|
Umberto Crenca is the founder and Artistic Director of AS220, a non-profit center for the arts in Providence, Rhode Island. AS220 was established in 1985 to provide a local forum and home for the arts, that is unjuried and uncensored. The organization maintains nineteen artist live and/or work spaces, five galleries, and two performance spaces, and has established a powerful presence in the Downtown Arts and Entertainment District.
Crenca has been committed to the revitalization of Downtown, and plays an important role in community efforts across the region. He serves on Providence Mayor Cicilline's Arts Culture and Tourism Advisory Board. He was also appointed to the Providence School Board in January 2005. He is an advisor to the LINC inititive, a national effort to create better support systems for individual artist.
In the past two decades, Crenca has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Urban Institute, The Ford Foundation, LEF Foundation, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Connecticut Council on the Arts, the New England Artists' Trust, and the Creative Cities Summit.
Mike Bernier is a guitarists, instructor, and composer. His playing experiences include jazz, rock, blues, R n B, big band, gospel, theater, hip hop, pop, soul, groove, latin, trio jazz, quartet jazz, and more. Mike is currently a member in nearly a half dozen active groups of varying styles. Mike has also performed with the likes of Joe Parillo, Dave Zinno, Electrio, IDQ, Kim Trusty, Alex Chapman, Nick Sollecito, Andrew Brown, Tom Casale, Tony Cabral, Mike Slap, Dave Witham, Joe Potenza, Greg Tacamoto, Wendy Klein, Tish Adams, and more.
Mike is a full time instructor as well. He teaches for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, the Charles River School, Exeter West Greenwich High School, as well as a host of private students. Many of Mike's students have received performance based college scholarships, as well as being chosen regularly for RIMEA's All-State Jazz Ensemble.
Alex Chapman is active in a wide variety of genres throughout the Northeast. Besides leading his own trio, he also performs and records regularly with his own trio,
The Joe Parillo Trio, The Kim Trusty Band, Manderson Duo, IDQ, and many other artists of National, and International reputation, in addition to teaching privately.
“I like to think I know a little about a lot of different things.” is a quote from Nick Sollecito that can almost sum up his entire life...almost. With that in mind, if you look at his musical track record, you would see that he has dipped his feet most all styles of music. This experience has become one of Nick’s strongest assets.
|
