MATTHEW COLEY, Founding Artistic Director
Matthew Coley is a marimba, percussion, and hammer dulcimer artist, composer, and clinician.  His range of experience as a musician is fully diversified.  Matthew has presented solo marimba and percussion concerts throughout the US and abroad, most recently performing at Virginia Commonwealth University and University of North Texas.  He is a featured artist on the Illinois Arts Council ArtsTour Roster for 2007-2009, endorsed by Vaughncraft Percussion, placed third in the 2005 WAMSO/Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and was a finalist in the 2005 and 2004 Houston Symphony Orchestra Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition.  He won first place in the 2000 Music Teachers National Association Solo Percussion Competition, the 2000 Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Marimba Concerto Competition, and the 1999 Yamaha Young Performing Artist award.  Matthew has performed as soloist at three PAS International Conventions (2000, 2002, 2007) with the Northwestern University and University of North Texas percussion ensembles, as well as appearing as soloist with the Moldavian Teleradio Symphony Orchestra, Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion Quartet, Texas Christian University Wind Ensemble, and Loyola University Orchestra of Chicago.  He has done several solo and chamber music performances recently at the University of Kansas, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and -Whitewater, and Sherwood Conservatory of Music Chicago.  Matthew presented master classes in 2008 in Chisinau, Moldova for “The Days of New Music Festival” and will return to premiere a percussion concerto, conduct percussion ensembles, teach master classes, and perform a duo concert with percussion artist, Cory Hills for the festival in 2009.  Later this year he will premiere Tides and Riptides; Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra by Bjorn Berkhout with the Sherwood Symphony Orchestra and solo with the San Francisco Sinfonietta Orchestra.


Matthew performs frequently as timpanist and percussionist in Chicago with groups such as the Illinois Philharmonic, Rockford Symphony, and New Philharmonic Orchestras.  He is widely sought after to accompany modern dance in Chicago studios, including the Lou Conte Dance Studio (home of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago).  Matthew is founding artistic director of SONIC INERTIA (dance + electronic media + live music), which also consists of smaller chamber groups from the SONIC INERTIA core musicians, to a marimba and piano duo (Coley/Drews Duo) and a flute, bassoon, and percussion trio (Apollo Trio).  He has advanced the repertoire for the hammer dulcimer in contemporary and chamber music settings with the efforts of these ensembles, and created unique collaborative works for live musicians and dancers.  Matthew is a published composer with Innovative Percussion, Inc. and a clinician in a diverse field of percussion performance topics, as well as dance and multi-media collaboration.  He received his Masters of Music degree from Northwestern University in percussion performance and literature in 2003 under Michael Burritt and James Ross, and his Bachelors of Music degree from the University of North Texas in 2001 with Mark Ford and Christopher Deane.  Matthew can be contacted on the web through www.hearmatthewcoley.com or www.sonicinertia.com.


BJORN BERKHOUT, composer, cello
Dr. Berkhout is an award winning composer who received his Doctorate in Composition at Northwestern University where he was awarded the Faricy Award for Creative Music. He’s also an active cellist, having received his Masters Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Berkhout was awarded 2nd Prize in the 2006 Gustav Mahler Composition Contest for his work Eclipse, which was premiered July 27th in Viktring, Austria by the Janus Ensemble Vienna. In 2004 he was the winner of the Omaha Symphony Guild’s International Composition Contest for his work REM, a Lucid Dream Fantasy for solo cello and two chamber orchestras.
His work Zapstar was one of six works selected from over 230 submissions for the ALEA III 2003 International Composers Contest and his composition Visual Sound, which had its premier in Amsterdam, was nominated for the Gaudeamus Prize 2000.


Twice he was selected as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Raymond and Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize.  He has received attention at many national and international festivals including June in Buffalo, Music Ninety-Eight in Cincinnati, the Gaudeamus Festival in Amsterdam, and the New Music Symposium 2001 at the Domaine Forget in Canada.


Dr. Berkhout is currently a full time instructor of music at Loyola University Chicago where he teaches music theory/composition, history and cello. Learn more at www.bjornb.com.



MARY DREWS, piano
Mary Drews is a sought-after collaborative pianist, chamber musician, and teacher.

From 1984-1999, Ms. Drews was engaged at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany.  While in Europe, she was the official pianist of numerous international violin competitions including Munich ARD, Hannover, Pablo Sarasate, Rodolfo Lipizer, and Paganini.

Her collaborations with singers and instrumentalists alike include engagements at the Aspen Music Festival, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, the Minnesota Orchestra Musicfest, the Schleswig Holstin Festival, as well as concert tours in Europe and Japan.

Since 2001, Ms. Drews is on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago.



