THECOMPASSCONCERTS

Madeline Bruser

Author of the acclaimed book, The Art of Practicing, New York City based pianist Madeline Bruser has taught musicians from six continents, both in person and online. Her distinct approach uses mindfulness principles to help musicians release physical and mental tension so they can transform their playing and expressive capacities. Her book has sold 90,000 copies in English and has been translated into Korean, Chinese, and Italian. And her popular Art of Practicing Institute summer program provides immersive group learning to bring performers greater joy and confidence onstage. The Institute also trains and certifies teachers to bring this approach to musicians around the world.

Madeline has served on the Adjunct Piano Faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University, and at the New School University. She developed the practice Performing Beyond Fear through her practice of mindfulness meditation, which she began in 1977 to gain more relaxation and confidence in performance.  

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Pascual Araujo

Pascual Araujo is a classical guitarist/arranger hailing from Barranquilla, Colombia based in Queens, NY. He is a champion of the Latin America/Iberian guitar repertoire and art song. His vision is to bring to light the wonderful music of Latin American/Iberian composers that has been obscured over time. In addition to playing Latin American/Iberian guitar music Pascual is an advocate of the experimental/new music genre, having premiered works from modern composers that push the boundaries of harmony and structure. Pascual has performed in renowned music halls such as Weill Hall, Stanley H. Kaplan penthouse at Lincoln Center and Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library museum.

Pascual received his Bachelors degree in music education January 2020 from the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College and teaches full time at Cadenza Music Center located in Bayside, Queens. He currently studies with renowned new music composer and classical guitarist William Anderson.

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Instagram: pascual.araujo

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Stephen Burns

Conductor, composer and trumpeter Stephen Burns is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project in Chicago. He has been acclaimed on four continents for his virtuosity and interpretative depth in recitals, orchestral appearances, chamber music, and multi-media performances. He has worked closely with composers John Corigliano, Osvaldo Golijov, Gunther Schuller, Jacob TV, and La Monte Young. Native to Wellesley, Massachusetts, Mr. Burns studied under Carmine Caruso, Armando Ghitalla,  Arnold Jacobs, Vincent Penzarella, Gerard Schwarz, Pierre Thibaud, William Vacchiano, and Roger Voisin at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Julliard School, and postgraduate work in Paris. He won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Avery Fisher Career Grant, the NEA Recital Grant, the Naumburg Award, the Charles Colin Award, the Meier Arts Achievement Award, and the Maurice André Concours International de Paris. Mr. Burns is on faculty at DePaul University’s School of Music and The Beinen School of Music at Northwestern University. A former tenured Professor of Music at Indiana University, a certified teacher in The Art of Practicing and Performing Beyond Fear, Prof. Burns is a Visiting Lecturer with Amici della Musica in Florence, Italy. CDs at Naxos, MHS, Dorian, Delos, Essay, Kleos, & Innova. Stephen Burns is a Yamaha performing artist.

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Douglas Dejesus

Douglas is a pianist who attended the Art of Practicing Institute's Summer Program in 2020 as a performing participant.

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Keith Ferguson

Keith D. Ferguson, SPC, began studying piano with Elizabeth Glover, and then organ with Betty Stuchul and Monabel Hamilton. Keith also studied composition for keyboards, brass, woodwind quintet, and band under Dr. Jack Stamp, retired Director of Bands at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Keith earned the American Guild of Organists Service Playing Certification while studying with Dr. Christine Clewell, Professor of Organ, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and with the help of the study group led by Joyce Moon-Stobel of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Keith currently serves as organist at the Presbyterian Church, Punxsutawney, PA and Mt Zion Lutheran Church in Trade City, PA. and as a substitute Organist at Saints Cosmos and Damian Roman Catholic Church, First English Lutheran Church both in Punxsutawney, PA and Zion Lutheran Church Indiana, PA. In addition to liturgical services, Keith serves as organist at numerous wedding services throughout the area.

Keith was a member of the committee to establish the Indiana, PA Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is currently serving as Dean of that chapter. Keith also has been a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists since 1988 and is currently serving on their Executive Board.

Kirk and I recorded a CD “Sacred Reflection” at our residence in Trade City. The CD is Trombone / piano and includes a variety of pieces not just limited to one style.

Keith and his wife Melissa reside in Trade City, PA. They are the parents of two sons, Kirk and Kasey.

