tuneful choro & bossa fromBrazil with a modern twist

Matthew Downey is a local music teacher who specializes in a variety of fretted string instruments. He grew up in Otego and went to school at SUNY Fredonia for an Undergraduate and Masters Degree in Classical Guitar. During his time out near Buffalo, Matt became engaged in multiple groups that performed Dixieland, Bossa Nova, Afro-Beat, Polka, and Gypsy Jazz. He has shared the stage with the Los Angeles String Quartet, Arturo Sandoval, and Paramore. Matt now serves as the Department Chair for Bainbridge Guilford CSD, teaches Classical Guitar at SUNY Oneonta, works with the Unatego Board of Education, and is the treasurer for the Classical Guitar Society of Upstate New York. Matt enjoys brewing beer/cider/mead, hiking with his dog, and gardening in his free time.

Blake Fleming is a percussionist, author and educator known for his involvement with several influential experimental bands including co-founding the Grammy Award winning Mars Volta. Fleming's newest solo album, The Beat Fantastic, has garnered international acclaim. His book, The Book of Rhythm, has been sold in over 20 countries and is the largest collection of organized rhythm ever published to date. He was included in SPIN's 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music, has recorded on over 80 albums and has toured extensively working with luminaries in the rock, jazz and avant-garde worlds. His work has been written about in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR.com, Modern Drummer, Pitchfork and many other publications worldwide.

Hilary Goldblatt is the Orchestra Director at the Bainbridge-Guilford public schools. Hilary earned a Master’s in Flute Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music. As an undergraduate, she performed with the Yale Symphony Orchestra in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Korea. Hilary has played at festivals such as Banff, Bowdoin, Burlington Discover Jazz, Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, and with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Hilary held the position of principal flute in the orchestra of the Opera Company of Middlebury for several years. She can also be heard playing at the "intersections of creative big band music, postmodern rock + outer space" with the 22-person Saturn People's Sound Collective, whose live studio album was released in 2022. She is one of the founding members of TURNmusic in Vermont. Hilary is particularly proud that she has encouraged many of her students to become music composers and creators and is overjoyed that they continue to pursue it outside of class!