Wet Ink Ensemble

The Wet Ink Ensemble is a group of soloists specializing in contemporary music. Formed in 2002 by composers Alex Mincek and Sam Hillmer, the ensemble is the house band for the series of concerts produced annually by the Wet Ink Composers Collective. The group’s repertoire is diverse, ranging from indeterminate and improvisational music to scores of rigorous notational complexity. The Wet Ink Ensemble has performed works by Ablinger, Brown, Ferneyhough, Hurel, Murail, Nono, Reich, Rzewski, Saunders, Sciarrino, and Wolff, among others. The core members of the ensemble are Alex Mincek (music director, saxophones, bass clarinet), Eric Wubbels (piano, accordion), Reiko Fueting (piano), Jeff Snyder (electronics), Katharine Soper (voice), Erin Lesser (flutes), Sarah Beaty (clarinets), Nathan Botts (trumpet), Matthew Hough (electric guitar), Ian Antonio (percussion), Miranda Sielaff (viola), and Joanne Lin (cello). The ensemble does, however, expand and contract in size, enabling substantial flexibility regarding instrumentation.

 

 

Alex Mincek: saxophones and bass clarinet

Alex Mincek is a New York-based composer and performer. His music, typically characterized by elements of noise, repetition and dynamic thresholds, has been influenced by a broad range of styles and techniques stemming from his involvement with numerous musical traditions. In addition to composing with various notational practices, he is deeply committed to the art of improvisation and has been influenced greatly by his participation in various forms of jazz, punk rock and electronic music. He studied saxophone, clarinet, and flute with Richard Oatts and composition with Nils Vigeland at the Manhattan School of Music (BM, MM). He’s currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University where he studies composition with Tristan Murail.

Mincek’s music has been performed in the U.S. and in Europe by ensembles including the New Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra Leipzig (members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra), the Orchestra of the SEM Ensemble, the Janecek Philharmonic, Tactus, the Second Instrumental Unit, the MATA Micro-Orchestra and the Vega String Quartet. Mincek’s music has been recorded on the Trouble Man Unlimited and Planeria labels.

From 2001-2005 Mincek was a member of the experimental ensemble Zs, with whom he performed his own music, the music of others and improvisations. Mincek currently serves as the saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and music director of Wet Ink Music, a group dedicated to contemporary music, which he founded in 1998.

Mincek has received grants, fellowships, commissions and other awards from organizations such as the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Meet The Composer, the Ostrava New Music Center, International Music Institute Darmstadt, Music At The Anthology, Magdeburg Music Festival, University of North Florida, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University.

“My most recent compositions are the result of my interest in what might be thought of as the space in which pure difference mingles with sameness; where bare repetition meets with complex distribution and where timbre, texture and harmony are treated as equals.”(AM)

Eric Wubbels: piano, accordion

is a Virginia-born composer, pianist, and accordionist. His music, influenced by studies in psychoacoustics, Buddhist philosophy, and linguistics, attempts to reconcile extremes of complexity and visceral directness, while seeking the roots of musical aesthetics in the physiology of the human body.

Currently pursuing his D.M.A. in composition at Columbia University, he also holds an M.A. from Columbia (2005) and a B.A. from Amherst College (2001). His principal teachers have been Lewis Spratlan, Fred Lerdahl, and Tristan Murail and he has participated in masterclasses with Jonathan Harvey, Michael Jarrell, Toshio Hosokawa, Chaya Czernowin, Marc André, Adriana Hölszky, Dieter Mack, and Marco Stroppa. In 2006, he was selected to be a Fellow at the Wellesley Composers Conference, studying with Mario Davidovsky and Kurt Rohde. His music has been performed by performers and ensembles such as the Second Instrumental Unit, Zs, flutist Reiko Manabe, saxophonist Eliot Gattegno, the Wet Ink Ensemble, and members of New York New Music and Ensemble Sospeso, and he has received grants and commissions from the Worldwide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund, Manabe/Moriyama Duo, the Wellesley Composers Conference, and the Edward Poole Lay Fund of Amherst College, among others.

Also active as a performer, Wubbels is the pianist and accordionist for the Wet Ink Ensemble, and pianist for the Second Instrumental Unit and the Kenners.

He has taught at Columbia University, the University of California-San Diego, and Amherst College, and from 2001-2002 held the positions of Graduate Associate in Music and Assistant Director of Instrumental Music at Amherst.