CORY HILLS, percussion

Percussionist, composer, and educator Cory Hills thrives on breaking down musical barriers through innovative and creative endeavors. He received his bachelor’s degree (percussion performance and music education) from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his master’s degree (percussion performance) from Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Australia. In 2005, Hills was awarded a research fellowship to Institute Fabrica, United Colors of Benetton’s research center for the contemporary and exploratory arts located in Treviso, Italy. Currently, Hills is a doctoral fellow in percussion performance and music theory at the University of Kansas. Hills has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Choir, and the Topeka Symphony, and soloed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and The United States Army Band. A staunch advocate of new music, Hills has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works for solo percussion. In addition, he sponsors the annual Con/un/drum Solo Percussion Composition Competition designed to increase the repertoire for solo percussion. Hills is a frequent guest artist and clinician throughout the United States and Europe, giving numerous master classes and recitals. He is endorsed by Vaughncraft percussion.


For more information, please visit www.coryhills.com.

 

Artists


TODD NICKOW, clarinet
Todd is a graduate of Northwestern University. He is currently principal clarinetist of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. He has held the position of principal clarinetist in the Jackson (Mississippi) Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New World Symphony. He has participated in the Tanglewood and Roundtop Music Festivals and received first prize at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition. Visit www.bjoto.com for information about upcoming performances.


PETER MARTIN, percussion

Peter holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Rutgers University and a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University where he is currently pursuing his Doctorate.  He has studied with Michael Burritt, She-e Wu, and Leigh Howard Stevens.

Peter has been a featured artist at the Jeju Summer Music Festival of Korea, the Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and the Long Island and Kansas Days of Percussion.

As an ensemble musician, Peter has performed with the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra, the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, the Stampede Group Inc., the Summit Theatre Group, and the Exit 9 percussion group.

Peter is also a frequent guest clinician and performer at music schools worldwide, including Seoul National University, Bryn Mawr, St. Cloud State, Colorado State, and Iowa State Universities.  He was the first prize winner at the 2003 Percussive Arts Society International Marimba Competition.  Since 2004, Peter has been an artist/endorser for Kp3/Malletech Co.    


KATHLEEN McCANN, dancer, choreographer, administrative assistant
Kathleen graduated from Butler University's Dance Department in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration.  While at Butler, she performed
soloist and principal roles with the university performance company including Myrtha in Giselle and Odile in Swan Lake.  She also performed in original contemporary ballet and modern-dance works by choreographers Donald Byrd and former Martha Graham company member Larry White.

After graduation, Kathleen danced with Kentucky Ballet Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky for three years where she worked with choreographers Xijun Fu, Kirt Hathaway, and Graca Sales.  She has lived in Chicago for two years and is a member of Tyego Dance Project. She currently teaches ballet at several Chicago-area dance schools.


CATHERINE SCHUBILSKE, violin

Violinist Catherine Schubilske enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician , and orchestral player.  She joined the Minnesota orchestra in 2000.  She has performed, toured and recorded with the Chicago Symphony as a substitute violinist and was a member of the Santa Fe Opera orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, and Honolulu Symphony.  She was a frequent soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony and Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra.

Ms. Schubilske  enjoys an active chamber music schedule. Along with Vuillard Duo recitals with Chicago pianist Mary Drews, this season she will play  with the Hill House Chamber Players on their series in St Paul, on the MN Orchestra’s chamber music series and at UW Parkside. Last summer she collaborated with Osmo Vanska in a clarinet quartet on the orchestra’s chamber music series. She was invited to perform at the Bach Aria Festival in New York and the Strings in the Mountains Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Catherine began her violin studies at age 8, with Suzuki teacher Sister Mary John Kallal in Chicago and continued with Joseph Golan. She was a student of Jens Ellerman at the University of Cincinnati, where she won the Hermann Violin Competition, and of Franco Gulli at Indiana University where she won the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Young Artist award and earned a master's degree in violin performance.  Other teachers include Vartan Manoogian ,Lea Foli, and Burton Kaplan.


CLAIRE WEDEMEYER, clown

Claire Wedemeyer is happy to be working with SONIC INERTIA.  Claire is a clown, actress, variety act and street performer. She moved to Chicago in 2007 after touring for three years as a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey and the Kelly Miller Circus.  Prior to the joining the circus Claire had performed in theaters in New York (Lincoln Center), London, and St. Louis.  She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and The British American Drama Academy.



PREVIOUS SIPG ARTISTS

Kyle Bellin, percussion

Amanda Doerr, dancer

KAYLA FLEMING, dancer

JEN GORMAN, dancer

CARRIE SHAW-HENNEMAN, soprano

CORY HILLS, percussion

Jon Johnson, composer, percussion

SEÁN KROLL, bass-baritone vocalist

JON JOHNSON, percussion

KRISTIN LELOUP, dancer

Becca Lemme, dancer

AMANDA CLEGG LYON, lighting designer

Lindsay Mack, dancer

MICHAEL McBRIDE, baritone

CHRISTOPHER MAHIEU, piano

JOSHUA MANCHESTER, percussion

LINDSEY MARKS, dancer, vocalist

MARYSUE MILLER, choreographer

VALERIE MOORE, dancer

Noel Powers, dancer

Jennifer Sandavol, choreographer

DANIEL SINGER, vocalist, composer

JEFFREY SMITH, percussion

Annie Stevens, percussion

Christa South, dancer

CHARLIE WILLIAMS, electronic artist, composer

AUSTIN WULLIMAN, violin