Jon Ballantyne | Pianist and Composer                                                             

New York-based pianist and composer Jon Ballantyne is a native of Saskatchewan, Canada. He has recently completed a solo piano tour to support two new recordings, one of which won a Juno award for “Best Jazz Album” of 2007.  Since 2000, Jon has also led a critically acclaimed quartet with tours of Sweden, Germany, Italy, Israel, the Northeastern US and Canada.

Jon has instructed students at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland; the New School, New York; McGill and Concordia universities in Montreal; the University of Colorado (Boulder, Greeley); University of Toronto; University of Saskatchewan and at numerous elementary and high schools in Canada, the USA and Finland.

Jon began formal study at the age of six. Classical and jazz studies ultimately led to Jon’s winning of a scholarship to attend North Texas State University. Jon also attended several summer jazz workshops at the Banff Center of the Arts in Alberta, Canada in the mid 1980s. Instructing at these institutions were jazz greats such as Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Michael Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Dave Liebman, Ed Blackwell, Lee Konitz, Emily Remler and John Abercrombie, all of whom Jon had the opportunity to play with. At this time, he also studied privately in NYC with renowned pianists Richard Beirach, Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, Hal Galper and JoAnn Brackeen.

This period of intensive study naturally led to a performance career, and Jon has since shared the stage and/or recording studio with artists such as Joe Henderson, Roy Haynes, Paul Bley, Dewey Redman, Dave Liebman, Billy Hart, Drew Gress, Mick Goodrick, Donny McAslin, Joe Lovano, Rich Perry, Ray Drummond, Pepper Adams, Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, Clark Terry, Al Cohn and Richard Stoltzman.

In New York, Jon has appeared at the Museum of Modern Art, the River Café, Birdland, Cleopatra’s Needle and numerous other venues. Jon has released a total of 9 albums as a leader, garnering two Juno awards for these efforts. Traveling often, Jon has performed in eight European countries, the UK, Ireland, Japan, most provinces and major jazz festivals in Canada, and 40 states in the USA.

Dr. Hilarie Clark Moore | Theorist and Conductor

Hilarie Clark Moore received her education at the University of Connecticut with a performance degree (Bachelors of Music) on the French horn and at Yale University, where she received a Ph.D.  in music theory. As an associate professor at SUNY Orange she has taught a variety of music classes including Basic and Advanced Musicianship, Fundamentals of Music, Introduction to Music, History of Western Music, piano classes, and History of Jazz. She developed a course, entitled, "Introduction to the Orchestra" that investigates the historical aspects of the orchestra in terms of its instrumentation, conducting, repertoire, and societal roles.

Dr. Moore begins her 11th season as the Conductor of the SUNY Orange Community Orchestra at the Orange County Community College in Middletown, New York. She founded the O.C.C.C. Chamber Ensemble in January 1997 and continues to coach various string, woodwind, and brass ensembles.

In the community, she freelances on the French horn with the Hudson Opera Theatre, the Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, Opera Company of the Highlands, Classic Choral Society, and at other venues. She teaches French horn, piano and music theory privately.

David Dworkin | Clarinetist and Conductor

Hailed for performances that "sparkled with high-spirited virtuosity" (The New York Times), David Dworkin is in great demand as conductor, clarinetist, and educator.

Much of Mr. Dworkin's career has been devoted to working with young people. For fifteen years, he was deeply involved with the University of Vermont Summer Music Session, conducting its orchestra and coaching literally hundreds of gifted instrumental students. His tenure as Music Director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra was highlighted by a much-acclaimed tour of Russia. For over ten years he was conductor of the Pre-College Division Orchestra of the Manhattan School of Music, where he also taught chamber music and clarinet at that institution).

Mr. Dworkin conducted the Philharmonic on the Hudson for fifteen years, overseeing its transition from a college orchestra to professional status, and leading the orchestra in its enthusiastically-received Carnegie Hall debut. He has also conducted the New Jersey, Vermont, and Manhattan Symphony Orchestras in subscription, family, and young people's concerts. Mr. Dworkin conducted Kurt Weill's "Three Penny Opera" on CBS Television, and recently served as Conductor and Artistic Consultant to three PBS Television documentaries in the series "Grow Old With Me": "The Poetry of Aging", featuring Richard Kiley, Julie Harris, and James Earl Jones among many others. He is the creator of CONDUCTORCISE™, which combines an aerobic workout with basic conducting and listening skills and is now touring throughout the country.

