River Guerguerian (Multi-Percussionist/Composer/Educator) was born in 1967 in Montreal, Canada to Armenian-Egyptian parents and received his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory in 1989. For over 30 years, he has been performing internationally with such groups as the BBC Concert Orchestra, New Music Consort, Grammy and Oscar winning composer Tan Dun, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble, Talujon Percussion Quartet, Chuck Berry, Ziggy Marley, and his world jazz trio Free Planet Radio. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by chamber ensembles, universities, modern dance companies, and new music festivals throughout the U.S. Guerguerian has performed in concert halls in New York, Berlin, Moscow, Tokyo, Rome, Sydney, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Jerusalem, Athens, Istanbul, London, and has recorded on over 250 albums and film soundtracks. In 1994, River sold all possessions, left civilization, and lived in a wildlife sanctuary in the Himalaya Mountains for 5 years. River is the Music Director of the Odyssey Community School, and as Artistic Director for Asheville Rhythm, produces the Asheville Percussion Festival, now in its eighth year. He conducts rhythm and sound exploration workshops throughout the country. "Guerguerian's composition, sensationally performed, devoted itself even more religiously to the possibilities of pure sound." -New York Times