Featured Speakers and Artists

Robyn Archer is a singer, performer, director, artistic director and writer. Her repertoire ranges from Brecht/Weill/Eisler and classic cabaret to country and western yodeling and her own songs and shows. She directed the Adelaide and Melbourne Festivals , the National Festival of Australian Theatre and created Ten Days on the Island for Tasmania. She worked for two years as artistic director of Liverpool European Capital of Culture.

During the last 25 years, René Barsalo founded several design and software companies in multimedia and eBusiness. HyperActive in the arts, communication and IT sectors, he is a very efficient human router. Attracted by the high energy and innovation factor of the emerging digital culture, René is now at the center of all links between technological artists, researchers and entrepreneurs at the SAT, a transdisciplinary centre in Montreal dedicated to research, creation, production, presentation, education and conservation in the field of digital culture. SAT : www.sat.qc.ca

Sara Billmann is in her 11th year as marketing and communications director for the University Musical Society (UMS), a 128-year-old presenting organization on the University of Michigan campus that connects audiences with artists in music, dance, and theater. In this position, she oversees the strategic and creative campaigns for a 50-event/70-performance season. She has spoken about peer-to-peer marketing, audience development, and research at the Arts Presenters, Arts Midwest, and National Arts Marketing Project conferences. Sara received an MBA from Stanford University with additional certification in nonprofit management and a Bachelor's of Arts degree in English from the University of Michigan.

Philip Bither has served as the Walker Art Center’s Curator of Performing Arts since 1997, directing one of the country's leading contemporary performing arts programs. He oversaw the conception and building of the McGuire Theater, an acclaimed new theatrical home within the Walker expansion (opened April 2005) and has commissioned nearly 100 new works in dance, music, and performance. He annually curates and presents performances and residencies by dozens of contemporary performing arts creators, from established to emerging. Prior to the Walker, he served as Artistic Director for the Flynn Theatre and the Discover Jazz Festival in Burlington, VT and during the 1980s worked as the Associate Director/Music Curator of the Next Wave Festival at Brooklyn Academy of Music. He regularly sits on federal, state, local, and national foundation arts panels and speaks publicly on issues of contemporary performance. He currently is an Advisor for the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project.

Nicole Borrelli, an Artist Manager at ICM Artists, oversees the project development, market placement and tour management for a select list of contemporary music and theater artists -- including eighth blackbird, Cynthia Hopkins, The Flying Machine, The Acting Company and Eileen Ivers. Previously she was a booking agent at ICM Artists, booking manager at International Production Associates in New York, and producer of developing works at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Bradley is a producer, presenter, arts executive, advocate, and international cultural consultant. She came to Carnegie Mellon University as Head of the School of Drama in September 2001. Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Bradley was CEO of the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts in her native Toronto. Her theatrical producing credits include Tony-nominated Broadway productions, Edinburgh Festival premieres and extensive US tours to major houses such as the Kennedy Center and City Center in New York. She has worked directly for artists as manager and agent, and occupied a senior management position for the Stratford Festival of Canada. Recently reappointed to a second five year term at Carnegie Mellon, Elizabeth was the Artistic Director of the first edition of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts held in October of 2004. She is a past Chair of ISPA.

Joshua Dachs, an architect and theatre planning & design consultant, is the head of Fisher Dachs Associates, one of the leading firms of its kind. The firm has completed literally hundreds of performing arts projects, from large to small, new construction to renovation and adaptive reuse. Among his current projects are three of America's leading regional theatres: the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; the Guthrie, in Minneapolis, Mn., and the Alley Theatre, in Houston, Texas. Mr. Dachs is a graduate of the High School of Music and Art in New York, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University.

