Shem Guibbory
has played in world-class performance environments for over 50 years: 45
seasons in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as the original violinist with Steve Reich and
Musicians and Anthony Davis’ Episteme, as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the
BeethovenHalle Orchestra,
His recordings can be found on the ECM, Gramavision, Opus 1, DG, Bridge, CRI, MSR and
Kumara Music labels - over a dozen LPs and CDs including his most recent recording Kumara
(2023). Kumara Music is a genre-defying trio performing and recording original works that are
transcendent in nature.
He has been awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to Bellagio (2005), two
ASCAP/CMA awards for Adventurous Programming (2001, 2002), served briefly as
concertmaster with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra (1981) and many NYC freelance
orchestras, and has performed recitals and chamber music throughout the United States,
Canada and Europe. He served as Music Director of the Chamber Music Conference (1997-
2006)joining their faculty in 1981.
His focus today is on performing with Kumara Music, and teaching in his Violin Studio in
Croton-on-Hudson, New York City and Online.
Laura Simms (artistic director for the Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Program)
is an award-winning performer, writer, and educator advocating storytelling as compassionate
action for personal and community transformation.
She is a Senior Research Fellow for the International Peace institute
at Rutgers University Newark under the auspices of UNESCO.
She performs worldwide for adult and young audiences.
Ron Sopyla lives in a small house under a big hill next to a wide river
with a cat and a dog and an overgrown garden in Beacon NY.
He works as a storyteller, puppeteer, teaching artist and mentor teacher.
He has told stories at the Andersen statue for about 30 years now ... too long to remember.