Reiko Fueting: piano
Reiko Fueting was born in Königs Wusterhausen of the German Democratic Republic in 1970. He was educated at the State High School for Music in Wernigerode (as a member of the Radio Youth Choir), the Conservatory of Music in Dresden (Diploma in Composition with Jörg Herchet and Piano with Winfried Apel), Rice University in Houston, Texas (MM in Composition), the Manhattan School of Music in New York City (DMA in Composition with Nils Vigeland), and Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea (studies in composition with Sukhi Kang). He has attended master classes in composition (with Helmuth Lachenmann, Gérard Grisey, Tristan Murail, and Christian Wolff, among others) and vocal accompanying (with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Olaf Bär, and Semion Skigin) in Germany, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, and the U.S.
Mr. Füting has received numerous prizes, awards, scholarships, and grants in both Europe and the U.S. His publications include choral compositions and analytical papers (Edition Music Contact Werdau, Verlag Kamprad Altenberg). Various choral compositions have been broadcast on radio (Middle German Radio, Bavarian Radio, West German Radio, North German Radio) and television (Second German Television), and released on CDs (B.T.M, Deutsche Schallplatten, OehmsClassics, and Bayrischer Rundfunk labels).
Mr. Füting has appeared as a composer, pianist, and vocal accompanist at many prestigious festivals and venues in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and the United States. He is a member of the New York composers collective, Wet Ink Musics.
In the fall of 2000, Mr. Füting joined the theory faculty at Manhattan School of Music; five years later, he became a member of the composition faculty and was appointed department chair of theory. Mr. Füting has also taught Vocal Accompanying at the Conservatory of Music and Theater in Rostock, Germany and appeared as a guest faculty and lecturer at the New School University in New York, the University in Leipzig, the American Academy in Berlin, and the conservatories in Rostock and Dresden.
More information about Reiko Füting can be found at www.reiko-fueting.de online.

Jeff Snyder: electronics

Jeff Snyder is a composer, electronics performer and sound artist working in New York City. His works, which characteristically employ combinations of acoustic, electric, and electronic instruments, have been performed by a variety of ensembles, most recently the Timetable Percussion Trio and L’Ensemble Portique, both of whom performed commissioned works in 2006. His latest work is for solo saxophone with custom-built feedback electronics, and was performed several times around the country by saxophonist Eliot Gattegno in the fall of ‘06. In addition to his concert works, he often collaborates with artists from other mediums, most frequently with the modern dance group Fivefour, the choreographer/video artist Nora Stephens, and the visual artist Gandalf Gavan.

Jeff earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with Stephen Dembski. As a current doctoral candidate at Columbia University, Jeff continues his compositional studies under the direction of Joseph Dubiel, and works closely with robotics artist and Dorkbot founder Douglas Repetto. He focuses his research primarily on producing acoustic sound through mechanical or electronic means. He has built an electronic controller for his home-built modular synthesizer, which will feature prominently in his May 3rd piece for Wet Ink.

As a member of the Wet Ink composers’ collective, Jeff has been presenting and performing in concerts of new music in the New York area for over two years, and has written several works for the Wet Ink Ensemble. Jeff can often be seen performing solo electronic music under the moniker Scattershot, as one-half of an analog modular synth duo with Sam Pluta, or as one quarter of the video game rock band, The Power-Ups. In addition to his own electronic works, Jeff enjoys remixing other artists and has produced remixes for artists ranging from Public Enemy (working with collaborator Ryan Smith) to TV Pow (released on Bottrop-Boy in 2006).

Katharine Soper: voice
Kate Soper is a Michigan-born, New York-based composer and performer with a diverse background. Currently pursuing her doctorate in music at Columbia University, where she focuses primarily on concert music, she has written music for dance, film, theatre and electronics and has worked as a sound designer and a dj. Currently active as a new music vocalist, she has performed extensively as a piano-based singer-songwriter, recording and producing four solo albums from 2000-2004. She received her Bachelor of Music in composition from Rice University in 2003 and has attended summer programs at the Aspen Music Festival, June in Buffalo, the Norfolk Contemporary Music Workshop, the Wellesley Composers Conference, and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Erin Lesser: flutes

Flutist Erin Lesser has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout Canada, Europe and the USA, and was recently hailed as a “brilliant” flutist by the New York Concert Review. Ms. Lesser is actively involved in the contemporary music world, having worked with composers such as Pierre Boulez, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, Tristan Murail, and Philippe Hurel. She is a member of Due East, Scarborough Trio, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Wet Ink Ensemble. She has performed at the Warsaw Crossdrumming Festival, Sounds French Festival (NYC), NY Microfest, Ojai Music Festival (CA), International Spectral Music Festival (Istanbul), and Banff Centre for the Arts. Erin has been a guest artist with the Philadelphia Piano Quartet, So Percussion, Eighth Blackbird, Alarm Will Sound, American Modern Ensemble, H.T. Chen Dance Company, Ariel Winds, New York Vocal Arts Ensemble, SEM Ensemble, Mabou Mines Theatre Company and has been heard on CBC Radio Canada and WQXR (NY) Young Performer’s Showcase.

