Entertainment & Production Services
T R A D I T I O N A L C E R E M O N Y & C O C K T A I L H O U R
S T R I N G T R I O
Violinist, Sarah
Violinist/Violist, Christiana
Cellist, Laura
Sarah has been heard worldwide across stages in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States, active as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician. She is a violinist with the acclaimed string quintet SYBARITE5, one of the fastest rising chamber music ensembles in the United States and praised by The Washington Post as "excelling at the exquisite...playing with relish, a sense of comfort, and a frisson of missionary zeal." Based in New York City, SYBARITE5 is the first string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and recently gave their Carnegie Hall debut. SYBARITE5, who's album Disturb the Silence reached the top ten on the Billboard Charts, has also performed at Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, the Caramoor Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Galapagos Artspace, the Library of Congress and on the CBS Early Show. Sarah is also recognized as a soloist, having recently premiered her solo violin recital to a sold out audience, Violin for One: from Bach to Beatles, highlighting solo repertoire. Sarah also performs regularly as a duo with violinist Julia Salerno, having been featured on the NYC House Concert and First Parish Concert Series. She is co-founder of the Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra who have been featured on Mashable, Perez Hilton, Revolt TV as well as recently performing with NAS in Johannesburg, South Africa. Additionally, Sarah has been featured live on-stage with the Transiberian Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Anne Murray, Andrew Wyatt, Rockstar Supernova with Tommy Lee and most recently performed with Fath4er John Misty on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Born in Italy of Italian, Greek, and Polish heritage, Christiana is a performer of international reach. Recognized for her captivating tone and deeply enthralling musical interpretations, she has performed to acclaim, transporting audiences with her performances of traditional forms of classical music as well as more post modern and popular idioms. Versatile in diverse musical genres, Christiana has collaborated in concert engagements across the globe and has mastered the art of playing in many different capabilities; not limited to the more well known classical forms of solo, chamber, symphonic, opera, and ballet, but also in tango, jazz, Broadway, and other eclectic styles. Having performed on a worldwide level in major concert venues, TV, and radio broadcasts as well as on motion picture and independent film soundtracks, she can also be frequently seen performing regularly with different ensembles all over NYC (where she is currently based) at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, the Beacon Theater and Madison Square Garden, to Le Poisson Rouge, Joe’s Pub, Radio City Music Hall, Webster Hall, and Hammerstein Ballroom, among many others. Adept at playing in an array of different capacities, she is equally comfortable performing in a classical vein as guest concertmaster or section leader for orchestras, playing chamber music, or collaborating with dance ensembles. Christiana has studied with numerous internationally acclaimed teachers and has had masterclasses with and been coached by multiple luminaries of the classical music world. After attending Aspen Music Festival in 2007, she was inspired to make playing chamber music a priority in her career. Recent classical chamber music festival appearances include performances at Nantucket Chamber Music Society (MA) playing with her trio, Tanguedia, and Madison Chamber Music Festival (GA) where she collaborated in a number of concerts with David Coucheron and Christopher Rex (concertmaster and principal cellist, respectively, of Atlanta Symphony), as well as with Rachel Barton Pine, Natasha Paremski, and Julie Coucheron, a frequent collaborator on the piano for solo classical recitals on tour.
Laura, lauded for her “sensitive, melodic touch” (BlogCritics Magazine) enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and teacher. She is the cellist of acclaimed string quintet Sybarite5, who won the 2011 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and has performed sold-out concerts at the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center and many other venues worldwide. Sybarite5 made its Carnegie Hall debut at Zankel Hall in 2012, and their album “Disturb the Silence” recently reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Charts. Laura also performs regularly as a solo recitalist, most recently as a guest artist of the inaugural season of the New England Chamber Music Festival. She was featured as a soloist with the One World Symphony playing an arrangement of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time for cello and orchestra and has also been a soloist with the Laredo Philharmonic, the Ensemble 212 Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa. Laura received her Master of Music degree in May 2006 from the Mannes College of Music, where she studied with Timothy Eddy and was awarded the James E. Hughes award for excellence in performance. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University's College of Fine Arts, where, as recipient of the prestigious Trustee Scholarship, she won the 2003 Solo Bach Competition. In 2011 Laura was appointed to the cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality, with whom she has toured extensively nationwide, most recently being presented by the Eastman School of Music at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, NY. Their albums routinely sell in the tens of thousands worldwide, and they premiered an original concerto featuring the group as soloists with the Laredo Philharmonic in 2013. Laura was appointed to the conductorless string ensemble Salome Chamber Orchestra, with whom she appears in Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A devoted educator, Laura has given career-guidance presentations at the Eastman School of Music, the Hartt School of Music and Oklahoma State University. She served on the faculty of Opus 118 Harlem School of Music from 2006-2011, through which she also founded the first-ever cello program in New York’s Public School 129, and is currently a private cello teacher and chamber music coach for students of all ages as well as a faculty member of the New York Summer Music Festival. Laura is frequently engaged by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for outreach performance work in public schools in the New York area.
