's Concert (Weill Recital Hall), enhake has quickly established itself by concertizing throughout the United States and Costa Rica.
Featuring a vast repertoire ranging from classical masterworks by Beethoven and Mozart to its own arrangements of Piazzolla's tangos, enhake has received enthusiastic responses at the Promising Artists of the 21st Century Series (Costa Rica), OK MOZART Festival (Bartlesville, OK), Olivier Messiaen Centennial Celebration at Opperman Music Hall (Tallahassee, FL) and FSU's Fourteenth Biennial New Music Festival. In addition, enhake has performed guest artist recitals at universities in Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, and Costa Rica. A staunch advocate of new music, enhake is known for its adventurous programming and collaborations with other artists/organizations like the Tallahassee Ballet Company in a production of An Evening of Music and Dance. In 2009 enhake commissioned a new work by renowned composer Libby Larsen as well as compositions by several of America's forthcoming composers whose world premieres will grace their 2009-2010 schedule.
As an ensemble-in-residence of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras, enhake is an active promoter of educational outreach in the Leon County school system. enhake has given master classes at universities in the US and abroad. During its recent week-long residency in Costa Rica in conjunction with the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano, the members taught at the University of Costa Rica School of Music, Bach Institute of Music (San Jose), and the National Superior Institute of Music (Moravia). They have also given a lecture recital at the Florida State Music Teachers Association Conference (2009).
A sampling of the many accolades accorded to vibraphonist/marimbist Tom Collier during his 50 years in music is a reflection of his international reputation in jazz, classical and pop circles. Collier celebrated his first public performance at the age of 5 in 1954 and marked the 50th anniversary of that performance with a concert at Brechimin Auditorium in Seattle in April of 2004.
Tom has appeared in concert and on recordings with many important jazz and popular artists including Eddie Daniels, Ry Cooder, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Roger Kellaway, Emil Richards, Don Grusin, Frank Zappa, Victor Feldman, Howard Roberts, Ernie Watts, Dave Holland, Cal Tjader, Shelly Manne, Joe Porcaro, Laurindo Almeida, Buddy DeFranco, Diane Schurr, Peggy Lee, Natalie Cole, Morganna King, Herb Ellis, Bill Mays, Bobby Shew, Ernestine Anderson, Mannheim Steamroller, Sammy Davis, Jr., Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton-John, The Beach Boys, The Mills Brothers, Della Reese and many more.
In the classical arena, Collier has appeared as guest soloist with the Seattle Symphony, The Denver Symphony, The Bellevue Philharmonic, The Northwest Chamber Orchestra, The Everett Symphony and The Olympia Symphony. He was timpanist in the Los Angeles Repertoire Orchestra in 1976, vibraphonist in L.A. Contempo Four, 1975-77(a modern music ensemble), timpanist with the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, 1972-73 as well as the Federal Way Chorale. Collier has released several albums as leader or co-leader beginning with Whistling Midgets (with long-time musical cohort Dan Dean) for Inner City Records in 1981. Other albums include Illusion (1988, T.C. Records), Pacific Aire (1990, Nebula Records) and Mallet Jazz (2004, Origin Records). Collier and Dean's 2005 album, Duets on Origin Records, was nominated for "Album of the Year" by Earshot Magazine.
In addition to the above, Tom Collier has been director of Percussion Studies at the University of Washington since 1980. He has recorded several educational albums for Music Minus One and Studio 4 Music and has presented over 300 jazz concerts in public schools around Washington State for the Arts In Education Program of the state Arts Commission. In 1980, Collier was presented with an "Outstanding Service To Jazz Education" award by the National Association of Jazz Educators, and over the past twenty years, he has won sixteen ASCAP Popular Panel Awards for his various jazz and percussion compositions.
Dr. Brian L. Bowman enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, clinician, recording artist, educator and administrator. Dr. Bowman has held the principal euphonium position, in addition to being a featured soloist in each of the bands he has been associated with: The University of Michigan Symphony Band, The United States Navy Band, The United States Bicentennial Band, The United States Air Force Band and the River City Brass Band.
In addition to his live performances, Dr. Bowman can be heard on over 35 service band recordings and his six solo albums. Currently Professor of Music (Euphonium) in the College of Music at The University of North Texas, Dr. Bowman has also served on the music faculty of eight other universities. In 1989 he was named the British Magazines Euphonium Player of the Year, and in 1995 was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association. He is the only living euphoniumist to be included in the book Twentieth-Century Brass Soloists by Michael Meckna.
As an authority in the field of euphonium performance, Brian Bowman has been asked to serve as adjudicator of many national and international euphonium competitions over the past thirty years. He has been a member of competition juries for international professional music competitions in the United States, France and Japan. He was the president of the euphonium solo competition in Australia in December 1999. In 1994, an annual competition in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, was named the Brian L. Bowman Euphonium Solo Competition in his honor.
Dr. Bowman has contributed significantly to the body of literature available for euphonium performers today. Not only have composers written new works at Bowman’s specific request, but also many works have resulted merely from the composer being acquainted with Bowman and having heard his performance capabilities. Of the seven new euphonium works commissioned by the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association since it’s inception in 1974, Bowman has premiered four. A major thrust of Bowman’s career has been working to generate quality new compositions for his beloved instrument.
Flutist, composer, and bandleader Rhonda Larson entered the national music scene from her native Montana by winning first prize in the National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition in 1985, including a Carnegie Hall debut. Shortly thereafter, Rhonda joined forces with the Paul Winter Consort, initiating her journey of combining diverse musical styles in addition to her classical training. Rhonda won a Grammy Award during her last year with the Consort, departing the group at that time to embark on her individual cross-cultural/multi-genre music path. Rhonda's diversity, combined with her musical and technical wizardry, has begun a new generation for the flute as a leading voice in the music world. Composing much of her own repertoire, Larson continues to be recognized as a visionary force creating a refreshing hybrid music for the flute, including her versatility on an array of ethnic flutes from around the world. Larson journeyed to South Africa as a musical ambassador for the United States to perform for the Parliament of the World's Religions, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. In addition to South Africa, Rhonda has toured in Russia, Japan, Europe, Central America and throughout North America. She has recently performed in Ireland, Italy, and Spain. In Spain she recorded with the Celtic Galician group "Milladoiro" from the Santiago de Compostela region, and performed as a guest soloist with this stellar bunch along with guest soloist Eileen Ivers, famed celtic fiddle player of the original "Riverdance" troupe.
Rhonda has a discography of over 19 commercial recordings from label/distributors such as Windham Hill and American Gramaphone, among others. She has recorded a variety of flute music for the CBS television series, "Survivor" and "The Restaurant", and performed on the Live CBS finale episode of "Survivor" from Madison Square Gardens, seen by over 40 million viewers.
Rhonda has two solo recordings, Free as a Bird, and her newly released second solo CD, Distant Mirrors. The latter is an eclectic musical reflection on world cultures and ancient traditions, and was listed in the top ten of the "25 Essential CD's for 2003" nationally syndicated Public Radio program, Echoes. Rhonda is featured in the 2003 "Flute Stories--101 Inspirational Stories from the World's Best Flute Players", Windplayers publication. Ms. Larson is on the Board of Directors of the National Flute Association. Rhonda has been a Pearl Flute performing artist since 1987. Ms. Larson recently returned from nine months in Ramallah, Palestine (West Bank), where she taught flute at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music.
Rhonda and her husband Lee deLisle live in Southwestern Michigan, and part-time at their second home in the Lazio region of Italy.
You can learn more about Rhonda from her website at: www.RhondaLarson.com
