My name is Brian Reynolds, and I am the director, producer, and drummer for this special Bard community event. It is my pleasure to present to you this exceptional group of young artists. 

Whether as a conductor or percussionist, holding one stick or two, my goal is always to unite large, diverse ensembles under one musical mission. This mission of this concert is simple: showcase the iconic music of Steely Dan in the very place where the band first formed.

Scroll down to learn more about the musicians featured in this performance.

Questions? Send me an email: br3864@bard.edu 

Anthony D’Amore is a transfer student finishing his first year at Bard Conservatory, where he studies vocal performance with Rufus Müller. This semester, he was featured as Henri Smith in an Opera Workshop performance of "Deux Mots" from Bizet's La Jolie fille de Perth. In addition to his classical studies, Anthony studies the saxophone with Jessica Jones and performs with Marcus Roberts' Modern Jazz Generation. 

Marika is a senior at Bard College with a strong interest in classical music. She performed "Voi che sapete" from The Marriage of Figaro earlier this semester as part of the Opera Workshop, and maintains private study with Rufus Müller. Always interested in new experiences, she could not pass up this opportunity to sing completely different repertoire and adventure into this new genre!

Mara Zaki is a sophomore at Bard College pursuing a double degree in Music and Literature. After starting to play the piano at the age of six, Mara has endeavored to diversify herself as an artist. An alumna of the Westminster Conservatory of Music’s Young Artist Program, Mara was a finalist in their annual concerto competition in 2018. At 15 years old, Mara began her classical voice studies through the program with Danielle Sinclair. She currently studies voice with Rufus Müller and Ilka LoMonaco, continuo with Renée Anne Louprette, and piano with Isabelle O’Connell. While at Bard, Mara performed in two seasons of Opera Workshop as Dorabella (Mozart’s Così fan tutte, 2022) and Hänsel (Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, 2023). Always looking for collaborative opportunities, Mara frequently participates in student-run chamber groups both as a singer and an instrumentalist, and is a member of the Bard College Baroque Ensemble. She has also made appearances in the Clarion Society’s Collegium Week, with the La Fiocco Orchestra, and in the combined New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival and the International Computer Music Conference hosted at New York University.

CLAC (they/she) is a first year student at Bard intending to major in vocal performance. CLAC began studying classical voice in high school but their passion for singing goes back as far as they can remember. Over the years CLAC has performed in state and regional music festivals as well as countless theater productions and operas. This winter CLAC was a soloist in Bard Opera Workshop's scene selection Les Rêves, and this summer she will appear in the chorus of Mozart's Fidelio with Middlebury Opera Company. Though they have spent the most time studying classically, CLAC's passion for singing stretches from rock to bossa nova to soul and beyond, and they are always experimenting with new sounds. In 2021 CLAC graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy where she studied theater. Many thanks to Rufus and Ilka for their incredible coaching to Brian for making this concert happen!

Vigilance Brandon is a senior music major at Bard College. He has spent much of his time in the electronic music and jazz music departments, exploring improvisation, composition, recording techniques, electronic music processes, and other aspects of sound creation.  He has played and collaborated in countless student showcases, performed with the Contemporary Jazz Composers Ensemble, The Collective, UBBU, Tigerdog Zebrafish, and Alchemy Sound Project, and has done some scoring for short films as well. He also spends time writing and producing his own solo projects online, playing not only trumpet, but also keyboard, guitar, drums, synthesizers, and vocals.

Eric Zheng is a musician and educator currently based in New York. As a saxophonist, he is passionate about breaking musical boundaries and collaborating across cultures and genres. He has garnered accolades in multiple national competitions including Yamaha Young Performing Artist, North American Saxophone Alliance, and Vandoren Emerging Artist.

Eric attended Northwestern University where he studied economics and saxophone performance. He then completed a Master of Music in saxophone performance from Michigan State University. Now, Eric has been named a China-U.S. Scholar and is studying at Bard’s U.S.-China Music Institute. There, he is experimenting with the saxophone in Chinese music and learning native wind instruments under suona master, Yazhi Guo. He hopes to integrate Chinese music into his artistry as well as further the progress of melding American and Chinese musical idioms. 

