Johan de Meij
Born November 23, 1953, in Voorburg, Holland, Johan de Meij received his musical education at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he studied conducting and trombone. After his graduation, Johan de Meij gained an international reputation as an arranger of the classical as well as the popular repertoire. His first composition for symphonic winds, the Symphony No.1, “The Lord of the Rings”, had its successful first performance in Brussels (1988) and was awarded first prize in the 1989 Sudler International Composition Competition. In November1990, the symphony was awarded a grant by the Dutch Composers Fund. The orchestral version of Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings" was recorded in 2001 by the London Symphony Orchestra. For the International Festival in Uster (Switzerland, September 1989) he wrote the symphonic poem Loch Ness. His third work, Aquarium, (opus 5), was commissioned by the Dutch Composers Fund.
De Meij's Symphony No. 2 --The Big Apple-- (a New York Symphony) was composed between October 1991, and August 1993, and was commissioned and premiered by The United States Air Force Band. De Meij's second symphony was finalist in the 14th International Composition Competition 1993 in Corciano, Italy and received an honorable mention from the Jury. Within one year, three different CD recordings of Symphony No. 2, The Big Apple, have been released. The orchestral version of The Big Apple premiered in 2001. His most recent works are: T-Bone Concerto [for trombone solo and orchestra], the Continental Overture, the miniature suite Madurodam, and Casanova—for cello and wind orchestra, which recently won First Prize at the International Composition Competition in Corciano, Italy. This major work has been transcribed for orchestra and received its premiere at the International Bach Festival in Orlando, Florida, in October of 2001. Johan de Meij is also accomplished as a trombone/euphonium player and performs in several ensembles, including the Amsterdam Wind Orchestra, Orkest De Volharding (contemporary music) and the Radio Chamber Orchestra. He played with the Dutch Brass Sextet for fourteen years. Founded in 1978, this group became one of the most prestigious brass-ensembles in Europe.
Johan de Meij is often invited as a guest conductor to perform his own works. He has conducted in Japan, the U.S., Brazil, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Hungary.
Gordon Goodwin
GORDON GOODWIN - As winner of the 2006 Grammy Award for his Instrumental Arrangement of Incredits from the Pixar film The Incredibles, as well as three-time Emmy Award winner and five-time Grammy nominee, you would think that Goodwin had fulfilled his dreams and achieved all of his goals. Not by a long shot. He has yet another channel for success as leader of L.A.'s most exciting 18-piece big band jazz ensemble, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. The Big Phat Band has quickly become one of the most hard swinging large jazz ensembles, comprised of L.A.'s finest musicians, which celebrates and personifies the best of the big band tradition with a very contemporary and original sound. Gordon's witty and insightful arrangements propel the listener on a journey through a myriad of styles: latin, blues, swing, classical, hard-hitting jazz, and even an homage to Looney Tunes (!).
Established in 2000, the band's debut recording, Swingin' For The Fences, (Silverline Records) featured guests such as Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels and made history as the first commercially available DVD audio title ever released and the first DVD audio title to receive two Grammy nominations.
Goodwin's second album XXL (Silverline Records) was released on DVD-Audio and compact disc in 2003, charting its first week. XXL garnered three Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Instrumental Composition (Hunting Wabbits) and Best Instrumental Arrangement with Vocals (Comes Love with Brian McKnight and Take 6), while winning the Surround Sound Award for Best Made for Surround Sound Title. The list of guest artists repeated the high quality of the first release and featured, among others, Johnny Mathis and the incomparable Michael Brecker.
June 13th, 2006 marked the release of the composer/arranger's third album The Phat Pack (Immergent Records) with guest stars Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Eddie Daniels and Take 6. The Phat Pack continues Gordon's quest for the music he's been hearing in his head since childhood. This team of players is taking all of us on a ride through Gordon's synapses, formed by years of listening to the giants of jazz, pop, rock and funk. Gordon's love for bands such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Buddy Rich, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Earth, Wind and Fire, Tower of Power and more gave him the intricate foundation for the hard driving sound we hear today. It is his ability to combine traditional jazz excellence with any musical style that makes his writing appealing to fans of even the most extreme forms of music. It is a rare and amazing thing to know that headbangers and be-boppers agree in their praise of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band.
Throughout his career, Gordon Goodwin has built a larger-than-life reputation for his composing, arranging, and musical instrumentation skills. Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Mathis, Toni Braxton, John Williams, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme, Brian McKnight and Quincy Jones are just a few of the artists he has written for, recorded and performed with. Goodwin has conducted with world-renowned symphony orchestras in Atlanta, Dallas, Utah, Seattle, Toronto and London.
