Ware is known for spare and stunning innovation that pushes
the boundaries of comic-book storytelling. andnbsp;Chris Ware's work has also appeared in many
national and international art exhibits, including the Whitney Biennial exhibit
in 2002. He continues to publish comic strips-which he started doing in the
late 60s as a student at the University of Texas at Austin-in the pages of the
Virginia Quarterly Review. His ongoing Acme Novelty Library series reached its
20th issue in 2010.

In what The
New York Times described
as a "bizarre combination of pop concert and autobiographical lament for the
human condition," up-and-coming theater maker Young Jean Lee fearlessly
launches herself into one of humanity's most feared (and wholly inescapable)
topics-mortality.

Sad stories, harsh realities, tales of loss and tragedy, when
delivered in Young Jean Lee's deadpan style and paired with peppy pop tunes
sung by the artist, alchemize into a moment of collective hope.

Young Jean Lee is an OBIE award-winning playwright and
director who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her
generation" by The
New York Times and "one of the best experimental
playwrights in America" by Time
Out New York.

In what The
New York Times described
as a "bizarre combination of pop concert and autobiographical lament for the
human condition," up-and-coming theater maker Young Jean Lee fearlessly
launches herself into one of humanity's most feared (and wholly inescapable)
topics-mortality.

Sad stories, harsh realities, tales of loss and tragedy, when
delivered in Young Jean Lee's deadpan style and paired with peppy pop tunes
sung by the artist, alchemize into a moment of collective hope.

Young Jean Lee is an OBIE award-winning playwright and
director who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her
generation" by The
New York Times and "one of the best experimental
playwrights in America" by Time
Out New York.

In what The
New York Times described
as a "bizarre combination of pop concert and autobiographical lament for the
human condition," up-and-coming theater maker Young Jean Lee fearlessly
launches herself into one of humanity's most feared (and wholly inescapable)
topics-mortality.

Sad stories, harsh realities, tales of loss and tragedy, when
delivered in Young Jean Lee's deadpan style and paired with peppy pop tunes
sung by the artist, alchemize into a moment of collective hope.

Young Jean Lee is an OBIE award-winning playwright and
director who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her
generation" by The
New York Times and "one of the best experimental
playwrights in America" by Time
Out New York.

Andrieux was a featured dancer with the Merce Cunningham
Dance Company and Lyon Opera Ballet, has also worked with RoseAnne Spradlin and
Chantal Yzermans, and was part of the New York cast of Alain Buffard's Mauvais
Genre. Cédric Andrieux is an intimate portrait of this acclaimed dancer that
offers us remarkable insights into the iconic image of "the performer" as only
Bel can.

In what The
New York Times described
as a "bizarre combination of pop concert and autobiographical lament for the
human condition," up-and-coming theater maker Young Jean Lee fearlessly
launches herself into one of humanity's most feared (and wholly inescapable)
topics-mortality.

Sad stories, harsh realities, tales of loss and tragedy, when
delivered in Young Jean Lee's deadpan style and paired with peppy pop tunes
sung by the artist, alchemize into a moment of collective hope.

Young Jean Lee is an OBIE award-winning playwright and
director who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her
generation" by The
New York Times and "one of the best experimental
playwrights in America" by Time
Out New York.

In what The
New York Times described
as a "bizarre combination of pop concert and autobiographical lament for the
human condition," up-and-coming theater maker Young Jean Lee fearlessly
launches herself into one of humanity's most feared (and wholly inescapable)
topics-mortality.

Sad stories, harsh realities, tales of loss and tragedy, when
delivered in Young Jean Lee's deadpan style and paired with peppy pop tunes
sung by the artist, alchemize into a moment of collective hope.

Young Jean Lee is an OBIE award-winning playwright and
director who has been called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her
generation" by The
New York Times and "one of the best experimental
playwrights in America" by Time
Out New York.

Imani Winds has
established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the
United States. Since 1997, the Grammy-nominated quintet has taken a unique
path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its
dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, adventurous collaborations,
and inspirational outreach programs. With two member composers and a deep
commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind
quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and
Latin American traditions.

Simon Shaheen has
established himself as a virtuoso on two instruments; the violin and the oud, a Middle Eastern precursor
of the lute. In addition to being a master player, he's also a renowned
composer of Arabic and Western music and a teacher who has done a great deal to
foster Arabic music in the West.

ETHEL has been a post-classical
pioneer since the group's founding in 1998, invigorating contemporary concert
music with exuberance, intensity, imaginative programming and exceptional
artistry. With an eye on tradition and an ear to the future, ETHEL is a leading
force in concert music's reengagement with musical vernaculars, fusing diverse
traditions into a vibrant sound that resonates with audiences the world over.
The New York City-based quartet is comprised of Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy
Lawson (cello), Kip Jones (violin) and Tema Watstein (violin).

Hailed by Rolling
Stone as "a genre unto herself," Kaki King is a true iconoclast, a visionary
musician/artist whose singular work rightly stands out amongst the easily
formatted. Over her decade-long career
thus far, the Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer has recorded five
extraordinarily diverse and distinctive LPs, performed with such icons as Foo
Fighters, Timbaland, and The Mountain Goats, contributed to a variety of film
and TV soundtracks (spanning Golden Globe-nominated work on Sean Penn's Into
The Wild to scoring and appearing in as guitar-playing hand double the
acclaimed 2007 drama, August Rush), and played to ever-growing audiences on innumerable
world tours.andnbsp;andnbsp;

Each twist and veer marked
the turning of a page, another step forward on a truly exceptional musical
path. Beginning with 2002's Everybody
Loves You to date, her only fully acoustic guitar recording King has
expanded and reconceived the role of the solo instrumental artist, constantly
kicking at the boundaries of what's expected.

Hailed by NPR's
Fred Child as "one of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of
classical music," yMusic is a sextet of young performers equally comfortable in
the overlapping classical and pop music worlds. The "six hip virtuosi" (Time Out
NY) play a unique combination of instruments: string trio, flute, clarinet and
trumpet.andnbsp;

This exciting orchestration has inspired an expanding repertoire of
works by some of today's most important artists. Indie rock luminaries Annie
Clark (St. Vincent), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and Ryan Lott (Son
Lux), have crafted instrumental works specifically for the ensemble. On
yMusic's debut album, "Beautiful Mechanical," the group pairs these works with
pieces by emerging composers Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and
Gabriel Kahane, a result that was recently named Time Out New York's #1
Classical Record of 2011.

In addition to performing its own repertoire,
yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters. In
the 2012-13 season, yMusic launched new projects with Dirty Projectors, Gabriel
Kahane and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire. Past collaborations have included
work with The National, St. Vincent, My Brightest Diamond, Aaron and Bryce
Dessner, Ra Ra Riot, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

eighth
blackbird-Tim Munro (flutes),andnbsp;Michael J. Maccaferri (clarinets),andnbsp;Yvonne Lam (violin andamp; viola),andnbsp;Nicholas
Photinosandnbsp;(cello),andnbsp;Matthew Duvall (percussion), Lisa Kaplan (piano)- combines
the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band and the audacity of
a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, three-time Grammy-winning
"super-musicians" (LA Times) entertain and provoke audiences across the country
and around the world.

In addition to its
longstanding and fruitful relationships as Ensemble in Residence at the
University of Richmond and University of Chicago, in 2012 eighth blackbird
commences a three-year, Mellon Foundation-funded term as Ensemble in Residence
at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. eighth blackbird will also lead
extended, one-time residencies at University of Texas at Austin and the
University of Maryland.andnbsp;