Musica! often features guest performers at many of their concerts. During the 2010-11 season, the following artists can be heard with Musica! in performance.
Wind in the Woods
Wind in the Woods is a versatile ensemble which brings to life medieval, renaissance, and baroque music. Their mission is to encourage interest in early music, to entertain and to educate. Instruments used include recorders, crumhorns, cornamuse, kordholt, gemshorn, viola da gamba, and lute. Voices blend delightfully with these instruments. The group can consists of up to six musicians. Sometimes Wind in the Woods can be seen with narrrative and costuming. Founded in 1990, the ensemble celebrates its 20th year this year!
Brian Cashwell Jazz Trio
(featuring Brian Cashwell – piano; Christian Berg – double bass; and John Taylor – drums)
Brian Cashwell is currently serving as staff accompanist and jazz piano instructor at Wright State University as he pursues his Doctorate in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He was previously an assistant professor at Central State University. Equally at home in both jazz and classical idioms, he maintains an active performing schedule in a variety of musical roles. Read more…On Sundays he can be found playing organ or piano for Normandy United Methodist Church, and on Mondays performing jazz with the John Taylor Trio at Brio Tuscan Grill at The Greene. Before moving to the Dayton area, Mr. Cashwell lived in New York and performed in various musical roles at a diverse selection of venues. He served as a ballet pianist for The School of American Ballet, Barnard College, Steps on Broadway, Ballet Academy East, and The Alvin Ailey School. He feels very fortunate to have toured the U.S. and Turkey as jazz pianist for The Boys Choir of Harlem, under the direction of the late Walter Turnbull. Mr. Cashwell has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, and appeared onstage and in the pit at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center and Playhouse in the Park and with the Dayton Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestras.
Christian Berg holds a Master of Arts in Theory and Composition from Montclair State College, NJ and a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance from Manhattan School of Music in NYC. He has enjoyed an active career in jazz for 35 years as a performer in clubs, concerts, festivals, films, radio, and television with many leading musicians. He is currently professor of jazz bass at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and teaches jazz guitar, jazz bass and directs two ensembles at Otterbein College in Westerville, OH. Read more…
Christian Berg is a full time member of hte presitious Columbus Jazz Orchestra and is frequently heard with the Jazz Arts Group. He is also active as composer/arranger. He has composed original music for film & television, musical theater, and video games and is the inventor of the Berg Bass-in-a-Box, a collapsible upright bass for traveling. He appears in dozens of commercial recordings with many notable performers. His CD of original compositions, “A Many is a Tree,” was released in early January 2007 on Hipgnosis Records. In February or 2008 a second CD, “Sweet Sorrow,” featuring his wife, Patricia Berg, singing his arrangements and compositions, was released to much critical acclaim. As the former Director of Research and Music Development with Brain Actuated Technologies, Inc., Yellow Springs, OH, Chris designed, developed and patented software for brain-actuated music.
John Taylor is a professional drummer, composer, arranger, and educator based in Dayton, Ohio. John studied jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music and recieved a Bachelor of Music Education from Wright State University. John currently performs with Puzzle of Light, Fifth Avenue Band, and Theater of Sound. Read more…
John also plays piano and keyboards, electric bass, guitar, and marimba. He arranges music for competitive high school marching bands and indoor percussion ensembles throughout the Midwestern U.S. John performs with several local ensembles, including Theater of Sound – an eclectic percussion group from Dayton, Ohio that utilizes massive Sound Sculptures in an improvisational environment.