Sam Alvarez puts chill on everything. He also plays tenor saxophone with masso.

masso is a Chicago-based saxophone quartet first formed at Northwestern University in the fall of 2021. While embracing the study and presentation of the classical repertoire, masso is equally committed to the commissioning, performance, and democratization of contemporary classical music.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jaime Amador began his studies in the String Program for Children at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music as a student of Francisco Figueroa and Guillermo Figueroa. He was accepted to The Juilliard School, where he worked under Toby Appel.

Chicago violist Doyle Armbrust graduated with honors from Northwestern University and went on to study with Donald McInnes at the University of Southern California where he earned a Masters Degree in Viola Performance.

Garrett’s richness of sound identifies his sincereness and intellectual curiosity in his performance. His passion for developing the genre of percussion music has inspired many composers and musicians through creative collaboration and workshops.

Stephanie Aston is “fearless” in her pursuit of new repertoire (Steve Schick). She has participated in numerous American and world premieres including Luigi Nono’s Guai ai Gelidi Mostri, Michael Gordon’s What to Wear, and George Aperghis’ Sextuor: L’Origine des espèces.

David Balakrishnan, the Turtle Island Quartet’s founder and ‘resident composer,’ graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in music composition and violin. Moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, he quickly established his reputation as a talented young improvising violinist.

Max Ball is a current A.D. student at the University of Cincinnati’s CCM, studying with Kristin Lee and quartet with the Ariel Quartet.

He has a particular passion for chamber music, putting together several recitals and attending summer programs such as the BUTI String Quartet Intensive, Encore Chamber Music Institute, and Madeline Island Fellowship Program.

Amanda DeBoer Bartlett is an Omaha-based soprano who specializes in the work of living composers. Along with Quince Ensemble and her solo career, she is a member of Ensemble Dal Niente and Hasco Duo.

Violinist Lauren Basney made her solo New York debut at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall in 2004. Since then, she has performed throughout the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, Israel and Australia, returning to Carnegie Hall twice in October 2007 and again in May 2008.

Born in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Natasha Bazhanov began playing violin at the age of five. After winning several regional youth competitions, she made her solo debut with Ural State Philhar- monic Orchestra at the age of nine and later was invited to Moscow Central Music School to join the class of professor Belenky.

Violist Heather Bentley has dedicated herself to chamber music, both as a performer and as an educator. In 2014, she co-founded the North Corner Chamber Orchestra (NOCCO), a conductorless orchestra that, in its three seasons, has produced over twenty concerts and commissioned two new important chamber orchestra works by Hanna Benn and Sean Osborn.

Saxophonist Daniel Berkey hails from Chicago, IL, and has been playing professionally since age 13.  Under the tutelage of Nic Meyer and Greg Fishman, Daniel won several honors, most notably a DownBeat Magazine Outstanding Soloist award, and was selected as a Vail Jazz All-Star. 

From his first orchestral work, The Last Days of Calvin and Hobbes, to his chamber piece, Twinkle Toes, the music of John Berners shows a fondness for the irreverent and a fascination with American styles from bebop to marching bands, and influences from the baroque era and the theater.

Cellist Hamilton Berry’s eclectic taste has led him to pursue various performing, arranging, and composing projects in the New York area and beyond. A member of PUBLIQuartet, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Toomai String Quintet, Founders, and The Con Brio Ensemble.

Beyond This Point (BTP) is a Chicago-based percussion-based collaborative ensemble that aims to engage diverse audiences by exploring resonances and intersections across artistic mediums.

Pianist Xak Bjerken studied with Aube Tzerko at the University of California at Los Angeles and received his Master’s and Doctoral degrees from the Peabody Institute as a student of and teaching assistant to Leon Fleisher.

Born and raised in Walla Walla, Jim Bock has been a local radio broadcaster for 30 years. An alumnus of Walla Walla University and San Diego State University he and his wife, Ester, remain involved in many local activities and events.

Isaac Boone wishes he was playing with legos. He also plays soprano saxophone with masso.

masso is a Chicago-based saxophone quartet first formed at Northwestern University in the fall of 2021. While embracing the study and presentation of the classical repertoire, masso is equally committed to the commissioning, performance, and democratization of contemporary classical music.

New York-based Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd has been described by The Washington Post as “truly evocative,” by Gramophone as “a very fine musician,” and by Classical Guitar Magazine as “a player who deserves to be heard.”

Jasper de Boor is a recent graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, where they double majored in violin and viola with David Bowlin and Kirsten Docter.

Currently, they study viola and chamber music at the University of Cincinnati’s CCM with Ayane Kozasa and the Ariel Quartet.