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Free Planet Radio, based in Asheville, NC is becoming one of the most exciting partnerships in world music today. Their world-jazz-classical fusion is a trans-cultural canvas that is at times deeply reflective and at other times rhythmically mind-bending. This ensemble is composed of River Guerguerian, Armenian-Egyptian born in Canada, an award-winning multi-percussionist / composer whose lyrical percussion style earned him a long-standing tenure with Turkish flutist virtuoso Omar Faruk Tekbilek; Eliot Wadopian, a two-time Grammy-award winner, proficient on string and electric basses, a 17 year member of the Paul Winter Consort. He’s also worked with Hal Galper, Glen Velez, and Eugene Friesen; Chris Rosser, an accomplished pianist, composer / producer, renown for his outstanding performances on a variety of indigenous stringed instruments. He studied under the master Ali Akbar Khan. These artists emerged from three of the country's finest conservatories, and have established themselves in concert halls and studios, appearing on over 250 recordings and in 30 countries. Their individual talents have garnered worldwide recognition in Carnegie Hall, the Hong Kong World Music Festival, the Sydney Opera House, and the Madrid International Jazz Festival. |
 Chris
Rosser
is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer and producer.
As a solo performer, he tours nationally playing at festivals, clubs
and listening rooms, and has shared stages with folk and pop luminaries
such as
Nickel Creek, John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, John Gorka, David Wilcox, Tom
Rush and more. Chris has released three recordings , Hidden Everywhere
(2006), The Holy Fool (2000), and Archaeology (1997). and has won
songwriting contests at the Rocky Mountain Folks and Merle Watson
festivals. With the help of a 1999 WNC Regional Artists grant, he
continued his studies of Hindustani classical music and the sarod (a
25-string fretless Indian lute) with world famous Indian musician Ali
Akbar Khan in San Rafael, CA. Rosser earned a Bachelor of Music from
the University of Miami School of Music where he studied jazz piano and
studio recording on a full scholarship. He owns Hollow Reed Studio in
Asheville and was awarded a songwriter/composer fellowship from the NC
Arts Council. He has also begun touring as the keyboardist in the
ensemble of master Turkish musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek. Visit him at www.chrisrosser.com. |
 River
Guerguerian (Multipercussionist/
Composer/Educator) was born in 1967 in
Montreal, Canada to Armenian-Egyptian parents and received his Bachelor
of Music from the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory in 1989. For
over 25 years, he has been performing internationally with such groups
as the BBC Concert Orchestra, New Music Consort, Grammy and Oscar
winning composer Tan Dun, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tibetan Singing Bowl
Ensemble, Talujon Percussion Quartet, Chuck Berry, and Ziggy
Marley/Gipsy Kings project. His compositions have been commissioned and
performed by chamber
ensembles, universities, modern dance
companies,
and new music festivals throughout the U.S. Guerguerian has performed
in concert halls in New York, Berlin, Moscow,
Edinburgh, Rome, Sydney, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Athens, Istanbul,
London, and has recorded on over 100 albums and film soundtracks. In
1994, River sold all possessions, left civilization, and lived in a
wildlife sanctuary in the Himalaya Mountains. River conducts rhythm and
sound exploration workshops throughout the country. Visit him at www.ShareTheDrum.com |
 Grammy
Award–winning
bassist Eliot
Wadopian has been a professional
musician for more than twenty seven years. He began his studies at the
Berklee College of Music and has performed extensively throughout the
United States, Europe and the Orient with many professional ensembles.
Eliot has held the bass chair for such artists as Paul Winter and the
Paul Winter Consort, David Wilcox, Eugene Friesen and Paul Halley,
Donald Harrison, Jon Faddis, Glen Velez, Mark Lavine, Gene Bertoncini,
Paul Sullivan, Oscar Castro-Neves, Judy Collins, Yo Yo Ma, Gil Shaham,
the Cab Calloway big band, and Davy Spillane, to name a few. As an
educator, Eliot teaches privately, as well as on the current faculties
of Western Carolina University and Mars Hill College. He also performs
regularly in several bass sections of many regional mid-Atlantic
symphony Orchestras. Visit him at www.eliotwadopian.com. |
| Artists
have performed individually at: Carnegie Hall Sydney Opera House Lincoln Center Edinburgh International Arts Festival, Scotland Hong Kong International Arts Festival Moscow New Music Festival Los Angeles Sacred Music Festival Madrid International Jazz Festival Miyazaki International Music Festival, Symphony Hall Tokyo, Japan Red Sea Jazz Festival, Eilat Israel Spivey Hall, Atlanta, GA Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, Duke Farm, NJ Kennedy Center, Washington DC |
Artists have
participated in workshops at: European Frame Drummers Meeting, Barcelona, Spain Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY Western Carolina University, NC University of Lecce, Italy University North Carolina - Asheville Montclair State University, NJ University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem Mentone Men’s Conference, GA (w/ Robert Bly) Elysian Fields Yoga Center, St. Simons Island, GA Columbia University-NY Southern Utah Songwriting School |
