Profile Type: Music Partners Faculty
Sana Nagano
Brooklyn-based violinist/composer Sana Nagano has a highly distinctive approach to her playing, grounding chaotic improvisations with restrained precision. Formally trained in both jazz and classical traditions, she rips up the rulebook with projects such as the avant-bluegrass trio Astroturf Noise and 2021’s prog jazz quintet Smashing Humans, 2022’s superb free-jazz trio Anime Mundi (with legendary…
Pierce Yamaoka
Name: Pierce Yamaoka From: Fresno, California My inspiration: Mario Guarneri, Kris Kwapis, Sam Gellaitry, Snarky Puppy and so many others… Education: B.M. Trumpet Performance, San Francisco Conservatory of Music; M.M. Trumpet Performance, Indiana University I play and teach: Trumpet My other artistic/musical endeavors: I perform with a variety of ensembles that include brass trios/quartets/quintets and…
Jay Vilnai
Name: Jay Vilnai I’m from… Jerusalem I started teaching music in… 2002 I started teaching at the Conservatory in… 2014 My inspiration: In music, the gamut runs from Brahms to Bartók to Bowie. Otherwise, writers such as Shakespeare, Rilke, and Lydia Davis are constantly on my mind as I go through my day. Few people…