Ken Butler is an artist and musician whose Hybrid musical instruments, performances, installations, and other works explore the interaction and transformation of common and uncommon objects, altered images, sounds and silence. His works have been featured in numerous exhibitions and performances throughout the USA, Canada, and Europe including The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Mass MoCA, and The Kitchen, The Brooklyn Museum, The Queens Museum, Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as well as in South America, Thailand, and Japan. His works have been reviewed in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Artforum, Smithsonian, and Sculpture Magazine and have been featured on PBS, CNN, MTV, and NBC, including a live appearance on The Tonight Show. Awards include fellowships from the Oregon Arts Commission, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pollack/Krasner Foundation. Ken studied viola as a child and maintained an interest in music while studying visual arts in France, at Colorado College, and Portland State University where he completed his MFA in painting in 1977. He has performed with John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Butch Morris, The Soldier String Quartet, Matt Darriau's Paradox Trio, The Tonight Show Band, and The Master Gnawa musicians of Morocco. His CD, Voices of Anxious Objects is on Zorn’s Tzadik label. His works are represented in public and private collections in Portland, Seattle, Vail, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, and New York City including the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Watch Ken bring rarely known tones out of thin air!

My entire life is centered on making or recording music. I started out the fortunate son of a talented recording engineer (the rhyming Aaron Baron) that owned a remote recording truck. My dad recorded things like Allman Brother’s Live at Fillmore East and BB King at Cook County Jail. He taught me a lot of things - including how to appreciate and capture music making. I studied piano and eventually wound up graduating from Oberlin Conservatory - a music school in the middle of cornfields of Ohio. I went to the city of New York and interned for Gershon Kingsley, a ground-breaking Moog innovator. I worked for jingle houses. I worked on performance art. I joined a techno band and swore off guitars forever. I matured eventually.  I realized the world of music was big and there was a lot to do. I got to work. I had a business in the nineties called Baron and Baron (with my dad) where we did mostly commercial and television music. I worked on many cable channel network identify launches, something like thirty to forty.  I used whatever money I had to buy instruments. I was an impractical musician. I still am. I started a business in Y2k called Edison Music and based it out of a ballroom in the Edison Hotel in the theater district of New York City.  It was fabulous but eventually we got thrown out in favor of a two-floor theme restaurant. I moved to Woodstock, NY and built a studio.  I began writing more of my own music, separate from the commercial world. I started working with artists. I started using my analog modular synthesizer collection to define my work. I have learned by working with Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Peter Murphy, Sarah Fimm, and a host of others. I saw how they created music and this made me better. I also wrote a lot of TV show themes and jingles.  I've worked with the likes Oprah Winfrey Network, TV Land, Nickelodeon, Travel Channel, Disney, Showtime, VH1 and Comedy Central, HBO, National Geographic, ABC, to name a few. You’ve probably heard my music and you probably did not know it. I find myself now producing artists, writing music, doing commercial works, and just playing music for the sake of music. It’s a lucky place to be. http://edisonmusiccorp.com/

I grew up in Ohio surrounded by musicians playing, singing, and stomping feet. Acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, dobro, mandolin, bass, and plenty of vocal harmony. At age 8, I heard The Beatles, put down my fiddle, picked up a guitar, and never looked back.

I’ve played in rock bands, acoustic bands, funk bands, experimental bands, pop bands, dance bands, good bands, and bad bands. My day job was touring and recording with Kid Creole and the Coconuts for over ten years. I’ve toured, performed, and recorded with countless artists, including Iggy Pop, The Lounge Lizards, Gavin Friday, Jill Sobule, Level 42, Medeski Martin Wood, Jewel, Lisa Loeb, as well as leading my own bands. I became involved with New York City’s emerging live electronic scene in the 90s, steering my own experimental electronic group, Liminal, through several records and US/European tours.

In 2000, I built the recording studio/production company in Brooklyn, NY called GoodandEvil with Chris Castagno. It was 10 years of record production, engineering, recording, mixing, writing, and artist development. Incredible projects, incredible people.

