Jon Hemmersam, born and based in Denmark, is a world-renowned musician, composer and improviser. He has worked with some of the greatest names in modern jazz and contemporary classical music: saxophonist David Liebman, drummer Bob Moses, violist Szilárd Mezei, pianists Michael Jefry Stevens and Setareh Nafisi, and guitarist Dom Minasi. Open Barrier is Jon’s third collaboration with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, following the release of The Core-tet Project (2018) and Sound Spirits (2012).

Hemmersam recorded three albums with David Liebman: Remembering the Future (2008), Duende (2010) and Singing Red (2013). In 2007, Hemmersam received a pre-draft GRAMMY nomination for The Jon Hemmersam/Dom Minasi Quartet album.

David Liebman compared the talent of Jon Hemmersam with that of Miles Davis, stating that “Jon is a free music pro, meaning he knows what he wants from the musicians in the textural arena, setting the stage in such a way that the musicians are pulled in a unified direction – much like Miles could”.

Hemmersam has also released two books of his compositions: 12 Compositions, for small ensembles, and Danza é Spiritu, for larger ensembles.

For more information, visit www.jonhemmersam.dk.

Asal Malekzadeh, born in 1987, is a professional daf player from Tehran, Iran. She is also the founder and manager of the SARMAST Percussion group, which consists of 90 female daf players, based in Tehran. She has received numerous prizes, including two First Prize awards for her solo performances at the Daf Navazi festival, 2007, and the Avaye Mehr festival, 2009, both held in Iran.

She is now a university lecturer, teaching at top Iranian universities. With this proficiency she has achieved a vast and varied teaching experience: from drums and percussion workshops and camps, to teaching and playing Iranian and Arabic rhythms on daf and cajon.

She is practised in various percussive techniques and styles including Konnakol, the south Indian rhythmic system; cajon; congas and bongos; and timbales. She has also partaken in a master class in ‘Ensemble Playing, Improvisation and Groove.’

www.asalmalekzadeh.com

Dame Evelyn Glennie is the world’s premier solo percussionist, performing internationally with the most celebrated orchestras, conductors and artists.

Her discography exceeds 40 solo recordings and includes two GRAMMY Award winners, and she has received over a hundred international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. In 1993 she was made an OBE.

A commissioner of new music, she has expanded the solo percussion repertoire by more than 200 pieces and she is herself a composer for film, theater and television. She is currently curating The Evelyn Glennie Collection of musical instruments and has plans to open a center for music education under the banner: Teach the World to Listen.

www.evelyn.co.uk

Dame Evelyn Glennie is the world’s premier solo percussionist, performing internationally with the most celebrated orchestras, conductors and artists.

Her discography exceeds 40 solo recordings and includes two GRAMMY Award winners, and she has received over a hundred international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. In 1993 she was made an OBE.

A commissioner of new music, she has expanded the solo percussion repertoire by more than 200 pieces and she is herself a composer for film, theater and television. She is currently curating The Evelyn Glennie Collection of musical instruments and has plans to open a center for music education under the banner: Teach the World to Listen.

www.evelyn.co.uk

Jon Hemmersam, born and based in Denmark, is a world-renowned musician, composer and improviser. He has worked with some of the greatest names in modern jazz and contemporary classical music: saxophonist David Liebman, drummer Bob Moses, violist Szilárd Mezei, pianists Michael Jefry Stevens and Setareh Nafisi, and guitarist Dom Minasi. Open Barrier is Jon’s third collaboration with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, following the release of The Core-tet Project (2018) and Sound Spirits (2012).

Hemmersam recorded three albums with David Liebman: Remembering the Future (2008), Duende (2010) and Singing Red (2013). In 2007, Hemmersam received a pre-draft GRAMMY nomination for The Jon Hemmersam/Dom Minasi Quartet album.

David Liebman compared the talent of Jon Hemmersam with that of Miles Davis, stating that “Jon is a free music pro, meaning he knows what he wants from the musicians in the textural arena, setting the stage in such a way that the musicians are pulled in a unified direction – much like Miles could”.

Hemmersam has also released two books of his compositions: 12 Compositions, for small ensembles, and Danza é Spiritu, for larger ensembles.

For more information, visit www.jonhemmersam.dk.

Asal Malekzadeh, born in 1987, is a professional daf player from Tehran, Iran. She is also the founder and manager of the SARMAST Percussion group, which consists of 90 female daf players, based in Tehran. She has received numerous prizes, including two First Prize awards for her solo performances at the Daf Navazi festival, 2007, and the Avaye Mehr festival, 2009, both held in Iran.

She is now a university lecturer, teaching at top Iranian universities. With this proficiency she has achieved a vast and varied teaching experience: from drums and percussion workshops and camps, to teaching and playing Iranian and Arabic rhythms on daf and cajon.

She is practised in various percussive techniques and styles including Konnakol, the south Indian rhythmic system; cajon; congas and bongos; and timbales. She has also partaken in a master class in ‘Ensemble Playing, Improvisation and Groove.’

www.asalmalekzadeh.com