Sarah Beaty: clarinets

Clarinetist Sarah Beaty has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician throughout Europe and the USA, festival appearances have included the Spoleto Festival (Italy), Lucerne Festival, RNCM Mendelssohnfest, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Juilliard’s Focus Festival where she gave the New York Premiere of Napyev, (for Clarinet Solo) by Alexander Aslamazov. A native of the United Kingdom, Sarah has performed live on BBC Radio 2 and 3 and is a recipient of prestigious awards including the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Woodwind Scholarship, Ian Fleming Award for Outstanding Woodwind Playing (awarded by the Musicians Benevolent Fund), the June Alison Woodwind Award from the Philharmonia/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, and The Hattori Foundation Award. As guest principal clarinet Sarah recently performed with the Manchester Camerata, and on a tour of Ireland with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

In 2005 Sarah graduated from The Juilliard School with a Master of Music Degree, where she studied with Charles Neidich and was a recipient of the Henderson Scholarship. Sarah previously studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK) with John Bradbury and Lynsey Marsh. During her studies Sarah won many competitions including the school’s concerto competition which resulted in a performance of Copland’s Clarinet Concerto in March 2004, directed by Douglas Boyd. In the same month, joined on stage by duo partner Sam Armstrong, Sarah gave her recital debut at the Royal Festival Hall in London. In February 2006 the duo gave their NYC recital debut at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall.

Sarah currently resides in New York City where she plays with the Ikarus Chamber Players, Manhattan Mozart Players, Wet Ink Ensemble, and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Upcoming engagements in 2006 include chamber music performances in Paris, Sheffield (UK) with Ensemble 360, the Ryedale Festival (UK) and Spoleto (Italy) with the Aronowitz Ensemble. In February 2007 Sarah will give her recital debut in the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (UK).

Nathan Botts: trumpet

"I guess I just get bored if I have to do any one thing for very> long," he says. With an insatiable curiosity for new music, Nathan Botts has grown from his musical beginnings as a jazz trumpeter into a performer of nearly every style of music. An active freelance trumpeter in New York City, Botts regularly performs with a variety of classical, contemporary, and experimental music ensembles, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Wet Ink Ensemble, and Second Instrumental Unit. Botts has been a featured soloist with the China National Symphony, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the Utah Premiere Brass, with whom he premiered a new concerto for multi-disciplinary trumpet. As a recording artist, Botts has been featured on jazz, orchestral, soul, house, and bluegrass albums, in addition to film scores, and numerous jingles for network television and radio. He is a former member of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra, he has toured internationally as principal trumpet with the China National Symphony, and is a current member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. Botts has studied contemporary music under the direction of Pierre Boulez at the Lucerne Festival Academy, and with David Robertson at the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. He has also studied Jazz at the Manhattan School of Music. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the Juilliard School.

Matthew Hough: guitar

is a New York-based composer and guitarist. His music has been performed by the S.E.M. Ensemble, Red Light New Music, Wet Ink, Manhattan Composers Orchestra, Zs, Ensemble OCNM, Seductive Sprigs, and others. His compositions have been released on Planaria Recordings, and published in Guitar Review magazine. In addition to his work with the Wet Ink Ensemble, Hough performs as a freelance guitarist in the New York area.

 

 

 

Ian Antonio: percussion

In addition to performing with the Wet Ink Ensemble, percussionist Ian Antonio can be found playing with Zs, percussion duo Hunter-Gatherer, the 2 piano, 2 percussion ensemble Yarn/Wire, and the Scenery Ensemble, most often in collaboration with the Theatre of a Two-Headed Calf. He also frequently performs with the SEM Ensemble and the Albany Symphony. Ian is currently a doctoral student at Stony Brook University where he manages the school's new music ensembles.

Miranda Sielaff: viola

Miranda Sielaff received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in 2003, where she studied with Karen Tuttle. Since then she has pursued a performing and teaching career in New York City, appearing in concerts at Bargemusic, Weill Hall, the Parlor Entertainment Jazz Concert Series, and on Broadway. Ms. Sielaff’s performing experience also includes premieres of several commissions for her viola/baritone duo with Ryan Dohoney, viola improvisations in videos by Jay King, and premieres with the New York Miniaturist Ensemble, New York City Ballet Dance Project, Columbia Composers, the Knights, and Second Instrumental Unit. As a member of the Allsar String Quartet, she programs and performs concerts in the “Hearing the Sacred” concert series at the Museum of Biblical Art. Trained in Suzuki pedagogy, she teaches at miniMasters and the School for Strings. Ms. Sielaff graduated magna cum laude from Rice University in 2001 as a student of Karen Ritscher.

Joanne Lin: cello

Joanne Lin, cellist, is an enthusiastic explorer of chamber music. In addition to Wet Ink Ensemble, Joanne plays with the Argento Ensemble, Transfiguration Ensemble, and Momenta Quartet, who recently gave a League of Composers/ISCM-sponsored concert in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Hall at Symphony Space. Ms. Lin has appeared as a guest artist on various prestigious new music series, including the ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) concerts and the Look and Listen Festival. She has worked closely with important living composers, including Tristan Murail and Mario Davidovsky, whose string trio she recently performed at Temple University and at Symphony Space in New York City. She is also a regular cellist for Long Island Composers Alliance concerts held in the New York metro area. Ms. Lin received her master's degree from The Juilliard School in 2000, as a student of Fred Sherry. While studying at Swarthmore College, where she earned her BA in Environmental Systems Modeling, she studied the cello with Peter Stumpf in Philadelphia.