Steven Bonacci is a composer and saxophonist from Westfield, Massachusetts. For the past two years he has studied composition in jazz, classical, and electronic disciplines. As an instrumentalist, he has played with the Contemporary Jazz Composers Ensemble, with Marcus Roberts' Modern Jazz Generation, and on numerous student concerts and projects. Outside of his work in music he also studies philosophy, works as a student crisis counselor, and facilitates student run support groups. Outside of school, he works as a freelance jazz musician in the Hudson valley. These days he is studying composition with Joan Tower, and is working on his moderation concert (which will be on May 1st at 8 PM in Blum hall). 

Ameya Natarajan is a Junior at the Bard College Conservatory where they professionally study the big slide whistle, otherwise known as the trombone, famously known for its voice acting as Charlie Brown’s parents. Ameya’s early music background consisted of Jazz, South Indian Classical music, and Wham’s “Last Christmas”, and they are very excited to be featuring on this Steely Dab Concert. We hope you enjoy, and thank you for coming!

Ruohan (Cherry) Wu is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in music at Bard College. She started with classical piano training and completed A-Level music during high school, where she developed as a composer and accompanist for the school choir. Since enrolling at Bard, she has moved her focus to jazz and has spent one year at the Jz School in Shanghai studying with the China's top jazz musicians. At Bard, she has played for ensembles such as the Jazz Improv Workshop, Women Composers Ensemble and a number of student concerts. Developing as a jazz composer, she has been creating her own voice by incorporating her interest in Chinese history, art and various fields into her music.

Chris Mackin is a NYC-based guitarist, producer, and composer who plays guitar and sings in Walrus, a jam band playing the music of the Beatles. He has performed and produced shows at prominent NYC venues including Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Made, Baby’s All Right, Littlefield, Shapeshifter Lab, Mercury Lounge and The Knittimg Factory. Additionally, he was the Associate Producer for Broadway production company Alexis Productions and co-founder/director for Brooklyn-based production company Loop Troupe. In addition to working with Broadway producers and investors, Chris has produced and directed plays, musicals and concerts off-Broadway and regionally at venues including Vineyard Theater, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Musical Theatre Factory and Franklin Stage Company. 

Matt Macari is a guitarist, composer, and recording engineer from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He has studied composition in jazz, classical, and electronic music for the past four years at Bard College and will graduate with the class of 2023. He has spent his time in Annandale not only on music, but also studying various topics of religion, literature, and theater, and collaborating with students in other departments. Beyond his school work, he has been interning and working professionally at nearby recording studios. These days, you are likely to find Matt on film sets, playing bass guitar for student bands, or simply locked away in the Bard studio working on his personal projects.

Ben Halle is a senior at Red Hook High School. He has appeared in a variety of classical and jazz ensembles such as Amity Blues, the Max Barnes Quartet, and the Sinfonietta Project. His favorite composers and musicians are Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Frederic Rzewski, Brad Mehldau, and Randy Newman. Ben is especially interested in exploring free jazz, electronic music, and minimalism. This fall, Ben will be studying jazz at Manhattan School of Music with Buster Williams. 

Brian Reynolds is a New York-based drummer, conductor, and educator. A shape-shifter across art and pop music subgenres, Brian prides himself on being a utility player. As a drummer, Brian has performed with Marcus Roberts’ Modern Jazz Generation, Jazz Improv Workshop, Afro-Caribbean Percussion Ensemble, Musical Theater Performance Workshop, and countless student recitals. During his time at Bard, Brian has also served as assistant conductor of the Community Orchestra and co-conductor of the Opera Workshop. He will graduate this May with his Master’s in Conducting, having studied with with James Bagwell. He also studied piano with David Sytkowski, organ with Renée Louprette, voice with Matt Deming, and drums with Peter O’Brien. Outside of Bard, Brian works as the choir director and organist at Delmar Presbyterian Church and performs regularly with his guitar duo Twice Shy. 

Rodney Lamar Clark Jr. was born in West Palm Beach, FL and raised in Atlanta, GA. At just 2 years old, Rodney began developing a strong interest in percussion instruments. He entered the Talent Development Program (TDP) in August of 2017 studying under Bill Wilder, a percussionist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He has had the opportunity to be a part of numerous summer programs including summer classical studies at Eastman School of Music, Sandbox Percussion Seminar, Interlochen Percussion Institute, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Here at Bard College, Rodney studies under the direction of SŌ Percussion, performs in the Contemporary Jazz Composers Ensemble, and handles all aspects of percussion in the Conservatory Orchestra.