MEET THE COLLECTIVE

Francois Minaux is a french flutist, singer, thereminist and songwriter based in Austin, TX and member of Density512 since 2017. His music blends experimental, free-improvisation, electronic, and contemporary-classical. Influenced by anarcho-communist theories, he devised a free-improvisation system called “the playground”. He has performed at me-mer-mo, Fast Forward Austin Music Festival, the NMASS, 798 ArtDistrict with ensemble such as SO Percussion, line upon line percussion, the Kraken Quartet, the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Laredo Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, Density512 in USA, Europe and Asia. Since 2014, he has worked on his project “The Laos Song Cycle” based on the victims of the American secret war in Laos (1965-1973).

Kenzie Slottow (they/she) is a musician, composer and theatremaker. They write and perform music on flute, guitar and vocals, as well as producing and directing concerts and work that highlight connections between art forms and people. The form of collaborative chamber music improvisation that Kenzie began developing in 2018 - chamber improv - has transitioned well to the virtual medium, and their chamber improv group Sound Worlds has been producing live-scored virtual theatre with actors and instrumentalists since June 2020.

My name is David Blackwell and I am a Freelancer/Teacher in the South Austin/Pflugerville area. I am originally from Northern Virginia but moved to Austin to obtain my Masters Degree in performance as well as establish myself as a professional musician. When I am not teaching or recording albums, I love to spend my free time watching/studying movies and major films as well as learning new recipes to cook.Description goes here

Ryan is a freelance clarinetist/bass clarinetist and private clarinet teacher in Austin, TX. He is enthusiastic about new music and is also an avid orchestral musician. Ryan has performed in 4 seasons with Density512, with local orchestras around Austin, with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and at many summer festivals. He holds an MM degree from UT Austin and a BM from the Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Brigit Fitzgerald is a DMA student in Austin, TX and is the Principal Bassoonist of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. Visit www.brigitfitzgerald.com to learn more about her bassoon journey and to enjoy media samples, including an award-winning humorous bassoon tango video! With several interdisciplinary interests, Brigit uses her undergraduate degree in mathematics to study acoustics and is a founding member of the start-up company Fermata Reeds Inc.

Wing Lam (Sarah) Au is a freelance Horn performer and educator based in Austin, TX. Dr. Au regularly performs with several regional orchestras in Texas, including the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Central Texas Philharmonic, and Symphony of Southeast Texas. A proponent of new music, she is a frequent collaborator with Austin-based new music ensemble Density512 and has also appeared with the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble. Dr. Au currently serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Horn at Austin Community College and as Adjunct Horn Instructor at Texas A&M - Kingsville. A committed arts advocate, she is a founding Board member of the Austin Brass Collective.

Lauren Casey-Clyde is a highly active freelancer in the greater Austin area, having performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Central Texas Philharmonic, Waco Symphony Orchestra and Round Top Festival Orchestra. She recently made her debut performance at SXSW performing with Density512.She has performed around the globe with the BostonSymphony Orchestra, Royal College of Music Orchestra and Cambrian Symphony Orchestra under conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Bernard Haitink, and Robert Spano.. She is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at Texas Lutheran University. She also serves as a private teacher in the Austin area to students ranging from 6-12th grade.

Kenken is a music educator and performer based in Austin, Texas. He is a member of various groups like Density512, Austin Brass Collective, Black House Collective, Keep Making Music, and more. His students have had success in performing in the regional, state, and national musical events like the National Trumpet Competition! He enjoys collaboration with colleagues in various disciplines in and outside of the arts. Kenken earned his Master of Arts in trumpet performance from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

I'm a percussionist/audio engineer/noisemaker based in Austin, Texas. My work is primarily in performative perspectives in electronic music, and as a performer I make a point to perform the most absurd nonsense I can. Outside of Density I teach percussion and audio technology at Southwestern University and Austin Community College, and perform with a smattering of musicians including Less Than <10, James Tabata, Ciyadh Wells, and Up/Down Percussion. When I'm not making noise you can find me drinking pretentious beer, playing frankly embarrassing amounts of Stardew Valley, or petting my Australian Shepard Libby.

Yujung Um is a solo/collaborative pianist and instructor who loves working with others to make music. She is from South Korea and now lives in Austin, Texas, where she shares her musical talents.

She possesses a diverse range of experiences, including performing the celesta for Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in the orchestra at Indiana University and participating in operas at Truman University, One Ounce Opera, as well as engaging in new music endeavors with Density512.

Dr. Um currently holds the position of Director of Chamber Music and serves as a Senior Piano Instructor at the Orpheus Academy of Music in Austin.

Hailed by the Washington Post as a performer with "no-fail agility," Nick is a versatile musician working out of Austin, TX, with performance, studio, and composition experience over a wide range of genres and instruments. Nick is a founding member of Invoke, a folk-infused quartet whose repertoire features original compositions and commissions - Invoke won First Prize at the 2018 M-Prize and Coltman competitions, and New Music New Places Prize at the 2018 Concert Artists Guild Competition. In addition to his performance and session schedule, Nick records, arranges, and produces from his studio in Austin, and works for acclaimed composer Graham Reynolds as composer assistant.

Karoline “Karli” Leal is a transplanted Californian violist. Once upon a time she was going to be an animator, then got distracted by the viola and has been doing that ever since. Karli has been consistently involved with new music since entering college. She has collaborated with many living composers on premieres and performances of their works both in the US and abroad. She enjoys working in chamber ensembles of unusual instrumentation, but is equally happy playing traditional format symphonies and string quartets. Not limited to classical music, Karli also does studio recording for film scores and bands, particularly the Austin-based dark neofolk group Nøkken + The Grim.

Sophie is a composer, cellist, educator, and arts administrator based in Austin, TX. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in composition at UT. As a composer, Sophie’s work is ethereal and textural, often exploring the concepts of vastness and timelessness, as well as the intersection of beauty and danger as it relates to the natural world. As a cellist, Sophie is passionate about bringing the works of living composers to the forefront and exploring as many genres as possible. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at USC, she also studied baroque cello and viola da gamba. Sophie also loves teaching and currently leads Golden Hornet’s Young Composer Program. Outside of music, she enjoys cooking plant-based food, playing Sid Meier’s Civilization V, and watching psychological horror films.

Dana Wygmans, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Alma College in Michigan and a Master’s in Bass Performance from University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with DaXun Zhang. She has played with a variety of orchestras in both Michigan and Texas, including the Alma Symphony, Grand Valley Symphony, Round Rock Symphony, UT Symphony Orchestra, UT New Music Ensemble, and UT Wind Ensemble. Dana performs in a wide array of settings, including classical, jazz, bluegrass, soul, rock, and folk groups. Currently, she plays with the Americana band American Dreamer, with whom she has gone on two national tours, as well as her original project, the Magnolia Kids.

Jacob Schnitzer is a conduit through which the powers of music, storytelling, and art connect with others. Jacob’s work as a conductor spans symphonic, opera, and contemporary repertoire; his work in immersive concert design offers audiences unforgettable multisensory experiences. Recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. 2023 Career Assistance Award for, he has served as Artistic Director of Density512 and Assistant Conductor Assistant Conductor of The Missouri Symphony. When not dreaming of ways to change the world, Jacob hikes, cooks, meditates, reads, and sings to his orange tabby cats.

Nicholas Perry Clark is a conductor, composer, and director of musical experiences currently pursuing a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting and Master’s in Composition at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Nick is a champion of new music and musical productions focused on storytelling and audience experience. In 2017 he co-founded Density512 in Austin, TX, a contemporary chamber orchestra which focuses on curated multimedia musical experiences and championing local artists.