Tod Machover Called “America’s Most Wired Composer” by
The Los Angeles Times,
Tod Machover is the Muriel R. Cooper Professor of music and media at the MIT Media Lab, where he also directs the Opera of the Future Group. He is known for his boundary-breaking compositions and for designing transformative technologies for music. His Hyperinstruments — smart performance systems to enhance artistic expression — have been created for virtuosi from Yo-Yo Ma to Prince, been used to introduce musical creativity to amateurs of all ages and to promote health and well-being, and have served to launch successful products such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Machover is particularly well known for his radical operas, including the “robotic”
Death and the Powers (touring worldwide since its 2010 premiere at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, under the patronage of Prince Albert II). Machover has received numerous prizes and awards and was finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Letha Hafferkamp Kiddie Letha Kiddie began writing poetry as a teenager, using it as a way to express her feelings about what she saw and experienced. Living in Italy during college further inspired her to write poetry about the beauty of her surroundings, and a deep connection to nature. While residing in New York City, several of Kiddie’s poems were used in songs composed by Tod Machover. Kiddie currently lives and works at a Meditation Retreat Center in Santa Barbara County, CA.
Merrin Lazyan Merrin Lazyan specializes in premiering new works. Roles include Tonina (
Prima la Musica), Serpetta (
La Finta Giardiniera), Flora (
The Turn of the Screw), Moth (
A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Mina (
Skellig, by Tod Machover), L’Enfant (
L’Enfant et les Sortilèges) and Spirit (Dido and Aeneas). She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Royal Opera House. She studied psychology at Harvard University and vocal performance at the Royal College of Music in London.
Tae Kim Prize winner of Steinway Society Piano Competition and Arlington Young Artist Competition,
Tae Kim (Boston Conservatory B.M. 2005; New England Conservatory M.M. 2008) has gained widespread recognition as an up-and-coming pianist. Born in South Korea, Kim has studied piano since the age of four. He has been a soloist with many ensembles, including Yurodivy Chamber Orchestra, Hemenway Strings and Boston Conservatory Orchestra (BCO). Headlined as
“Radiant glimpse of talent to come
,” The Boston Globe praised his “sparkling performance” of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto with the BCO. Not only interested in solo repertoire, Kim actively participates in chamber and contemporary ensembles, where he has worked with many distinguished artists such as Suren Bagratuni, Lynn Chang, Hsin-Yuan Huang, Alice Schoenfeld, Brinton Smith and members of the Boston Trio,
Allison Eldredge and Irina Muresanu. His interest in contemporary improvisation has led him to collaborate with "America's most wired composer," Tod Machover and the Central Square Theatre in a production of
Remembering H.M. in 2012. http://ydund.blogspot.com; http://www.youtube.com/ydund