ETHEL is four world-class musicians who have come together to create a hot new sound. Bluesy, hard swinging, playful, and fueled by fiery passion, ETHEL defies categorization. This musically omnivorous string band from New York City has been described as "the fiercest string quartet this side of hell," and "the most bad-ass quartet around''. John Walters of the Guardian (UK) says ''I wish there were more rock bands who played like ETHEL.'' ETHEL's irreverence and panache inspires raves from every corner and one thing is certain: ETHEL will keep you riveted to the edge of your seat.
In its seven seasons together, ETHEL has created its own rich playing style -- a fusion of blues, rock, classical, jazz, and experimental genres -- that has developed from each member's unique experience in the music world. Members of the group have collaborated with some of today's most compelling artists, including Sheryl Crow, Gorillaz, Roger Daltrey, Yo-Yo Ma, Ornette Coleman, and Lenny Kravitz. ETHEL is a favorite at countless festivals and venues around the globe, as well as a ubiquitous presence on the New York music scene. Totally unpretentious and committed to reaching audiences of all stripes, the band continues to receive critical acclaim from major publications including The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Strings Magazine.

David Fraher has been executive director of Arts Midwest since January 1984 when he joined the Affiliated State Arts Agencies of the Upper Midwest and successfully led that organization through a merger with Great Lakes Arts Alliance, forming Arts Midwest in July 1985. Prior to his position at Arts Midwest, David had been the executive director of the Wyoming Council on the Arts and had worked as a consultant for the Western States Arts Foundation in Santa Fe where he designed and developed the Western States Book Awards project. He has been active as a panelist and trustee for numerous arts organizations over the past twelve years, including terms on the boards of Western States Arts Foundation, BOA Publishing, Inc., and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. He has also served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Charitable Trusts. David has a degree in creative writing from SUNY at Brockport, New York and has taken graduate studies at Ohio University in Athens.

Vallejo Gantner has been the Artistic Director of Performance Space 122 since December 2004. Performance Space 122 is one of New York's leading presenters of experimental and innovative performance arts. Prior to this, he was Director of the Dublin Fringe Festival from 2002 - 2004, and the Artistic Associate of the Melbourne Festival from 2000 - 2001. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gantner has worked in a wide range of capacities throughout the arts including as a director, writer, performer, agent, producer and programmer.
Gantner has also worked in Asia and the United States as a theatre director and producer.
He is a partner in a brewery - Mountain Goat Beer and in Melbourne bars Double Happiness and New Gold Mountain, and recently co-produced a Spiegeltent season on Pier 17 in Manhattan, including the hit ''Absinthe''.
Gantner is also the Advisory Chair of the Arts Network of Advance (Global Australian Professionals), and on the board of directors of the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) in Australia, Synapse Productions in NYC and the advisory board of the Orchard Project in the Catskills in New York. In 2005 he was a speaker at the Deakin Lectures in Melbourne.

Rika Iino is CEO of SOZO MEDIA, a boutique marketing and production company dedicated to developing, producing and promoting cutting edge international artists and live event productions that cross a wide range of artistic and cultural platforms. Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, where Rika grew up training as a pianist, she has also studied music in Austria and at Columbia University. Most recently she produced and curated Hip-Hop Unbound, a 2-week festival at NYU Skirball Center.

Guy Klucevsek has created a unique repertoire for accordion through his own composing and by commissioning over 50 works from many international composers.  He has collaborated with many prominent artists in creating music/theatre pieces, including Squeezeplay, Hard Coal and Chinoiserie.  Solo performances include the Ten Days on the Island and Adelaide Festivals in Australia, the Berlin Jazz Festival, New Music America, Serious Fun! at Lincoln Center, Bang on a Can, and the children’s television show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. 
In 1996, Klucevsek formed The Accordion Tribe, an international line-up of composer/accordionists.  They have released two recordings on the Intuition label. Klucevsek has released 16 recordings as soloist/leader, including Polka Dots & Laser Beams, Who Stole the Polka? and Transylvanian Softwear. You can also hear him on John Williams' scores for the Steven Spielberg films The Terminal and  Munich. He has performed on Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof, Victor/Victoria and Piaf.