Now I live and work in a beautiful old farmhouse not far from NYC. My production/mixing studio Hidden Quarry is tucked here in the woods. Extra guest bedrooms, a vibrant community of amazing musicians, and an easy commute to the city make it a perfect environment for creativity. http://dannyblume.com/

Michael Schacker is an honored member of the Woodstock community as an author, world-beat musician and songwriter. In 2008, Michael had a massive traumatic brain injury that stilled his voice and interrupted his work. Today, Michael is making a comeback with the help of his wife, Barbara, and friends who have helped him recover and publish his second book, Global Awakening, New Science and the 21st Century Enlightenment. The book—the result of over 30 years of quiet research and writing--reveals the hidden history of consciousness and the historical process of how change coalesces to a flip point. Here and now, we can see how the collapse of the mechanistic paradigm and the birth pain of the Organic Shift is transforming to an awakening of a global consciousness and regeneration. http://www.globalregen.net

A martial arts master and philosopher, Rosenfeld is a contributor to national magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Parade. He has been seen on Fox News and other networks, and heard on numerous national radio programs. Along with the Dalai Lama, Rosenfeld was a finalist for the prestigious Books For A Better Life award for his bestseller The Truth About Chronic Pain (Basic Books, New York, May 2003) and has been cited in national media including Newsweek, Ebony and Parade. Originator of the fiction genre now known as "Kung Fu Noir", he is the author of the thrillers The Cutting Season (a finalist for both the ForeWord Book of the Year Award and USA Book of the Year Award), The Crocodile And The Crane, and Quiet Teacher (YMAA Books, Boston, 2009) and has penned several optioned motion picture screenplays, the critically acclaimed novel of magical realism A Cure For Gravity, and the hard-boiled mystery Diamond Eye, the first and only novel to be promoted by the federal government and sold on a government website. A Yale graduate, he combines the scientific background and communication skills gained through post-graduate studies at Cornell and the University of California with real-world savvy gleaned from creative, high-level corporate positions. Drawing on an academic background in medicine and science he has engaged viewers of national television programs such as Fox and Friends, and touched seminar audiences including prison inmates, healthcare professionals, and captains of industry. http://www.arthurrosenfeld.com

Read his recent article on The Huffington Post that discusses being sensitive to life.

For as long as he can remember, Heyrick Chasse always enjoyed holding a camera in his hands. He received his first 35mm Canon camera at the age of 10 received for Christmas, and this was the beginning of something that would forever grow on him. He recalls pulling bed sheets together in lieu of a backdrop, candles and costumes together and using his friends as models to recreate a studio shoot atmosphere. It was only later on that he had the privilege to work with his first film SLR and discover the joys of a dark room. Heyrick discovered new worlds by spending hours developing negatives and prints. With all these years and counting a few excursions in the hi-tech industry, this sideline passion grew into a full time business. Heyrick now photographs on a wide variety of subjects, crossing stylistic boundaries. From shoot to shoot, he likes to adapt his style and explore new concepts. Looking back on his professional career in the business world - stepping out of his comfort zone has always been his motto and still holds true in photography. Heyrick says, ! "Often people will say after a shoot that I've captured their mood and personality exactly how they wanted to portray them. I strive in listening and exceeding my customer’s expectations. Did I mention I love my job?!" http://www.eyerickphoto.com/

Heyrick and Sarah just completed a brand new video for "Inspire". You can watch it here!

Mac Ritchey is an accomplished music educator, engineer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He has produced and recorded more than a hundred albums over the past 20 years, covering a wide array of genres. An enthusiastic music educator for over 10 years, his passion is bringing instruments and world music from around the globe into school systems through his collaborative music group '35th Parallel'. In 1998, Mac established Possum Hall Studios, a state-of-the-art music space to work directly with his clients and projects on crafting world-class recordings. His production of Evren Ozan’s album Alluvia won 'Best Instrumental Album of the Year' at the Native American Music Awards (2007). Mac's production work has also made its way to MTV's 'The Real World' (Sarah Fimm), 'General Hospital' (Eric Colville), NHNPR, and other broadcast platforms. He has served as a featured artist at Tamburi Mundi International Frame Drum Festival (2009, 2011) and as a juried artist with Vermont Arts Council and NEFA. In his travels around the globe, he has performed with Glen Velez, Ramesh Shotham, Shane Shanahan, and many other friends and colleagues in the U.S and abroad. A man of many trades, Mac continues to be a contributing member and sound technician for the North American Frame Drummers Association (NAFDA). http://possumhall.com/

Jack Laroux is an international fine artist with collectors around the globe, who has exhibited in prestigious locations from Maxims in Paris, France to Art Basel in Miami. Laroux is invited annually to auction off his original artwork and reproductions along side renowned artists such as Jeff Koons and Keith Haring, raising thousands of dollars for several prominent charities in New York City. He has also collaborated with high profile brands such as Bombay Sapphire to create artwork for advertising campaigns. His most recent accomplishment in December 2012, was an exhibition in New York City's Times Square, where Laroux's original artwork coincided with large illuminated video billboards for all New Yorkers and the world to see.