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Kirk Ferguson

Kirk Ferguson was named Assistant Principal Trombonist of the Milwaukee Symphony in September, 2011. Prior to joining the MSO, he served as Principal Trombonist with the Spokane Symphony, Co-Principal Trombonist with the Malaysian Philharmonic and Associate Principal Trombonist with the Honolulu Symphony. He is also a former member of the River City Brass Band in Pittsburgh, PA. Kirk has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Akron Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Lincoln Center Festival and Clarion Brass Choir. He is a member of the Chicago Trombone Consort.

Kirk is currently adjunct professor of low brass at Wisconsin Lutheran College and an Associate Teacher with the Art of the Practicing Institute. He received his Masters degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelors degree from Duquesne University.

began studying meditation in graduate school. He is currently a student and practitioner in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. He serves as Interim Chair of the Governing Council at the Milwaukee Shambhala Center and also holds a teaching role as a Shambhala Guide. Kirk is a native of Punxsutawney, PA. He currently lives in Mequon, WI with his wife Mary and their two dogs, Frank and Annie. Kirk is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist.

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Mari Hwang

American pianist Mari Hwang believes in creating a safe world where people are inspired to live wholeheartedly. As a co-producer of The COMPASS Concerts (Community Online Meditation Performance and Salon Series), she and her partners, Shinichiro Inaji and Louis Yungling, have established a welcoming, safe environment for music performance where people from all over the world feel a sense of community, support, and healing.

Ms. Hwang’s earlier experiences and challenges with stage fright for solo performances has guided her to share mindfulness awareness practice, easing psychological tension, and connecting heart to music. She performs in variety of venues, in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Merkin Hall, Walt Disney Hall, and in cathedrals, hospitals, libraries, music schools, and private residences.

Her programming frequently shines light on works by unknown, undervalued, minor works of well known composers, and women composers. Her embodiment of often deeply personal storytelling resonates profoundly with audiences and leads to open and courageous dialogue.

In addition to her private teaching studio and being on the faculty for MSM Summer Program, she serves as a collaborative pianist at Manhattan School of Music in NYC.

Ms. Hwang has moved from a sunny suburb of Los Angeles, CA, to attend Manhattan School of Music, where she has received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Subsequently, she has received a Master’s in Music from Mannes School of Music and a minor in impact entrepreneurship from The New School.

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Mirna Lekić

Pianist Mirna Lekić performs a wide range of repertoire that reflects her interests in intercultural music, historical performance practice, and contemporary works. As a recitalist and chamber musician she has performed in the United States, Canada and Europe, at venues including Carnegie- Weill Hall, Symphony Space, Chicago Cultural Center, St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Théâtre de l'Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, and the Hall of the St. Petersburg Union of Composers and the Gorki Leninskiye Museum in Russia. Her performances are featured on Furious Artisans, Centaur, and Romeo Records and have been broadcast on WQXR, WNYC, WFMT, WPRB and Bosnian TV and radio stations. Mirna serves as an Associate Professor of Music at Queensborough Community College, CUNY and as Associate Faculty in Piano at Columbia University.

www.mirnalekic.com

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Francesca Leo

Francesca Leo is a cutting edge flutist, entrepreneur and educator. She has given solo and chamber performances internationally in Italy and France and has performed as a soloist with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia. A Michigan native, she has won top prizes in many competitions including the Manhattan School of Music Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition, the Central Ohio Flute Association Young Artist and Collegiate Division Competitions, the Lima Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition, the New Albany Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the MTNA Solo Division Competition.

A fierce advocate of contemporary music, Francesca has appeared as a soloist at the Society for Composers International (SCI) and the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) Conferences, where her performance won a recording spot on the 2018 Music From SEAMUS, vol. 27 CD. She is the flutist and a founding member of the Quintilia Ensemble, a quintet committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary chamber music. Francesca has participated in the premieres of many new works in solo, chamber, orchestral and operatic settings, including the Mid-American premiere of Kaija Saariaho's opera Émilie. She is currently working with numerous composers to premiere new repertoire for solo flute.

As an orchestral musician, Francesca has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Roderick Cox, George Manahan, and Leonard Slatkin. She specializes in performing arts health and is the founder of www.playingwithoutpain.com, an award-winning interactive web resource designed to provide collegiate music students with information to treat and prevent performance-based injury. She has presented her research at various institutions across the United States including the Manhattan School of Music, West Virginia University, Ohio Northern University, among others. Francesca currently serves as a board member on the National Flute Association Performance Health Care Committee and is a Social Media Assistant for the Art of Practicing Institute.

