Ben Grossman (regular guest)
Ben Grossman is a busy musician and sound artist: improviser, studio musician, composer, and noisemaker.
He works in many fields, having played on over 100 CDs, soundtracks for film and television, composition and sound design for theatre, dance, installations, work designed for radio transmission, and live performances spanning early medieval music to experimental electronics. Ben’s tools of choice are electronics, percussion,
and especially, the vielle a roue (hurdy gurdy), a contemporary electro-acoustic string instrument with roots in
the European middle ages. Through extended techniques, and sometimes electronic processing,
Ben seeks to use it as a physical interface into sound creation, spontaneous composition and the exploration of acoustics, form and extended aesthetics.
Romina Di Gasbarro (regular guest)
Soprano / guitarplayer / Songwriter, Romina Di Gasbarro began to sing learning Italian folk songs on the lap of his father as a child. She has performed with groups of rock, funk and jazz while completing a degree in classical guitar at The University of Western Ontario. Through the encouragement of the voice department, Romina began studying opera in the Artist Diploma in Voice Performance followed by four years of study in Italy where she was recognized and awarded with a scholarship as a student of Victoria de los Angeles at The Academy Music Chigi of Siena. In the United States, Romina debuted the roles of Desdemona (Otello), Mimì (La Bohème), Michaela (Carmen), Sharron (Master Class), La Llorona (River of Women), and Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) with the approval critics. As a composer, he studied composition with Romina Jack Behrens and David Myska at UWO, Linda C. Smith and Michael J. Baker in Array Music Young Composer Workshop; Donatoni and Luciano Berio at L ‘Chigi Academy of Music in Siena, and David Mott and Michael Coghlan Master of Music in Composition at York University. Following his original dream, Romina formed his group as a songwriter recording a EP, Little Rome, and her debut album in 2010, Poem. His music has received recognition from critics and the media. Romina works regularly with bassist / cellist / composer Andrew Downing and guitarist / composer David Occhipinti and an ensemble of musicians from the world of classical, jazz, and contemporary music. The Canada Council for the Arts has supported his art in music production and in the production of renowned concert at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Romina regularly collaborates with the Vesuvius Ensemble.
Andrea Casciato
Andrea Casciato studied classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Over the
years he has been involved in many genres of music, and has performed in various settings
across the GTA. He has a deep interest in music pedagogy, and is an experienced in-studio
guitar teacher. When he is not busy teaching, he writes music for solo guitar. His compositions
have been published in the Royal Conservatory of Music guitar series.
LOUIS SIMÃO
Award-winning, Canadian musician Louis Simão has been composing, performing
and recording as a multi-instrumentalist in a variety of genres for over twenty years. Simão has performed and/or recorded with Nelly Furtado, Kiran Ahluwalia, Dominic Mancuso (2010 JUNO winner), Bïa, Michael Occhipinti’s Sicilian Jazz Project (2009 JUNO nominee), Luis Mario Ochoa, Justin Rutledge, Guinga, Henrique Cazes, Patricia Cano, Daniela Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto, Sophie Milman, “MARIA SEVERA” at The Shaw Festival, Tapestry New Opera Works, Eliana Cuevas and Aline Morales. Described as “utterly unique” (CBC Radio One), in April of 2017, he won Song of the Year at the International Portuguese Music Awards and in November of that same year, he was named World Solo Artist of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards for his first solo release, “A Luz” (The Light). In April of 2018, Louis was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for 2018 World Beat Artist of the Year. Louis is currently in the process of completing his next CD.
Tommaso Sollazzo
Tommaso Sollazzo graduated in mandolin at the Salerno Conservatory of Music (Italy) under the guidance of Maestro Mauro Squillante.He approaches the bagpipe (Zampogna) with a Lucanian key thanks to the presence of elderly players of popular tradition present in the territory where he lives, Cilento. He collaborates with numerous artists such as Nando Citarella, the Neapolitan Mandolin Academy, Vesuvius Ensemble, Musica Perduta, I Posteggiatori Tristi, Philharmonic Orchestra of Oviedo, Ethnic Music Center of Pamplona, Rareca Antica, Wind Orchest of the Bellini Conservatory of Catania, Verdi Theater si Salerno, Angelo Loia and Progetto Oiza holding concerts in China, Japan, Spain, Germany, France, Montenegro and Canada, as well as performing in many Italian cities. In 2007 he founded, together with other Cilento musicians, the ethnic music group Kiepò realizing, with these, three discs. In 2016 he teaches popular aerophones at the ethnic music department of the Salerno Conservatory of Music (Italy). He participates in the making of two discs for Phonotyperecords (the first European record company founded in Naples in 1902), for Brilliant and others.