Portland New Music Society Returns!! April 6, 2010

Thollem McDonas (piano), Scott Stobbe (guitarist), Derek Johnson (cellist).

Thollem McDonas, pianist/comproviser, was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of Irish and Cherokee descent. Not long after birth he began studying the keyboard repertoire from the medieval to the 20th century. After graduating with degrees in both piano performance and composition he dedicated his time for years in grassroots political movements and ecological restoration projects before coming back to music with his full focus. He is currently touring perpetually, mostly as a soloist but also in collaboration with many other individuals and groups.

Derek M Johnson is an Olympia native and can't seem to ever get away. He frequently performs solo acoustic/electric cello throughout the Northwest with an ever changing, direct animation slide show. He's been a member of Bloodclot, Dead Air Fresheners, Le Ton Mite, Frequency dB, and the unfortunately named Superfly 2000. Collaborations include: Unwound, Thollem McDonnas, Jeremy Jay, Ben L Robertson, Arrington de Dionyso, Bob Marsh, among others.

Scott Stobbe has an A.A. degree in music composition from Foothill College in Los Altos California. He is currently Studying composition at Portland State University. Scott is interested in exploration in the full sense. This desire for exploration has led him all across the depths of his mind and all across the continental United States,Alaska,Hawaii,Canada,Mexico,Belize,Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,Costa Rica,Panama,Colombia,Spain, Portugal,France,Germany,Austria,Switzerland,The Netherlands,England,Italy,The Czech Republic,Hungary, Serbia,Slovenia,Poland,Norway,Sweden,Estonia,Morocco, Singapore,Indonesia and China. These travels have made a huge impression on him as a person and as a musician and composer. Fluent in Spanish, Scott has played with Flamenco and Classical guitarists in Spain, Estonian Fiddlers, Gamelan players in Java and Bali, Indian Musicians in Singapore, Bagpipers in Galicia (Spain), Punk and Hardcore bands in California, Latin American Music Ensembles, Classical Guitar Orchestras, Bluegrass bands, Klezmer and Balkan bands, Roots Blues and Big Band Jazz groups among others.