Christopher Mallett Interview with Elizabeth Brown preceding the concert

Christopher Mallett is an American classical guitarist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Soundboard Magazine has described him as "Virtuosic," and he was dubbed a "trailblazer" by the St. Louis Dispatch.

His performances have taken him to some of America's finest concert halls. Guitar societies, and festivals, including the Kravis Center in Palm Beach, Florida, The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, the 92nd St. Y in New York, the Guitar Foundation of America's Convention (GFA) in Indianapolis, the New York Guitar Society, the Austin Guitar Society, The Cleveland Guitar Society, and more. He also performed throughout Asia, with performances in Beijing, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Christopher Mallett's new release champions the music of Justin Holland, America's first Black classical guitarist who made his name during the time of slavery.

Aaron Haas is a classical guitarist currently based in Seattle. A skilled communicator and expressive performer, both his teaching and music serve the purpose of connecting us to what it feels like to be alive and human. From a family of singer-songwriters he understands the power of a musical narrative, and with extensive background in meditation he strives to create music from a place of silence and aliveness. Haas has studied at some of the most prestigious schools in the world, including the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with Oscar Ghiglia, at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana with Lorenzo Micheli, and at the University of Southern California with William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero. His efforts to combine his meditation practice with his musical practice resulted in an article published in the Journal of Singing in 2018 entitled "Creativity Through Silence: Exploring the Use of Meditation in Musical Performance." He is also a meditation teacher with the online yoga studio, Yoga for All Musicians, and Mindful USC.

Dr. Connie Sheu is a dynamic guitarist, devoted teacher, and ardent advocate of classical guitar. In demand as both a soloist and chamber musician, her playing has been hailed by the New York Sun as "excellent, ruminative... scholarly." According to Classical Guitar Magazine, "Her debut recording displays, without a doubt, her talents as a concert artist." Past performances have brought her to Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, 92nd StY, Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall; venues in Moldova, Italy, Hungary; and across the United States. She is a frequent performer on various concert series and music festivals, and has most recently appeared at the Women in Guitar Festival, New York Guitar Festival, and Guitar Foundation of America International Convention.

Dr. Sheu studied U.S. History and Music at Columbia University, and earned a Master of Music from the Juilliard School. She completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California under William Kanengiser and Pepe Romero. She also studied under scholarship at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana with Oscar Ghiglia in Siena, Italy. Dr. Sheu performs with flutist Elise Henry as Duo Arroyo, and is also part of Street Symphony, an organization dedicated to bringing music to communities affected by homelessness and incarceration in Los Angeles. She currently teaches at Pomona College and the Colburn School.