Jack will be with us at Sparkle Camp! You can check out his latest creations here!

John Andrews began playing guitar when he was 14 years old. His first teacher was Rich Falco- founder of Jazz Worcester Society and Professor of Music at Clark University and Worcester Polytechnical Institute. Rich was a formative force in the evolution of John’s style and enthusiasm for cultivating sound. John moved to New York City at the young age of 20 to attend the prestigous New School Jazz in Manhattan. Upon his arrival he very quickly became a regular part of New School co- founder and legendary saxophonist Arnie Lawrence's International Funk Co-Elation.

Some of the artists John has toured and or recorded with include Loudboy, Gavin DeGraw, Nena, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Enrique Iglesias, Band Of Thieves, David Baron, Angela McCluskey, Botanica, Morley, Page Hamilton of Helmet, Arnie Lawrence, Sarah Fimm, Alice Smith, Manu Katche, Pino Palladino, Jay Newland, Joe Blaney, Moses Schneider, Martha Redbone, Rene Lopez, Dana Wheeler, Lisa Zane, Sasha Lazard, Pisser, Frankenorange, The Compulsions, Michael Montes, Ken Rich, Andrew Sherman, Stuntcycle, Randy Lee, Chris Grace, GSX, Jon and Julia Darling, Miami Relatives, Shaun Barker, and countless others.

www.loudboy.net

Watch John and Sarah perform "Hiding" and live at Sparkle Camp!

Brian Viglione has been the driving rhythmic force behind The Dresden Dolls since 2000. The band has traveled throughout North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia to critical acclaim, as well as being handpicked to tour alongside Nine Inch Nails in 2005 and Cyndi Lauper in 2007. In December 2007, Brian collaborated with Trent Reznor on the Nine Inch Nails album, Ghosts: I-IV, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards, under the categories Best Rock Instrumental performance for the track "34 Ghosts IV", and Best Boxed Set or Limited Edition Package and sold over 750,000 copies.

Brian recently delivered a series of drum clinics at several schools around New England including Harvard University, and spoke to his audience about new ways to approach drumming and performance - providing encouragement and tools to facilitate self-expression on the drum kit. He continues to cultivate his passion for multiple instruments, and is proficient at guitar, bass, keyboard, and percussion.

Currently, Brian is drumming with LOUDBOY, a hard rock trio lead by guitarist John Andrews. The band’s second album is slated for a September 2013 release with tour dates throughout the year. LOUDBOY will be joining us on our final night of Powered by Dreaming, May 30th.

http://www.brianviglione.com/

Jesse Scherer is a New York state Licensed Massage Therapist who has been in practice for over ten years. Sourcing from this experience and a thorough understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, Jesse delivers a session based on the clients individualized needs. These illuminating sessions will be tailored to address injury rehabilitation, muscular stagnation, flexibility issues, and joint stiffness due to lyme disease and other chronic illness, as well as relaxation and restorative massage. Utilizing Neuromuscular therapy and other Specific Deep Tissue techniques, with strength and precision, Jesse supports the bodies natural inclination to move from a place of strain, stiffness and fatigue, to its preferred state of flexibility, suppleness and integrity. Jesse will be on-location at Sparkle Camp to generously provide a comforting and invigorating massage to dreamers in need of relaxation and healing!

Jeffrey Avinash Barnes is considered a modern day renaissance man. He is a musician, humorist, chef, and has married over hundreds of couples. As a musician he currently performs on percussion, teaching all genres of music, including jazz, rock and roll, folk, world rhythms and kirtan. He is on staff at The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, where he leads inspirational drum circles.  He also performs at the The Kripalu Institute in Lenox, MA.  He was a featured performer on The Fox Network where he appeared as a guest with The Fugees.  For a short time, he attended the Middlesex culinary institute, and is a master of gourmet vegan and vegetarian cuisine. He resides as Executive chef and manager at The KTD Buddhist Monastery in Woodstock, NY. 

