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Bios

Ralph Alessi, trumpet

Since 1991, trumpeter/composer/educator Ralph Alessi has been an active member of the New York jazz and improvised music scene as both sideman and leader. Called “…a highly-in-demand, adventurous virtuoso who can handle just about anything” (L.A. Weekly), Alessi has performed and recorded with the likes of Steve Coleman, Uri Caine, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, Sam Rivers, Drew Gress, Fred Hersch and many other of the great innovators in improvised music.

As a leader, Alessi has four recordings to his name: Hissy Fit, Vice Virtue , This Against That (voted one of the top ten records of 2002 by Jazz Times) and the recently released, Look featuring his band, This Against That. In the coming year he will release 2 more recordings, one being a quartet project featuring Jason Moran.

As an educator, Alessi has been a member of the faculties at Five Towns College and the Eastman School of Music. He is currently the founder and director of the School for Improvisational Music (www.schoolforimprov.org), a non-profit entity currently holding improvisational music workshops in Brooklyn.  Since 2002, he has been on the jazz faculty at New York University.


Mike Boschen, trombone

Mike Boschen began playing the trombone in fourth grade.  While studying with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra in high school, he decided to pursue a career in music.  After receiving his BM from the Eastman School of Music in 1995, he moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School, from which he graduated in 1997 with his MM.  His interest in all styles of music has enabled him to establish a career with healthy variety, and he has performed with groups such as The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Temptations, the O'Jays, Yes, Chuck Mangione, Nancy Wilson, Phil Woods, Don Byron, Slide Hampton and the World of Trombones, Louie Bellson and Audra McDonald.

Mike has recorded music for radio, television, and movies, as well as for artists including Wayne Shorter, Audra McDonald, Slide Hampton, Steve Tyrell, Manhattan Transfer, The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, the Extension Ensemble, the American Brass Quintet, and The New World Symphony. As a member of the orchestra Mike has recorded cast albums for the Broadway shows The Full Monty, The Frogs, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He plays lead and solo trombone with the Birdland Big Band, which performs every week at the Birdland jazz club, and is also a member the band Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocolypse.  In addition, Michael is principal trombone of the Riverside Symphony, which performs and records contemporary works for orchestra.  Michael has also been an adjunct professor at Sarah Lawrence College, and is currently a member of the Juilliard Pre College faculty.

Mike loves experiencing life with his wife Nicole, and also thoroughly enjoys great food and golfing.


Andrew Bove, Tuba

Andrew Bove is from Massapequa Park, New York, and now enjoys a diverse career as a freelance musician based in New York City. As an orchestral musician, Mr. Bove has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, Long Island Philharmonic, Westchester Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, New World Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, as well as many others.  He is also in demand as a chamber musician, and has performed and recorded with numerous groups including the Extension Ensemble, the American Brass Quintet, Sequitur, and Korn.  He has recorded for motion pictures and television, and was recently featured by Hip-Bone music in their series of CDs and instructional DVDs for young musicians.  From 1999-2002, he was the recipient of the orchestral tuba fellowship from the Aspen Music Festival and has performed at many other festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the Pierre Monteux School. Mr. Bove is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Northwestern University, and is currently a faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College and Kean University.


Sycil Mathai, trumpet

Sycil Mathai is part of various directions of contemporary and experimental chamber music in New York City.  Resigning from his post with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra now affords him the chance of playing with diverse groups such as the Extension Ensemble, Orchestra of St.Lukes, Sequitir, Bach Players of Holy Trinity, Sospeso, Iris Chamber Orchestra, Ne(x)tworks, artists Carter Burwell, Butch Morris, and the dance companies of Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, and Nai-Ni Chen.  He has recorded for RCA, PBS, Summit Brass, Albany Records, New World, and Sirius Satellite Radio.  Sycil is a graduate of Juilliard as a student of Mark Gould, and of TCU as a student of Steve Weger.


Theodore Primis, horn

Originally from Alaska Mr.Primis currently resides in New York City where he freelances playing both chamber and orchestral music. He received both his Masters and Bachelors degree from The Juilliard School where he was a scholarship student.  He is the principal horn for Wicked the musical and frequently performs with the American Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Extension Ensemble, and the Ensemble Sospeso. He made his solo debut at the age of seventeen with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., a performance broadcast on National Public Radio. He has also performed as an orchestral musician with orchestras in Switzerland, Italy, South America, the Dominican Republic, as well as all throughout the United States.

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