Sheila Hamilton

flute, piano and guitar

Sheila is a freelance chamber, orchestral and solo performer.  She performs regularly in varied chamber settings including the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and the Bard Conservatory’s Graduate Orchestral conducting program under Harold Farberman.  Ms. Hamilton began her classical music training at age five in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and sprang into professional performing as a teenager.  She was a double music scholarship recipient (flute and piano) and holds degrees from Eberhardt-Karls Universität in Germany and The State University of New York.  On flute, she has been described as “…a silk smooth syrinx of a classical flutist."  In her performance with guitarist Jim Bacon, of Ibert’s Entr’acte, music critic and reviewer Kitty Montgomery wrote: "…inspired by Bacon's ebullient picking, Hamilton blew past perfect containment...to out-of-this-world...mastery."  Ms. Hamilton studied with the legendary Julius Baker and Metropolitan Opera flutist Trudy Kane, both of the Julliard School.  On piano, she has accompanied numerous vocalists and choruses including the West Point Glee Club and Marist Chamber Choir.  In 2010 she appeared on piccolo with Nexus and So Percussion at Maverick Concert Hall, in the Reich’s seminal work Drumming.  Ms. Hamilton currently serves on the music faculty at Marist College, where she coaches chamber ensembles and is a lecturer of World Music and American music history.

 

Liam Wood 

guitar, piano, composition 

Liam is a classical guitar soloist, chamber musician, composer and teacher who earned his B. F. A. from the State University of New York, College at Purchase and his Masters in Music from Manhattan School of Music.  Of his many accomplishments, Mr. Wood was winner of the Artist International 29th Annual Chamber Music Award.  He was featured in an article called “Thinking outside the Box” (Classical Music Singer Magazine), for the New York City premiere of his performance withNew Music New York, a collaboration with Mezzo-Soprano singer Rita Litchfield, of Jonathan Kulp’sFive Poems of Emily Dickinson.  Other recordings include an album of Mozart’s piano music and Spanish guitar style soundtrack for the iPhone app “Space Hunters”.  Liam’s performance at Carnegie Hall with the Wood/Moran Duo was sold out and reviewed enthusiastically by Guitar Review Magazine:  “thrilling…the audience could not hold their applause until the end of the set”.  Liam serves on the board of directors of the Mid-Hudson Valley Classical Guitar Society, originally conceived by the brilliant luthier Thomas Humphrey (1948 – 2008). The Society has brought countless world-renowned performers to the area, including Eliot Fisk and the Assad Brothers.  Mr. Wood also performs regularly in a classical guitar duo with David Temple.  His commitment to teaching has brought him to the Third Street Music Settlement School, the Kingston Conservatory of Music, and Bard College.

Randi Parker 

trumpet, percussion 


Randi is a professional trumpet player and instructor.  She holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music, where she studied with world-renowned trumpeter Frank G. Campos.  Following her teacher's footsteps, she is adept at classical trumpeting, various jazz styles and improvisation.  Ms. Parker is an adjunct professor at Ulster County Community College and also teaches at numerous schools and colleges in the Hudson Valley including Mountain Laurel Waldorf School and Barcone’s Music in Kingston.  Randi maintains a busy performing schedule with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Woodstock Playhouse Orchestra, Big Blue Big Band and The Huguenot Brass Quintet.  Randi is also available for percussion and piano lessons.
 

T. Xiques 

drums   


T. Xiques was raised in Putnam Valley, NY and began drumming professionally at the age of 15.  As a child, he was exposed to all genres of live music through his father, Ed Xiques, who performed and recorded with Frank Sinatra, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Aerosmith, Liza Minelli, Jaki Byard, Jackson 5, Woody Herman, to name a few.  A third-generation music teacher, T. has taught at the Woodstock Day School, Paul Green’s School of Rock, and The Poughkeepsie Day School.  He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Savoy Brown, Garth Hudson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kaki King, Matthew Garrison, David Tronzo, George Garzone, Giacomo Gates, Roswell Rudd, John Medeski, Ira Coleman, Mike Manieri, Jay Anderson, Junior Mance, Robbie Dupree and Colin Hay of Men at Work.  T. co-led the organic pop-soul duo WeMustBe, collaborated with singer/songwriter Eric Wood and continues to work with premier Tibeten vocalist Yungchen Lhamo. Currently T. plays drums with original rock band Hobo Jungle, a cutting-edge jazz group, the Mike Dopazo trio, as well as playing guitar, bass and drums with several duos.  T. attended the Berklee College of music on scholarship and he continues to challenge himself, searching for new techniques in learning and teaching that keep music increasingly fun to play.  T. enjoys teaching all ages and levels of students.