M O D E R N C O C K T A I L H O U R & R E C E P T I O N
P E R F O R M E R S
Electric Violinist, Gray Devio
Master Percussionist, Bopa King Carré
Saxophonist, Sal G
DJ KeithAndrews
MC Andre
Born in New York City, Gray Devio, songwriter, producer, violinist, violist, singer, pianist and guitarist began his studies in music at the age of 3, and began writing and arranging original material at age 7. By the time he was 11 years old, Gray and his violin had performed in many of the major concert halls in New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Concert Hall. He accepted an invitation to perform in Tchaikovsky Hall and other leading concert halls in Moscow, and has made many appearances on television and radio. Gray attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City for four years, where he studied performance, composition, conducting, theory and solfége. Having been concertmaster of the Symphony and principal violist of both the Symphony and Orchestras, Gray graduated from Juilliard in the Spring of 1999. To continue his education after Juilliard, Gray attended Brown University for studies in business, marketing, computer science and music engineering. After his inspiring years at Brown, he returned to New York to continue writing music, performing publicly and to start his own unique talent and production companies. Since then Gray has performed at high-end events for clients such as Donald Trump, Elizabeth Arden, Tyra Banks, NBC and American Express, to name a few, and has shared the stage with well-known celebrity acts all over the world, some of them including LMFAO, Justin Bieber, Taio Cruz, Sean Kingston, Deborah Cox, Wyclef, Najee, Jordan Knight, Twisted Sister, Jennifer Holiday, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Ashford & Simpson, Rick Derringer, Michael Bolton, Fabolous, The Gin Blossoms and Rod Stewart. Between performances, his time is devoted to writing and producing music for film, television, upcoming and established artists, across many genres of music at his label, production company and artist collective, Bigger Bang Media.
Bopa King Carré is a deeply spiritual and intuitive creator with much more life experience than his age would imply. An extremely versatile and eclectic drummer, master percussionist, improviser, composer, arranger, producer, actor and teacher, Bopa always considers himself a student above all. Influenced by diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, Bopa grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, listening to the exotic sounds of early 1970’s A.M. Radio, whatever records he could find in his parent’s album collection and Salsa Romantico, heard all day and every night out of his apartment window. As time went on, Bopa’s influences expanded into live performances across many genres, not limited to Rock, Punk, Hardcore, Metal, Funk, Disco, R&B, Rap, Reggae, Afro/Cuban, Post-Bop, Free Jazz, Fusion Jazz, Minimalism, Progressive-Experimental sounds, as well as numerous Electronic Dance Music genres. His constant exploration of the music and rhythms from his life-study, world travel, performance history and extensive dance club experience keep Bopa King Carré naturally sensitive to the dynamics and attitudes of any musical situation. His ability to anticipate other musician’s choices, at any tempo, with no hints or cues, contribute to his mastery of improvisation and accurately "playing the mix" with DJs. This is one of the most obvious attributes that sets Bopa King Carré apart from the rest. In addition to being featured on many record releases, both major and independent, Bopa has performed and collaborated with artists and major DJ’s, at venues spanning the globe. He now chooses to focus on music writing, production and performance with his associates, which has spawned the birth of several projects including Bigger Bang Media, Equanimous Minds, We Versus, The Real DMT, Billy Mira & The Hitmen and The Equanimous Minds Show.