Thomas O. Kriegsmann is a producer and curator who founded ArKtype in 2006 toward the long-term development, production and touring of new internationally based performance companies and projects. His past work in the U.S. and abroad includes projects with BAM Next Wave Festival, Performance Space 122, Fresh Terrain Festival of Performance Theater, Austin, TX, Hartford Stage Company (Brand:New Festival of New Works), Actors Theater of Louisville, New York Theater Workshop, Mark Taper Forum, Apollo Theater, The Culture Project, Lincoln Center, Barbican Centre, Market Theater, Kanagawa Arts Foundation, Setagaya Public Theater and others. His work as producer has been seen across Europe, East Asia, North and South America and Australia. Mr. Kriegsmann proudly began his work in the production and development of emerging theater ensembles and now extends his services to artists from South Africa to Norway, including recent projects off-Broadway and on several tours in the US and Europe. He recently programmed the premiere Spiegeltent season at South Street Seaport, Manhattan and continues to do so across the U.S.

Joanna MacGregor is recognized as one of the world's most wide-ranging and innovative musicians. Appearing in over sixty countries, she has performed with many of the world's great orchestras and has premiered several landmark compositions. She has collaborated with many leading jazz and pop artists, from South African jazz to cutting-edge electronica, and has devised multimedia projects that have toured internationally.
Joanna MacGregor made her conducting dŽbut in 2002; the most recent releases on her record label SoundCircus are of the New York street musician Moondog, and music of the Deep South.
Joanna MacGregor is Artistic Director of the Bath International Music Festival.

Joseph W. Polisi is the sixth president of The Juilliard School, bringing a vitality to America's famed conservatory that is the hallmark of his 22-year tenure. He has overseen construction of Juilliard's first residence hall, creation of exchange programs with other academic and arts colleges worldwide, established the School's first outreach programs, created Juilliard's first Jazz department, and developed a schoolwide mentoring program. Juilliard's 2005-2006 centennial celebration featured the commissioning and performance of 47 new dance, drama, and music works.
Planning for Juilliard's long range security is a priority for Dr. Polisi, leading to the creation of a $300 million Second Century Fund, and major renovation and expansion of the Juilliard building, due for completion in 2009.
Dr. Polisi held previous administrative posts at Yale University School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Cincinnati College-Conservatory. A performing bassoonist with advanced degrees from Yale and studies with Maurice Allard, Dr. Polisi also holds a graduate degree from Tuft's Fletcher School of Diplomacy.

Maureen Reagan has worked at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts since 1987, beginning as a student employee and now serving as Marketing and Patron Services Director. The Center’s philosophy has strategically shifted from organizationally-driven to patron-driven, expanding and improving services, programming, pricing, and operations. At Krannert Center, the marketing and patron services department is comprised of the following: engagement (education and outreach), publicity, programs, ticket office, front of house, gift shop, food services, and graphic design and production.

Mike Ross became the sixth director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 1997. He came to the Center from the Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York City where, under his direction, the Theatre was recognized by The New Yorker as "the city's hottest hotbed of innovative programming."
Deeply committed to embracing the art of the past as well as the art of our time across disciplines, aesthetic sensibilities, and cultural legacies, Mike views the Center simultaneously as a potent blending of classroom, laboratory, and public square. He is an active board member of numerous local, state, and national arts organizations, including the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the American Arts Alliance, and the Illinois Arts Alliance. He attributes his experience as a professional classical, jazz, and rock musician, and his interest in the literary and visual arts and broader cultural history as major influences on the creative and collaborative nature of his work in arts administration.

Deborah Rossi has been the Director of Marketing for the University of Florida Performing Arts since 1994. She is responsible for marketing, communications, public relations, media relations, advertising, website, graphics, box office, and market research. In this position Dr. Rossi has been awarded numerous professional awards from the Florida Public Relations Association for the newsletter; from the Advertising Federation for television commercials, overall marketing campaigns and brochures; from the University of Florida for market research, television commercials, public relations campaigns and brochures; and from the State of Florida for communication campaigns. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio University, MA from University of Massachusetts and PhD from University of Florida.

