MATT DARRIAU (kaval, clarinet, saxophone)

Matt has been playing Irish, Balkan, klezmer and jazz music with Frank, Lisa and most of the band for the past 23 years. He leads his own Balkan rhythm quartet, Paradox Trio whose fourth CD, Gambit (ENJA Records, Munich) is soon to be released in the U.S. He has made music for dance, theater, and film including a recent commission from Chamber Music America for his avant-swing band, Ballin’ The Jack. More at mattdarriau.com

LISA GUTKIN (violin, vocals)

Lisa's varied musical palette has led to collaborations with a wide array of artists, the founding of the ‘Downtown Celtic’ group, Whirligig, and to her joining The Klezmatics. Having appeared on over 100 recordings, Lisa also composes for film, radio, television and theater. Her most recent compositions can be heard on episodes of Sex & The City’s final season, in addition to her cameo on-screen appearance on the show (with The Klezmatics). Lisa has performed and recorded with some of the best traditional Irish musicians: Tommy Sands, John Whelan, Steve Cooney, and Cathie Ryan.
 
As part of the Fast Folk collective, she appeared with The Roches, Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, and Richard Shindell, to name a few. She has worked with Pete Seeger, Jane Siberry, John Cale & Bob Newirth with the Soldier String Quartet, and contemporary R&B artist Pru, and her theater credits include Mabou Mines’ Peter & Wendy, Song of Songs by Elizabeth Swados, and Dragon Productions’ Seeing Is Believing with Dutch choreographer Maggie Boogaart for which she composed and performed the music. Lisa can be heard occasionally with The Demolition String Band in their Ola Belle Reed project, with Pamela Wyn Shannon and with Lisa’s Pieces (a bluegrassy band featuring her original compositions). Lisa’s latest project was a composing commission for Song For New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting, a Mabou Mines production performed in the summer of 2007, and a stay at MacDowell Artist Colony in January 2009. More about her at lisagutkin.com

FRANK LONDON (trumpet, keyboards)

Frank's Klezmer Brass Allstars' CD Carnival Conspiracy just got awarded the German Grammy and is “Top of the World” in Songlines; on Hazonos he explores cantorial music with Cantor Jacob Mendelson; he has completed two commissions for Carnegie Hall, an artist-in-residency in Krems, Austria, a new work for David Dorfman Dance at the Joyce Theater; and is in the middle of four theater works, including “Once There Was A Village” for Lincoln Center and LaMama.

PAUL MORRISSETT (bass, tsimbl)

A collector and player of instruments of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and has studied with many masters of these traditions. He has recorded and performed on instruments including hardanger fiddle, violin, nyckelharpa, gadulka, baritone horn, accordion and tamburitza, and has been on the staff of numerous music camps including Fiddles and Feet, Lark in the Morning, Buffalo on the Roof, Ashokan Northern Week and Balkan Music & Dance.

LORIN SKLAMBERG (lead vocals, accordion, guitar, piano)

Lorin can be heard on some 50 CDs, and regularly works together in ongoing and varied collaborations with his bandmates and many of this milestone concert's extraordinary guest artists. He composes and performs for film, dance, stage and circus, produces recordings, and teaches and lectures from London and Paris to Kiev and St. Petersburg. By day he works as the Sound Archivist for the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

RICHIE BARSHAY (percussion)

Richie, most noted as a member of the Herbie Hancock Quartet since 2003, has established himself as a prominent musical voice of his generation. Regarded as “a player to watch” by JazzTimes magazine, he maintains a busy international schedule with some of today's top artists including Hancock, The Klezmatics, Kenny Werner and Chick Corea among others. In September of 2004 he was named an American Musical Envoy by the U.S. State Department, along with the renowned Latin-Jazz ensemble Insight. Now based in New York City after 5 years on the Boston music scene, Richie began playing Jazz and Afro-Latin music during his youth and has expanded his focus to Indian rhythmic concepts and tabla, inspiring his 2005 recording debut Homework and the launching of his new band, The Richie Barshay Project. More about him at richiebarshay.com