Jessie Lausé (they/them) is a composer, performer, and educator with a passion for creating diverse relationships between humans and sounds. Their work is rooted in multisensory performance practice and creative accessibility, often featuring found objects, interactive electronics, and experimental improvisation and notation. Jessie’s work has been featured throughout the US, including at the Yarn/Wire International Institute Festival, at the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival, and on Kansas City Public Radio.

Born and raised in central Kentucky, Jessie holds a master’s in music composition from University of Colorado Boulder and a bachelor’s in arts administration from Butler University. Throughout their schooling, Jessie’s primary mentors included Grace Leslie, Annika Socolofsky, and Frank Felice. Since completing their master’s, Jessie has been working and volunteering at several nonprofits in the Denver Metro area and making sounds and shapes with their nearest and dearest.

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Drawn to story just as much as sound, Canadian violinist Veda Hingert-McDonald (she/her) aims to balance personal connection with tradition in her performance of both new and standard repertoire. She has been fortunate to study and perform across Canada, USA, Germany, and Switzerland as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, and soloist, givingand she has given over one hundred world premiere performances. She has been a member of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, performs regularly with Esprit Contemporary Orchestra and Peterborough Symphony, and is the concertmaster of Whispering River Orchestra.

A passionate improviser, Veda has performed free improvisation with Exit Points, Audiopollination, and Videocrunch, and has been a member of Impact Playback: a theatre troupe dedicated to centring empathy in the improvised telling of audience’s stories. As a composer herself, Veda’s work often draws on narrative and programmatic elements to explore themes of nature and questions she has about the world around her.

In 2023, Veda completed her masters of music at University of Colorado (CU) Boulder where she studied with Takács Quartet violinists Harumi Rhodes and Ed Dusinberre. There she was generously supported by the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation, and received honorable mentions in the Bruce Ekstrand Graduate Student Performance Competition and the Honors Concerto Competition. She also holds a bachelor of music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and has additional training from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Icicle Creek Chamber Music, Music at Port Milford, and Summer Music Vancouver. Outside of her musical life Veda enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, and reading, and she is passionate about environmental justice.

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Gavin Kitchen (he/him) is a percussionist, composer, and teacher from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He holds a Master’s degree in percussion performance from the University of Colorado - Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance from the University of Tennessee - Martin. He is deeply curious about the traditional perspectives of the composer, performer, and audience member. Just as each of these can influence the music in a meaningful way, so too can the performance space itself. By extending this approach to the space, it is possible to imagine it collaborating, too – not just by indifferently reflecting sound, but by actively participating in the experience. For him, this is an exciting world to explore. One he navigates using his performance experience and knowledge of musical traditions. He believes there is a place here for everyone to immerse themselves and is eager to explore it with those around him.

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Through their numerous collaborations across genres and art forms, Nelson Walker (they/them, b. 2000) aspires to continually learn from the wisdom of those around them, and contribute what they may towards forging a more compassionate and equitable world.
Their music is motivated by the concept of vulnerability as a prerequisite for art, and the critical role of storytelling in building and strengthening community. They are honored to have studied with Evan Chambers and Kristin Kuster as they completed their Master’s in Composition at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as with Annika Socolofsky, Carter Pann, and Nathan Hall (amongst others) for their Bachelor’s at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Their folk-rock-meets-queercore-punk debut solo album, “Do I Contradict Myself?” was released April 16th, 2024.
Nelson believes the key to a happy life is a balance of gratitude, self-awareness and humility, unconditional compassion for all living things, acceptance of a constantly changing world, and lots of fruits and vegetables.

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Abby Kellems (she/her) is a composer, pianist, and occasional tuba player based in Colorado. Her work explores the images and intricacies of the natural world, and she focuses on creating musical experiences that facilitate a deeper relationship between listeners, performers, and the environment. She completed her Bachelor’s of Music in Music Composition at the University of Oregon, where she studied with David Crumb and Robert Kyr. She completed her Master's in Music in Music Composition at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she taught aural skills and studied with Annika Socolofsky and Michael Theodore.

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Jonathan Galle (he/him) is an audio engineer, classical producer, and violinist based in Boulder, Colorado. As an engineer his work ranges from orchestra recording, to jazz ensembles, and heavy metal groups in dive bars. While Jonathan has experience with studio recording, his expertise is in capturing authentic performances on location.

Jonathan completed a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at CU Boulder, performing as a soloist with the CU Symphony Orchestra. He also studied abroad in Florence, Italy with the Namalèse String quartet as the quartet in residence. This study of music and performance experience has led to much success producing recordings as he understands the musical as well as the technical.
Jonathan is currently the recording engineer for Boulder Philharmonic, Cheyenne Symphony, and Boulder Chamber orchestra, He also regularly works for CU Boulder as a freelance engineer for Soundworks.