Sal G has been playing saxophone professionally since a very early age. At 18 years old, he performed opposite Dizzy Gillespie as a featured soloist with the Ellenville Jazz Ensemble, at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. After receiving a scholarship to the University Of Miami School of Music, Sal got the rare opportunity to perform with Stan Gatz on Miami Beach at The Fountain Bleu. At 20 years old, he performed at the famed Village Vanguard jazz club in NYC with Larry Coryell, Albert Dailey, Buster Williams and Billy Hart. He later went on to perform and record with other great jazz artists such as Miles Davis, George Gruntz, Arturo Sandoval, Elvin Jones, the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Bobby Watson Big Band and many others. His jazz festival appearances in the U.S. and abroad have included Saratoga, JVC, Lugano, Berlin and numerous others. One famed performance, along with a record and a film, was that of the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival featuring Miles Davis with Quincy Jones conducting. This concert went on to be the historical and grammy award winning record “Miles Davis And Quincy Jones: Live At Montreux”. Sal also, while finishing a two and a half year run with Maynard Ferguson, had the distinct pleasure and honor of playing a command performance for the King of Thailand in Bankok. Sal G’s career has not only included famous jazz artists, but his diversified and accomplished sax style has led him to perform alongside many dance and pop artists also, including a five year stint with The Rascals. He has also performed and recorded with famous latin music artists, including Glenn Monroig in Puerto Rico. Through all of his musical experiences, Sal G has crafted his own style of performance that stands on its own. Currently, between public performances and global tours, Sal performs with bands and DJ’s at high-end private events all over the world.
New York based DJ and Producer, Keith Andrews, has achieved much success in the music industry, both behind the decks and in the studio. He has been spinning records for over 20 years and proudly, his name is attached to some of the most prolific artists around today. Keith’s success stems from his deep passion for music, and for him it’s not just a job; it’s a way of life. Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Keith was the youngest child in his family, and as a result, was exposed to various genres of music including R&B, funk, disco, classic rock and heavy metal, just to name a few. Andrews credits his incredible ability to play eclectic music sets to the widespread exposure and appreciation he received early on in his life. DJ Keith Andrews’ ability to read a crowd and know what will work is uncanny. As he puts it: “My sound changes depending on the venue I’m in. I do love my soulful, funky sound, but I change it up according to what the crowd likes. I pay attention. Every accomplished DJ should.” It seems his approach has worked. Andrews has spun for jam packed audiences at some of NYC’s most legendary hot spots, including Soundfactory, Vue, Key Club, Float, Savannah, Paddy Mc Gees, Slope, Pacha Coco’s and Le Souk just to name a few. Other appearances include Ferrari events, Breast Cancer Walks and various high-end private fundraisers and private events. Currently, between club appearances and private event performances, DJ Keith Andrews spends his time in the studio producing original material and remixes for current and charting dance music artists.
Andre is a multi-talented and accomplished professional MC, screen actor, voice over actor, stunt man and race car driver. Best known for his acting work in feature films, “Keeping The Faith” (with Ben Stiller, Edward Norton and Jenna Elfman) and “Hopes Portal” with co-star Monica Steuer, television acting on well known shows such as “Law & Order” and “Blue Bloods”, as well as his work with Rockstar Games on Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V, Andre’s energy and presence in all of his projects is immense. At an early age, Andre performed in his first comedy musical, "A Funny Thing Happend On The Way To The Forum", landing the lead role, which spawned a deep life-long passion for the stage. Shortly after, he joined a local theater group and performed several more plays before taking it to a professional level. Andre studied film acting at St. John's University and had extensive training at The Stella Adler Studio. Parallel to his experiences in dramatic theater, Andre began performing and being hired as a dancer at private events in New York, working with many of the industry's leading companies. This lead to his ultimate employment as a professional MC in the private events industry. Currently, between his film acting, voiceovers, martial art studies and extreme stunts, Andre enjoys success as a sophisticated, outgoing and captivating MC, performing for high-end corporate and private event audiences all over the world. Because of his many years of experience in the entertainment industry, he also trains and offers professional consulting services for growing entertainment companies.
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V I D E O S
Equanimous Minds Performing Live At PinkTie Benefit
Gray Devio's Digital Soul Ensemble Jam
Electric Violinist, Gray Devio & Percussionist, Bopa King Carré
Equanimous Minds - No Deputy Jam
Gray Devio's Digital Soul Ensemble
Gray Devio's Digital Soul Ensemble Performing At Oheka Castle
Sal Performing Live On Saxophone
Electric Violinist, Gray Devio & Percussionist, Bopa King Carré
Timbalesman Performing Live At Private Event
We Versus Performing Live At The Nautical Mile
Gray Devio Performs At Hamptons, Long Island Private Event
L I G H T I N G
Liliano Bariaktari has been President, Designer, Lighting Director and Programmer at Lights of New York since 1995. With professional credits including touring superstar acts, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, as well as over 20 years of professional experience in light design and programming for high-end corporate and private events all over the world, he has joined forces with Managing Partner/Executive Producer, Gray Devio, of the Bigger Bang Media family, as Stage Manager and Lighting/Visual Director for all Gray Devio and Bigger Bang Media events.
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