Tregaron Unplugged

Flora Strings is a viola/violin and cello duo featuring Rose Alon and Laura Keim, two music educators who met while teaching at neighboring schools in Prince George’s County. Rose is an orchestra teacher and music education graduate student based in Washington, D.C., and Laura is a cellist, chamber musician, and teacher based in Greenbelt, Maryland. As performers and educators, they share a commitment to making music accessible and engaging for their communities. Their repertoire blends classical works with familiar pop favorites.

Johnny Walker Jr. is a celebrated cellist and educator in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and he is also a teaching artist here at Washington Performing Arts. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Johnny began his musical journey with the DC Youth Orchestra at the age of 10 and has since performed at prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center, the White House, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Qi Yu is a guzheng (Chinese zither) artist, composer, and educator based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Originally from Inner Mongolia, China, she began studying the guzheng at the age of six and has since dedicated her life to expanding the instrument’s expressive possibilities on the global stage.

Kendall B is a daydreaming D.C.-based musician, scholar, producer, and cultural worker from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Kendall’s practice is grounded in their desire to bear witness to the queer melodies and rhythms of their life and to translate them faithfully, lovingly. Legacies of Black American music, art, folklore, and spirituality shape everything they create. They weave sonic worlds that can contribute to larger, deeper projects of community, healing, and liberation.

Anchoring the rhythm section, bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles compose and arrange music for their jazz quintet Saltman Knowles. Based near Washington, DC, the ensemble plays a combination of primarily original music and standards, as well as original arrangements of a few 80’s tunes. Saltman and Knowles have recorded and released eight original jazz CDs together over the past 20 years. Originally known as Soulservice, they now record as SaltmanKnowles. Their most recent release Native Speaker peaked at #9 on the Jazz charts. Together they have spent time as Artists-in-Residence for the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, and received two grants from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities.

Brad Linde (alto saxophone) is reunited with Mark Lysher (bass) and Jeff Cosgrove (drums) to play OUTSIDE! Listen to free-wheeling jazz standards and collaborative improvisation in this acoustic, unplugged performance. Hailed as “the capital city’s contemporary cool king” (Giovanni Russonello, Capitalbop), Brad Linde is a saxophonist, educator, bandleader, and impresario in the Washington, DC metro area. He is the director of Jazz and Creative Music at Georgetown Day School and founder of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra.

Ryan is a seasoned musician based in the DMV, with over 20 years of performance experience. He has played top venues including The Kennedy Center, The Anthem, Strathmore, and Nationals Park. Known for his versatility across genres, Ryan delivers high-quality, engaging music tailored to a wide range of events and audiences.