- Northern Spark - http://2011.northernspark.org -

Live Performances

Saxophonist Nathan Hanson has created music for a wide variety of settings from concert halls to bowling alleys, churches, train stations, debutante balls and Soviet fallout shelters. Nathan has performed from New York to Slovenia, Milano to Mankato, and Rome, Georgia to Rome, Italy.

Brian Roessler is a bassist, composer, and long-time student of double bass virtuoso François Rabbath. His composition Returning to Silence was chosen as the subject of a master class with Henry Threadgill at the MacPhail Center for Music. Brian has recorded and performed with artists such as Tony Hymas, Didier Petit, Carei Thomas, Dan Navarro, Peter Mayer, Speaking in Tongues, Storyhill, and Spymob. Brian is currently a member of Fantastic Merlins and a collaborator in Community Pool with Nathan Hanson.

Drummer Peter Hennig was recently named among the City Pages Jazz Artists of the Year. He is a graduate of McNally Smith College of Music and has studied under Dave King (The Bad Plus). He has performed alongside vocalists Renee Austin, Debbie Duncan, and Sophia Shorai, as well as with the Atlantis Quartet, Greybox, and Charlie Devanna.

Lara Hanson is an interdisciplinary artist. Her work combines the disciplines of drawing, animation, movement and voice to create performance pieces. The performances explore the mantra Life = Movement/Movement = Life. Movement, as the term applies to her work, refers not only to physical movement but includes intellectual movement (the workings of the mind and imagination) and spiritual movement (the stirring of the soul).

Since 1978, Todd Harper has been a performer/composer in the Twin Cities area. Harper studied with Carei Thomas, Bill Banfield, and Alan Bryan. He forms many jazz groups with strange names. To confuse us further, Todd writes for rural community theatre, percussion ensemble, jazz orchestra, jazz opera, and things. He has long ears and a pointy snout.