Francesca holds a masters degree in Classical Flute Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a former Joseph F. McCrindle scholarship recipient and a bachelors degree in Music Performance and Entrepreneurship from Bowling Green State University. Francesca's primary teachers and mentors include Linda Chesis, Conor Nelson and Jeffrey Zook.

www.francescaleoflute.com
www.playingwithoutpain.com
Instagram: @francescaleoflute
Instagram: @playingwithoutpain

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Rick Maurer

Rick Maurer is an avid amateur valve trombonist who loves playing jazz, especially free jazz. The photo is from a jam hosted by Karl Berger's Creative Music Studios in Woodstock, NY. Rick just finished helping Karl write The Music Mind Experience: Playing, Listening, Singing, Moving, a book about ways to play more spontaneously.

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David Murray

David is an aspiring brass musician and performer from Batavia, IL. He earned his B.A. in Trumpet Performance from Northern Illinois University where he studied with professors John Fairfield and Mark Ponzo. His other teachers include Mike Brozick (Elgin Symphony), Kirk Lundbeck (Kishwaukee Symphony, Dekalb Municipal Band), and more recently Stephen Burns (Depaul University, Fulcrum Point New Music Project) and Kirk Ferguson (Milwaukee Symphony).

David is currently 3rd trumpet with the Kishwaukee Symphony, 1st trumpet of the Dekalb Municipal Band, and regularly substitutes with the Kishwaukee Brass Quintet and the Lakeview Orchestra in Chicago. In addition, he is also a founding member of the Molten Brass, a newly formed brass quintet based out of Westmont, IL.

In his spare time David works as a brass repair technician at PM Music Center in Aurora, IL.

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Angélica Sánchez

Angélica Sánchez (Cuenca-Ecuador) began her musical studies at Conservatorio de Música José María Rodríguez. Later, she obtained her bachelor’s degree at the Facultad de Artes, Universidad de Cuenca, under the direction of the pianist Susanna Kachatryan. Two years later, Sánchez completed her master’s degree in Music Performance at Northwestern State University with the professor Francis Yang. She had received master classes with many renowned teachers such as: Corey Hamm (Canada), Jennifer Lym (Korea), Gary Barnet (USA), Reena Berger (Canada), Slawomir Dobrzanski (Poland), and Timothy Mueller. She had presented recitals in many countries like Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Perú and United States. Sánchez currently works as a teacher and researcher at the Universidad de Cuenca.

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Joshua Sevigny

Joshua Sevigny received his Bachelor’s in Music Performance from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and his Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee where he was a teaching assistant.

An active freelancer, Joshua holds principal positions with the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, and the Lake County Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Southwestern Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Present Music Milwaukee, Northern Symphonic Winds, Racine Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Antioch Brass Quintet, and The Big Top Circus Band. He can also be heard with a number of local jazz and rock groups in the Milwaukee area. Joshua has placed in and won numerous national and international competitions.

As an educator, Joshua runs a successful private low brass studio. He also teaches general music, music theory, choir, band, and orchestra classes for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He is a frequent clinician at high schools and colleges throughout the Midwest.

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Tal Varon

Tal Varon plays in the Israeli Jazz Orchestra, with which he has recorded and performed in Israel, North America, Europe and South Africa. He also leads his own quintet which plays his compositions.

Tal teaches in the Jazz Program at the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel Aviv, a program academically affiliated with the New School University (NYC) Jazz and Contemporary Music program, which is where he received his BFA.

Tal is a certified Art of Practicing teacher and teaches an Art of Practicing and Performing course at the Rimon School of Music in Israel.

Tal is also a certified meditation instructor as well as a certified Focusing trainer and coordinator.  He leads online weekly meditation and Focusing classes.

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Louis Yungling

Hello, my name is Louis Yungling and I'm the founder of COMPASS. I'm also a pianist and teacher.

Meditation, mindfulness and awareness exercises are an integral part of my teaching and practice. Musicians benefit greatly from these practices by being able to fine tune their focus and get more out of their practice as well as increase their responsiveness to sound and be more present and confident in performance.

I created COMPASS concerts to extend these practices to audiences and give everyone a moment to pause and go inward. We do this by sharing a brief contemplation exercise before every concert. In this way we practice being aware of one another and give ourselves a chance to feel and appreciate our unique contribution.

Preparing our minds and bodies to receive and make music allows us to be more receptive to the beauty and generosity that goes into a musical performance. And practicing this type of mindful preparation regularly can help us open our hearts more to the experiences of our day to day lives.

I am thrilled to share this journey with you and the very talented, generous artists who perform here. Thank you to all my musician friends for sharing your gifts and creating beautiful programs of music for our COMPASS community. And thank you to all who come and partake in these heart-warming community concerts.

I currently live and teach piano in Valencia, Spain. My teaching website: Yungling Piano Studio.

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