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a composer, performer, violinist, and bandleader who seamlessly blends funk, rock, hip-hop and classical music into a new sonic vision that is far out and creative in another world. He is a classical-urban ambassador for the next generation, and for a widening audience, on a growing national and international scene, he's simply Revolutionary.
Voted #3 Best Classical Moment of 2003 by the New York Times and raved by critics from classical and popular music fields alike, DBR has collaborated with Philip Glass, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Vernon Reid, DJ's Radar, Spooky, and Scientific, Susan Sarandon, Cassandra Wilson, and an array of orchestras and chamber ensembles. His dramatic soul-inspiring pieces range from orchestral scores to energetic chamber works to rock songs and electronica, all embracing modern musical genres woven with a multicolored spectrum of popular music. His 9-piece band, DBR & THE MISSION, features an amplified string quartet, drum kit, keyboards, vocalist, DJ, and laptopist. The orchestras of Dallas, Memphis, San Antonio, and St. Louis have performed or commissioned his works, and Bill T. Jones and the Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) regularly collaborate with him---DBR is the Music Director of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Assistant Composer-in-Residence of the OSL.

Mikel Rouse is a New York-based composer, director, performer and recording artist hailed as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.” (New York Times 2002) His works include 21 records, 7 films (including the recently premiered Funding) and a trilogy of media operas, Failing Kansas, Dennis Cleveland and The End Of Cinematics. His work has frequently appeared on Top Ten lists around the country. He has received commissions from the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and the Meet the Composer/Reader's Digest Commissioning Program. Rouse's compositions have been performed at Lincoln Center, the New York State Theater, and Alice Tully Hall, and throughout the United States and Europe.

Mark Russell, Independent Curator/Guest Artistic Director PICA TBA/ Producer: Under the Radar 2007
Mr. Russell is an independent producer/curator working in New York City. Russell devised and produced the Under the Radar Theater Festival, at Arts at St. Anns in 2005 and The Public Theater in New York in January 2006. Under the Radar will continue in 2007 and 2008. Russell is also the guest Artistic Director for the Portland (Oregon) Institute of Contemporary Art Ð Time Based Arts Festival for 2006, 2007.
Mr. Russell is currently pursuing writing, teaching and independent curatorial projects with Dance Theater Workshop, The Apollo Theater, and the Public Theater. From 1983-2004, Russell was the Executive Artistic Director of Performance Space 122 (P.S. 122).

Sarah Wilson is Advisor for Audience and Market Development at Creative New Zealand. Creative New Zealand is New Zealand's leading arts development organisation and promotes the country's unique creative development. The organisations work is diverse, ranging from community-based initiatives through to support for professional artists and arts companies. Sarah's work focuses on international audience and market development for New Zealand arts and artists. Her background is in arts marketing and communications and she has worked in the arts and across a variety of creative industries both in New Zealand and the UK.

Jerry Yoshitomi is a leading international cultural facilitator. He is engaged by public arts agencies and foundations in North America, Australia and New Zealand to read, research, provoke, and speak on increasing participation in the arts, creativity, knowledge management, contemporary leadership practices, and recognizing the public value of the arts.
Mr. Yoshitomi serves as the Consultant on Information and Network Strategies for LINC (Leveraging Investments in Creativity, a national initiative to improve the living/working conditions of artists) and Facilitator for a collaborative of Performing Arts Presenters at major research universities.
He was Facilitator for the START (Thirteen State Arts Agencies) Initiative of the Wallace Foundation, managed by Arts Midwest. Jerry chaired the National Task Force on Presenting and Touring the Performing Arts , resulting in the 1989 seminal report, An American Dialogue. He was formerly Executive Director of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, served on the California Arts Council, and was Vice President/Director of Operations for Western States Arts Foundation (now WESTAF).