Les Rav, a classically-influenced indie folk band, is the musical brainchild of Lauren Bruno. Though diagnosed with ulcerative colitis early on in life, Bruno uses this often debilitating disease as motivation to spread her message of hope.
Since 1999 Golden Hornet Project has presented over 60 concerts of indie classical music by more than 40 composers from non-academic musical backgrounds - all in the name of classical music exciting and accessible. Arts In Context will take behind the scenes to the follow up to the highly successful "String Quartet Smackdown I" from late 2012, this is a bracketed NCAA basketball tournament style competition using original string quartet compositions submitted by composers and musicians worldwide. Like March Madness for the ears. A jury of experts will select sixteen of these compositions to move on to the "Smackdown" where the audience will be directly involved in the process by texting a code to vote for their favorite piece as performed by a live string quartet.