Robert Black's interests range from traditional orchestral and chamber music to solo recitals, collaborations with actors, music with computers and MIDI, movement-based improvisations with dancers, and live action-painting performances with artists. He has commissioned, collaborated or performed with a diverse number of musicians from John Cage to D.J. Spooky; Elliot Carter to Meredith Monk; Cecil Taylor to young emerging composers. Robert's recital activities frequently take him to 5 Continents. In addition, Robert performs with the Bang On A Can All Stars (New York City's hard hitting new music ensemble), Basso Bongo (an electronic duo, with percussionist Amy Knoles) and with The School of Hard Knocks (a post-modern dance company). He has collaborated with theater companies, (most recently with Kathryn Walker and the Music Theater Group Music Theater), made music for films by Rudy Burckhardt and performs action-painting improvisations with the Brazilian painter, Ige D'Aquino. He annually appears at chamber music festivals such as Monadnock Music Festival and the Moab Music Festival. He also maintains a full teaching schedule at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford (Hartford, CT) and the Festival Eleazar Carvalho (Fortaleza, Brazil). A recipient of numerous grants, he received a 1998 Bessie Award for his collaborative work with The School of Hard Knocks in NYC. His solo CDs are State of the Bass (O.O. Discs) and The Complete Bass Music of Christian Wolff (Mode Records). Currently, he is working on a recording of the complete bass music of Giacinto Scelsi for Mode Records. Robert has also recorded for Sony Classical, Point/Polygram, Koch International, CRI, Neuma Records, Gasparo, Opus One, Artifact Recordings, and Folkways Records. Additionally, Robert serves on the Board of the International Society of Bassists.

Lisa Race has spent her career as a performer, teacher and choreographer in New York, though has recently shifted her home to Connecticut. While in New York, as director of Race Dance, her work has been featured at such venues as Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, First Night New York, Movement Research at the Judson Church, The Kitchen/Dance-in-Progress and the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, along with venues in Vermont, Iowa, Maine, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Argentina. Since moving to Connecticut she has been working independently, choreographing on students at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University. As a member of David Dorfman Dance from 1989-2000, Race was honored in 1995 with a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for her dancing. She and her husband, David Dorfman, created a new duet this year, performed during the company’s run at the Joyce Theater in June. She has an ongoing passion for dancing on feet and hands and all the parts in between. Born in New Jersey, she grew up tapping under the tutelage of Fred Kelly (Gene’s brother), then competed in gymnastics and skiing before returning to dance. She received a BA in Dance from Cook College at Rutgers University. She has participated in Rutgers in New York, and is a member of the Mason Gross School of the Arts Leadership Council. Race has been involved in teaching and choreographing residencies at many universities around the country. Professional companies Aaben Dans in Copenhagen, D9 in Seattle, Labco in Pittsburgh and Atrek in St. Louis have also commissioned her work. In 2003 she was in residence with Force 5 in Derby, England. Race is on faculty at Trinity College/Performing Arts at La Mama in New York. During the spring of 2005, she taught at Wesleyan University and Connecticut College, and continues to teach at the latter. She has taught at ImpulseTanz in Vienna, Festival de Danza in Rosario, Argentina, Tanzwerkstatt in Berlin, Kuopio Dance Festival in Finland and the Kalamata Festival in Greece, along with workshops in London, Copenhagen, Tinos, Greece, Stockholm and Hong Kong. She has also taught numerous times at both the American Dance Festival and Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine. In New York, Race has given classes at Movement Research and Dance Space Center. She is presently giving classes at Dance New Amsterdam (formerly Dance Space Center).