He has been a delight to many children and adults over the years, creating two beloved characters to amuse children and keep us young. One is Ozzie The Wizard, and the other is Bongo The Clown.  Bongo believes that "Laughter is the best medicine", and will be hosting sparkle classes with Sarah Fimm on face-painting, and other illuminating workshops for attendees and young dreamers to learn the joy of sparkling.

Chundak grew up in the hilly country of northeastern Nepal. It wasn't until he was 14 years old, when he heard that there would be a visiting eye camp near his village, that he received his first eye examination. The examining doctor told him that he was near sighted and needed glasses. He was thrilled to discover that he could now see the distant yaks grazing on the hillside. Today, Chundak is the Director of Sight Programs at Seva Foundation, located in Berkeley, CA. He has been in this position with Seva since 2003. Prior to that he served as the Medical Director for the Himalayan Sight Programs in Nepal (under Seva) for 7 years. Dr. Tenzing received his Ophthalmology training at Mangalore University in India and his Masters in Public Health at John Hopkins University in 2003. Chundak also serves as the Poet Laureate at Seva. www.seva.org

Watch this video to hear more on what Seva means to Dr. Tenzing.

Julie Nestingen is the Director of Development at Seva Foundation. She first became involved with Seva in 2003, as a volunteer in the office, while she decided what her next job in life would be. She was thrilled to join the Development Department in the beginning of 2004. Since that time she has held several positions in the department before taking over the role of "Chief Dollar Raiser" in 2009. Prior to joining Seva, Julie worked as an editorial and freelance photographer for 20 years. She is extremely grateful to be able to blend her past with her present by photographing Seva's work whenever she visits Seva's overseas programs. www.seva.org

Joel brings a multitude of talents to the camp as owner of a world-class recording studio, former partner in a legendary NYC nightclub, music producer, philanthropist, musician and entrepreneur in many eco-friendly businesses. 

Educated at Yale University, the Connecticut School of Electronics and the Institute of Audio Research, Joel opened Dreamland Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1986 and was responsible for the production of approximately 400 albums, including the infamous "Love Shack" recorded by the B-52's.  As a music producer, he is best known for his work with Tian Jaing, former national piano champion of China.  He is also a member of the renowned "Harmonic Choir," founded by David Hykes, performing at sacred spaces around the globe.  As a guitarist with a powerful love for jazz, Joel has performed at venues throughout the Northeast. 

In the arena of business, he was a partner at the Wetlands Preserve nightclub in Manhattan, known for promoting environmental awareness and universally recognized as the launching ground for the "jamband" scene, whose luminaries included groups like Phish, Dave Matthews and Hootie and the Blowfish.  Throughout the years, Joel has also supported many environmentally-friendly business ventures and is a 15 year member of the Social Venture Network, a group of like-minded entrepreneurs dedicated to approaching business in a socially responsible manner.  He also donated his services at the Threshold Foundation (a philanthropic organization) in New York City, as an art and media grants facilitator for over 18 years.   

On more than one occasion Doug Yoel has shared the studio with great legends Elvis Costello, Chick Corea, Larry Campbell and Mingus Big Band. Doug's co-productions with jazz legend Roy Haynes (for client Dreyfus Records) resulted in three Grammy Nominations, a Jazz Journalist Award, a French Gramophone award, and worldwide recognition. Doug is an accomplished live performer and producer, recording the likes of Steve Miller, John Oates, Chip Taylor, Nels Cline, Stanley Jordan and the Les Paul trio. He has spent time performing at major venues, including Iridium Jazz Club, Falcon Arts, Blue Note Jazz Club (for Canadian television), the historic Bearsville Theater, and others. He’s a gifted guitar teacher in all styles, also proficient in piano, voice, bass and harmony instruction. He also has given seminars at major music conferences, including MIDEM, CMJ and IAJE.

RIAA Multi Platinum awarded sound engineer Pete Caigan hails from Woodstock, NY where he has been working in and operating recording studios since 2000. His discography includes dozens of major label releases ranging widely in style from Rock, Reggae, Classical and Jazz. He has worked on recordings for ABC Television, Sarah McLachlan, Bad Brains, Linda Eder, and Bedouin Soundclash. Pete looks forward to bringing his passion for music to the Sparkle Camp!