Chris Rippey

Creator and producer of the music, storytelling, and video series Tales of the Boatman, Chris Rippey is a multi-instrumentalist and composer always seeking to improve his craft and better understand how to help people use music to improve their lives. He believes that anyone, regardless of age, experience, or physical ability is capable of making beautiful music, and it has been his privilege to watch this conviction proved true over the years.

Chris plays many instruments, and his focus is on studying the inter-relatedness of music from around the world - how music is the one truly universal language - and drawing upon that process to create new works which grow from diverse roots.

To this end Chris has studied classical music; put years into Scottish and Irish bagpipes, flutes and whistles; played guitar and bass in jazz and jam bands; learned Balinese music and instruments; delved deeply into American blues, mountain and traditional styles of guitar and banjo; and also has worked closely with Scandinavian, African, and Chinese music traditions.

Christos Vayenas

Impresario, pianist and curator Christos Vayenas' musical language draws inspiration from the Romantic and Symbolist eras of the past, as well as the improvising traditions of the world. A strong advocate for creative programming and cross-disciplinary collaboration, Christos is committed to transforming the way in which we create, perform and experience the arts. In addition to his work as the Director of Curation at Musaics, he is the founder of the NYC-based arts organization The Autumn Salon.