Working within the television and film industry, his cinematic scoring and orchestration craft can be heard on such films as Glory Road, National Treasure, The Incredibles, Remember The Titans, Armageddon, Bad Boys II, The Majestic, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, Enemy of the State, Star Trek Nemesis, the classic cult film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, and Bah Hum Duck! A Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck riff on the classic, A Christmas Carol with Gordon and the Big Phat Band's unmistakable sound! For more information about Gordon Goodwin please go to www.gordongoodwin.com.
Bill Liston
Bill Liston is a freelance arranger/orchestrator/woodwind player in the Los Angeles area.
Some of his credits include recording with: Randy Newman, Michael Buble, Bette Middler, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Ray Charles, James Brown, James Taylor, Dave Grusin, Paul Anka, Tom Petty, Ellis Hall, Maureen McGovern, Kevin Mahogany, Clare Fischer, Diane Reeves, Michael Bolton, the group Chicago, Chaka Kahn, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Michael McDonald, Marvin Hamlisch, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, and Michael Feinstein.
A few of Bill's current motion picture performing credits include: The Simpsons, Spiderman 3, Hairspray, The Frog Princess, Meet The Robinsons, Everybody's Hero, Nacho Libre, The Devil Wears Prada, King Kong, Rumor Has It, She's The Man, Bewitched, Team America, Cars, The Honeymooners, Meet The Fokkers, Robots, Cinderella Story, The Whole Ten Yards, Anchorman, Chicago, Something's Gotta Give, The Haunted Mansion, Mystic River, Matchstick Men, Polar Express, Drumline, Starsky And Hutch, Catch Me If You Can, Down With Love, The Emperor's New Groove, Charlie's Angels, Dr. Dolittle II, and Rounders.
Movie and Television Orchestration/arranging/conducting credits include: Spiderman 3, King Kong, The Whole Ten Yards, Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Core, Spy Kids 2, The Tuxedo, Swordfish, Dude Where's My Car?, The Gift, the Gilmore Girls, and the Hey Arnold movie "The Neighborhood".
Other writing credits include: orchestration on World Of Warcraft for Blizzard entertainment, over 50 variety shows for orchestra pre-recorded for Crystal Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and the Disney Cruise line; music for Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney World, Paris and Tokyo Disney, Disney Quest, and Epcot Center; jingles for Accura, Dodge, Mazda, Volvo, Disney, Gucci, McDonalds, and Jack In The Box; and several commissions performed by groups such as the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra.
For more information about Bill Liston please go to www.billliston.com.
Chris Sharp
Born in 1959, Chris Sharp is a Florida native raised in Cocoa Beach. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in theory and composition from the University of Florida, where he performed in bands under Frank Wickes and Gary Langford, and studied privately with Richard W. Bowles and Edward Troupin. He earned a Master of Music degree in studio writing and production from the University of Miami, studying with Gary Lindsay, James Progris, Alfred Reed, Ron Miller, and Whit Sidener. Since 1984, Mr. Sharp has served as a staff arranger for Walt Disney World Creative Services, providing music for events ranging from street bands to national television broadcasts. He has also written for Universal Studios (Florida and California); Ringling Brothers Circus; high school and college bands throughout the United States; and several service bands, including the famed USAF Airmen of Note. Active nationwide as a clinician and adjudicator, Mr. Sharp's present focus is on developing material for high school and middle school concert bands, jazz bands, and small ensembles. He currently lives in Gainesville, Florida, where he is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, freelance trombonist, and active music educator.
Ted Ricketts
Ted Ricketts is a Santa Rosa, California based music producer, composer, and arranger with national and international experience producing and directing live and recorded music. In his 24-year tenure as Music Director and Producer for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Ted contributed to hundreds of stage shows, parades, concerts and instrumental and vocal groups for Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. In addition, he produced recordings in major cities in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. Ted's current clients include The Walt Disney Company (Hong Kong Disneyland parade and fireworks shows, the BBC Concert Orchestra Prom in Hyde Park, and the San Francisco Symphony July 4, 2006 Disney Concert), VEE Corporation (Dragon Tales and Care Bears national tours), Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, TKG (McDonald's and Takeda Pharmaceuticals global conferences, and Tokyo Disneyland Resort (FUNderful).
As an innovative composer and arranger, Ted's commissioned and published works have been heard on television, commercially produced albums, in Walt Disney theme parks, and performed live throughout the world. Ted has over 80 compositions and arrangements for orchestra and concert band published by the Hal Leonard Corporation. Drum Taps, a choral trilogy for orchestra and choir based on the war poems of Walt Whitman and Stephen Crane, was commissioned and premiered in 2000 by the Winter Park, Florida Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra. The Community Orchestra at Long Beach City College commissioned his most recent composition for symphonic orchestra, Exposition And Discourse.
Ted holds Bachelor and Master of Arts in Music degrees from California State University at Long Beach.