Music on Argyle

Damjan Rakonjac, an active L.A.-based composer,  is currently working on a commission for the Midnight Winds.  He has written works in a wide variety of genres: including incidental music for several plays (“Necessary Targets” by Eve Ensler and “Uncle Vanya” by Anton Checkov,  both performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; “The Kentucky Cycle” and “The Laramie Project”, both performed at Pepperdine University); a string trio (“The Friendly Woods”,  recorded by the Luther Trio); an extended-length, sacred vocal piece (“Devica Kerkyra”, for three female voices, harp, and percussion; premiered at Pepperdine University); and a piece for unaccompanied flute (“Passacaglia”, recorded by Grace Lai). The British Theatre Guide has described his music as “haunting.”  Damjan  began his music studies in Belgrade, Serbia, where he was a violin and theory pupil at the Josip Slavenski Music Conservatory. He received his B.A. in composition from Pepperdine University in 2008, where he studied with Dr.Lincoln Hanks.  In 2009, he co-founded MusicOnArgyle, an artist collective devoted to the performance of music by living composers. Damjan is also an active orchestrator, serving as assistant orchestrator to Patrick Russ.  Damjan is currently studying composition and piano with Mark Robson, counterpoint with Steven LaCoste, and is an assistant to composer Willian Kraft.

Roksana Zeinapur, a native of Riga, Latvia, is an L.A.-based soprano and pianist, and a co-founder of Music on Argyle. In June will be appearing as Lucy in The Telephone by Menotti, and as Colombine in The Little Harlequinade by Salieri with Pasadena City College Opera Theater.  She will also be participating in the 2010 Opera Works Program in Los Angeles. In 2009 she was a resident at the Intimate Opera Summer Workshop, and appeared in the CalArts Art Song Festival, performing Samuel Barbers “Three Songs” Op. 10. She has performed with the CalArts Baroque Ensemble under the tutelage of Alan Vogel and with pianist Guenevere Saenger in Los Angeles. She began her study of vocal performance with Maria Fortuna at California Institute of the Arts, and is currently a student of Kathleen Roland. As a pianist, Roksana specializes in vocal accompanying, and has served as the music director for the Los Angeles production of The Game of Chance, and as accompanist for Plateé, Luisa Fernanda, South Pacific, Hair, Dido and Aeneas, and The Marriage of Figaro. Roksana was also a resident artist at Songfest in 2006 and 2009. Her most influential piano teachers include Vicki Ray, Martin Katz and Margo Garrett. She has studied and performed in Germany and Austria, and holds a B.A. in piano performance from Pepperdine University and an M.F.A. in collaborative piano from the California Institute of the Arts. She is committed to the performance of new music for both piano and voice and is thrilled to premiere works by Los Angeles composers with Music on Argyle. Roksana can be contacted at roksanaz@hotmail.com

Composer and co-founder of Music On Argyle Kyle Peter Rotolo (b.1986) was born in Palisades Park, New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from the City That Never Sleeps.  He began playing guitar at age 12 and started writing songs not long after that.  He graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University where he studied composition with Dr. N. Lincoln Hanks. Kyle is a member of Phi Kappa Lamda National Music Honor Society and was named to the Spring 2009 edition of Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges. Thanks to his friends, his music has been played on two continents and has received overwhelming support from such admired musicians as Christopher Parkening.  He draws inspiration from Woody Allen, pasta, and rainy days.  Upcoming premieres include the solo guitar work Le Crane á la Cigarette qui Fume (after the painting of the same name by Van Gogh) by the guitarist Anastasios Comenescu.  You can email Kyle at kylepetermusic@hotmail.com.

Composer Juan Pablo Contreras is an accomplished musician currently pursuing a career as a composer, film scorer, and tenor. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1987 and began his violin studies at an early age. At the age of 12 he became a member of the Juvenile Orchestra of Zapopan, which awoke his interest for orchestral music. In the year 2002, he began his opera studies with Engelberto Aguilar, as a tenor, and became a member of the choral ensemble Coral Regina Pacis. He then studied composition with the renowned Mexican composer Hermilio Hernandez, and discovered his true passion for composing. His concert music has been performed in the U.S. and Mexico, and he has scored several short films. Currently, he studies composition at the California Institute of the Arts where he continues his studies as a tenor as well.

Baritone Philip Williams, a three-time Texas All-Stater and Tommy Tune Award nominee, is an active opera singer, having stared as Schaunard in La Boheme for the Flora L. Thornton Opera Department at Pepperdine University, Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, and the Baker in Into the Woods for a Hollywood production, among others. Mr. Williams has been invited to perform in recitals in California, Texas, and Germany. Currently a student of Dr. Melanie Smith-Emelio, director of the Songfest Young Artist program and faculty at Pepperdine University. He is currently preparing for a solo recital in Malibu, CA.

Pianist Guinevere Saenger received her first musical education in her native Germany, from where she moved to the United States to continue her studies. Teachers such as Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Bernadene Blaha, and Vicki Ray were a main influence on Guinevere’s interest in new American solo and chamber music, and her focus is in making such new styles accessible to others. Besides the piano, she also plays organ and harpsichord, instruments which are both experiencing a comeback in the music of the 21^st century. Making music together with other musicians is her foremost joy in life; playing for dancers comes as a close second, and as a performer, Guinevere is active both as a vocal accompanist, chamber musician, and dance pianist. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Satsuki (kiki) Innami was born and raised in a small town in Fukuoka, Japan. She studied at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and focused on traditional flute repertoire and Baroque music. She earned her Bachelor of Music in flute performance. Following her interest in comtemporary music, Satsuki moved to California to study at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. It was at CalArts that Satsuki learned to be more creative and free with her ideas. While at CalArts, she discovered her love of collaboration and helped organize an event that included dancers and a character animation film. She earned her Masters Degree in 2008. She has studied with Suzanne Stumpf, Damian Burshill Hall, Rachel Rudich and Allan Vogel.
She is currently teaching and performing with various artists and new composers in the Los Angeles area.