Mr. Dworkin served as Principal Clarinetist of the American Symphony Orchestra under its legendary founding Music Director, Leopold Stokowski. He later performed for many years with with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, working with Herbert Von Karajan, Karl Boehm, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Sir Colin Davis, Erich Leinsdorf, and many other illustrious conductors. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Dworkin has performed throughout the world, including four Carnegie Recital Hall chamber and solo recitals, and was a member of Musicisti Americani, based at the Sulmona, Italy summer festival. With New York Philharmonic Principal Bassoonist Leonard Hindell, he recently revived Peter von Winter's "Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon".

David Dworkin is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied clarinet with Daniel Bonnade and Robert McGinnis, and conducting with Jean Morel. He also earned graduate degrees in music and music education from Columbia University.

Dworkin & Company, post office box 248 Bedford Hills, NY 10507 USA
Tel: 914-244-3803 / fax: 914-244-3878 | Elizabeth@dworkincompany.com

James Emery | Guitarist and Composer

James Emery, virtuoso guitarist and composer, has been active on the international jazz and contemporary music scene since 1975. He has recorded 26 CDs as a leader or co-leader and has performed his works in over 25 countries worldwide. He has received international critical acclaim for his work leading various ensemble formations, and he is also recognized for his work with the String Trio of New York, a veritable institution of jazz and creative music which he co-founded in 1977.

Emery has become known for his distinctive and highly original approach to both improvisation and composition. His sound and ideas are immediately recognizable, leading the distinguished music critic Francis Davis to observe “Absolutely nobody sounds like Emery”. His sensibility as a musician draws in nearly equal measures on formal notions of structure and technique and a robust willingness to improvise, experiment and follow his musical intuition.

Emery moved to New York City in 1974 and since that time, he has performed his works in frequent international concert tours. He has performed as a soloist in many of the world’s major concert halls, from Lincoln Center in New York to the Royal Festival Hall in London, from Bunkamura Music Hall in Tokyo to Philharmonic Hall in Berlin. He has also performed at many international jazz festivals including Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, Zurich, New York, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Saalfelden, Willisau, Leverkusen, Moers, Graz, Lovere, Groningen, Cracow, Wiesen, Newport, Mellon, Ravinia, Wolf Trap and others.

Emery leads his own trio, quartet, sextet and septet and performs solo concerts. Emery has documented these projects on 8 CDs as a leader. He has written over 100 compositions for solo guitar, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, big band, chamber orchestra and symphony orchestra.

His latest CD release is titled Transformations (Music for 3 Improvisers and Orchestra). The work was premiered at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria by the critically-acclaimed modern music orchestra Klangforum Wien, conducted by Emilio Pomarico. Joining Emery as soloists in this major work are Tony Coe (tenor sax and clarinet) and Franz Koglmann (flugelhorn). The work was recorded by between the lines and released in May, 2003.

In 1977, Emery  co-founded the chamber jazz ensemble that has been the source of some of his most popular and acclaimed work, the String Trio of New York. One of the most active and visible groups of its kind, the String Trio has performed hundreds of concerts worldwide and has recorded 16 CDs. Along with bassist John Lindberg, the String Trio features violinist Rob Thomas. Former violinists include Regina Carter, Billy Bang, Diane Monroe and Charles Burnham. His most recent composition is a large-scale work of 60 minutes written in 2005-06 for the String Trio of New York and titled The River of Orion. The work was commissioned with funding from Chamber Music America’s New Works: Creation and Performance Program.

As a sideman, he has performed and recorded with many of the leading lights of creative music, including Henry Threadgill, Joe Lovano, Anthony Braxton, Steve Reich, Leroy Jenkins, Muhal Richard Abrams, Karl Berger, the Human Arts Ensemble, Gerry Hemingway, John Zorn, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Franz Koglmann, Thurman Barker, Wadada Leo Smith and others.

Emery has received fellowships from, among others, the Guggenheim Foundation (1995), the National Endowment for the Arts (1985, ‘94), the New York Foundation for the Arts (1986, ‘90, ‘00) and the Cary Trust (1991, ‘96, ‘99). His compositions have been commissioned with funding from the Cary Trust, the Meet the Composer/Rockefeller/AT&T program, Meet the Composer’s Commissions USA program and the MTC/Lila Wallace Jazz Program.