Below are the biographies that may be of interest to you. Take a look at what they have written, look at the bios of artists similar to yourself and the resources I have posted for you here.
Once you know what you want to say about yourself, write your bio and be prepared to share it in class.
Greg Sigman
Greg Sigman currently serves as Assistant Director of Research and Instructional Services for the Libraries and Archives at the New School in New York, NY, where he runs the Performing Arts Library, serving the students and faculty of the Mannes School of Music, the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the New School for Drama. Greg holds a Bachelor’s degree in music education from Ohio University, a Master’s degree in saxophone performance from Ohio University, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University.
Lucia Kaminsky
In Nashville by way of Miami, Lucia received her B.A. in Music Industry and went on to work as a Live Production Coordinator for Walt Disney Entertainment in São Paulo, Brazil. She then joined the staff at the Memphis Chapter of The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and remained there for six years. As the Senior Project Coordinator, Lucia focused on event production, membership outreach, and digital content production for the GRAMMY sites. She then went on to manage Strategic Partnerships at Warner Music Nashville working with artists like Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Brett Eldredge, and Ashley Monroe among others. She joined Borman Entertainment as the Director of Digital close to two years ago and was recently named Head of Digital. Her primary focus in this position is to advocate on behalf of the Borman roster for programs with partners such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Google, Tidal, Facebook, and Instagram. She also oversees content, business development, fan engagement, and e-commerce. Borman artists include Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, and emerging country artist Mickey Guyton. Lucia notes her greatest achievement as the day she interviewed Questlove and Bela Fleck in front of a live audience without passing out.
Becky Brown
Becky Brown is a composer, harpist, artist, and web designer, interested in producing intensely personal works across the multimedia spectrum. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate in composition at the University of Virginia, is the Technical Director of the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, and recently worked as a Music Technology Specialist at the University of Richmond. Her music has been performed at SEAMUS, SCI National/Regional, Third Practice New Music Festival, Ball State New Music Festival, and in Beijing, China. Hold Still, her work for live art and electronics, will be released on the SEAMUS label in August 2017. She is a 2015 Music and Computer Science graduate of the University of Mary Washington, studying electroacoustic composition with Dr. Mark Snyder, and harp performance with Dr. Grace Bauson.
Ellen Cockerham Riccio
Ellen Cockerham has served as Principal Second Violin of the Richmond Symphony since 2009. She has been a featured soloist with the Symphony and served as acting concertmaster from January to May 2011. Previously, she served as principal second in the Canton (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra and in CityMusic Cleveland. Ellen’s “exquisite” performance of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben as guest concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony in 2013 exhibited “an extraordinary range of expression,” according to the Commercial Appeal.
A native of Portland, OR, Ellen holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was a student of William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. Ms. Cockerham has been the recipient of awards from CIM, the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.
Ellen is also the Executive Director of Classical Revolution RVA, a local nonprofit organization which seeks to integrate classical music with Richmond’s vibrant music and arts scene by performing in bars, restaurants, galleries, and other non-traditional venues. The group includes several members of the Richmond Symphony, VCU students and faculty, and local freelancers—over 200 musicians in total. Ellen has drawn on this pool of local talent to present monthly concerts at Balliceaux, an opera at Hardywood, concerts which pair classical music with other genres, and the annual Mozart Festival in Carytown. More information can be found at www.classicalrevolutionrva.com.
Olivier Conan
Musician, producer and music promoter Olivier Conan was born and raised in France but moved in New York in his early 20’s. Although his background and current environment would point to interests in French or American music, for most of his life, Conan has specialized in various aspects of Latin music. He grew up listening to Cuban and Venezuelan music, and upon moving to New York, became fascinated by the various sounds of the rich New york Latin Diaspora: from Colombian Cumbia, to Dominican Merengue Tipico and New York’s homegrown Salsa.
Conan got his first taste of South America in the early 1990’s traveling through Venezuela where he became enamored of Musica Llanera, the music of the southern plains, played with harps, bandolas, cuatro and harp. However, Peru is the place that had the strongest impact on his career. Upon his first trip there, he fell in love with Chicha, a hybridized form of cumbia which had been vastly popular among the lower classes, but had remained scorned and ignored by the mainstream media. Conan started championing the music, releasing a series of compilations, The Roots of Chicha, which proved very popular, as well as touring around the world with his own band, Chicha Libre. His work as a compiler and researcher, and his touring schedule took him to more and more places in South America.
In the past few years, Conan, through his work as a music promoter and with his own label, Barbes Records, has been promoting new Latin musicians from both North and South America, emphasizing the pan-Latin aspect of the work of a new generation. He has worked with musicians from Chile, Mexico and Peru but also with second and third generation musicians from the US.
Delbert Bowers
Delbert Bowers is a 2017 Grammy Nominated mixing engineer based in Los Angeles, California. He has worked on numerous projects including: Lukas Graham, Halsey, Eminem, JoJo, Linkin Park, PitBull, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, & The Rolling Stones.
For over 4 years, Delbert worked at the legendary Larrabee Sound Studios – a mixing studio in North Hollywood with an industry wide reputation for developing impeccable engineers. While there, he assisted nine-time Grammy award winning mixer, Manny Marroquin. He recalls, “I worked on thousands of records there. The attention to detail, musicianship and pace required at that level challenged me to become a better mixer. It was a life-changing experience. I bring those skills with me on every project.”
In 2014, Delbert left Larrabee to pursue his own freelance career. Since his departure, he has had a string of chart topping mixes and a 2017 Grammy Nomination for Record of the Year. “Mixing is about getting music to its fullest potential. Sonics, vibe, and musicality are key to making that happen. I put everything into my mixes. It never gets tiring and I constantly push myself to make every mix better than the last… I can’t wait to hear what I get to work on tomorrow. Mixing is my passion.”
