Bill Gordh Band: Talking to the Moon

THE BAND

Bill Gordh
Banjo, Vocals, Cuatro

Bill Gordh is a songwriter, storyteller, banjoist, author and educator. He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, at the Clearwater Festival, The Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum (Houston), Gerald Ford Amphitheater (Vail), The Folk Art Museum and at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Bill has collaborated for many years with Jon Deak and the Very Young Composers program. He is the storytelling Host of the Award-Winning podcast World Music Institute’s Folktales where he collaborates with master musicians from many cultures, telling tales from their cultures as they accompany him on their instruments.

Website: https://www.billgordh.com/

Shira Averbuch
Vocals

Named "the golden-voiced singer by The New York Times, Shira calls her sound fairy-folk; infused with her sensational ukulele stylings, her music is reminiscent of powerhouse singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile.

Shira Averbuch met music producer Paul Carbonara (Blondie) as a performer in New York’s vibrant theatre community. She starred in his Off Broadway musicals Solitary Light and Evening 1910 to much critical acclaim; The New York Times noted Shira's performance for her winning and beguiling voice" and her enigmatically expressive smile." She went on to record two albums produced by Carbonara along with an ace six-piece band, including Grammy winner drummer Dan Pugach. Together they created a live folk-acoustic sound so raw you could almost hear the wooden floors creaking under their feet.

Since the release of her song, Am I Beautiful, following her friend's battle with stage 3 breast cancer, went viral Shira has been touring all over the US and Europe playing heart stopping music bringing people together in joy and healing. Shira and Carbonara are currently working on recording new songs together.

Website: https://www.shiraofficial.com

Jennifer Choi
Violin

Violinist Jennifer Choi is known for her adventurous spirit and versatility across genres, from classical to experimental and improvisational music. Described by The New York Times as “soulful” and “compelling,” she has premiered and recorded works by leading composers such as John Zorn, Susie Ibarra, Annie Gosfield, and Wadada Leo Smith, and performed widely—from Carnegie Hall to Cite de la Musique in Paris.

As a soloist and chamber musician, she has appeared with the Oregon and Vancouver Symphonies, the Miró Quartet (as a founding member), ETHEL, Sirius Quartet, and Either/Or Ensemble. Her collaborations span artists like Kathleen Supové, James Moore, and Fred Sherry, and she is a regular guest at venues like Lincoln Center, MOMA, and Roulette.

Deeply committed to arts education, Jennifer has reached thousands of students through work with the New York Philharmonic, Juilliard Global, and can be heard on over a dozen recordings across labels including TZADIK and New Focus Records.

Website: https://www.jenniferchoi.com/

Cliff Hahn
Guitars, Vocals

Cliff Hahn is a New York-based guitarist, sound designer, re-recording engineer/mixer, audio producer/director, and binaural recording specialist. He is the owner of Cliff Hahn Sound, a company providing top-notch audio services for over four decades. Cliff's work includes: sound design and mixing for feature films and documentaries such as Funny Valentine, Father Roy: Inside the School of Assassins, Refugee Kids, and It's Better To Jump. His long-term collaboration with Michele Spitz of Woman of Her Word in the creation of descriptive audio includes: Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name, Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (HBO), the recent Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story (PBS-American Masters) and the upcoming Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (ABC-Hulu) premiering next week at the Tribeca Film Festival. He brings his expertise as an award-winning radio producer to Bill’s storytelling project for the World Music Institute: FolkTales Set to Music from Around the Globe podcast series, providing audio production and sound editing. He shares life his with wife, Pam, a gifted teacher and child-whisperer; and two children: Brett, a doctor in the Netherlands and Elyse, a naturalist in Boston.

Justin Hines
Percussion

Percussionist, composer, and educator Justin Jay Hines has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Moab Music Festival, Alarm Will Sound, and the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. He has served as a New York Philharmonic Lead Teaching Artist since 1997 and has hosted several Young People’s Concerts, including this current season’s Pictures at an Exhibition-Fantasy and Imagination. He has collaborated with The Juilliard School, St. Louis Symphony, New World Symphony, 92nd Street Y, Lincoln Center Education, Carnegie Hall, and the Caramoor Center for the Arts as a leader of aesthetic education experiences. His classical compositions have been performed by his group Classical Jam at venues throughout the United States and Asia. Currently he is a composition mentor for the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program, and is the artistic director of Living Arts Collaborative, Inc. He joined the Manhattan School of Music faculty in the fall of 2022 with the Center for Career Readiness and Community Impact, and is a recipient of Manhattan School of Music’s Pablo Casals Award for Community Outreach.

Website: https://www.justinhinesmusic.com

George Wurzbach
Keyboards, Vocals

George Wurzbach is a multi-award winning composer, performer, and producer. His work with the music comedy group Modern Man earned a BackStage Magazine Bistro Award and several MAC Award nominations while frightening many innocent audiences. His song contribution to the album Comedians and Angels earned a Grammy Award nomination for folk music legend Tom Paxton. As a composer he has scored several films for Emmy Award wining filmmaker Dean Love who is currently producing a new documentary following a team from Astronomy for Equity (A4E) on a trip to Ukraine taking telescopes to astronomy students in the war-torn country.

Website: Apple Music

SPECIAL GUESTS

Tony Gerber
Pre-show Music

Tony Gerber is a pioneering force in live space music, captivating audiences since the age of 9 with his original performances on stage and live radio. Blending his passion for electronic music with the soulful textures of guitars, hurdy gurdy, Native flutes, and other acoustic instruments, Gerber creates immersive sonic landscapes that bridge the ancient and the futuristic.

His latest venture, Singing Poet Society (at SingingPoetSociety.com), brings together timeless poetry, original compositions, and AI-generated vocals—an innovative fusion of art and technology.

With music featured in films, video games, and over 5,000 live concerts performed in virtual worlds over the past 20 years, Gerber continues to explore new frontiers in sound and creativity. Discover his full discography on all major digital platforms and at TonyGerber.Bandcamp.com.

Website: https://tonygerber.bandcamp.com/

Rachel Gordh
Vocals

Samir LanGus
Gembri, Vocals

Samir LanGus is a Grammy nominated musician, born and raised in the city of Agadir, Morocco. Music has always been a part of the constant variety of street sounds of his city, from merchants to entertainers and calls to prayer. LanGus began learning Gnawa, a traditional, spiritual trance music, at an early age from the Gnawa masters of Morocco especially Maalem Hamid El Kasri.

Website: https://www.samirlangus.com/

Phil Leigh
Vocals

Mehrnam Rastegari
Kamancheh, Vocals

Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, award-winning film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player, who brings Persian music in new directions by combining it with rock and modern fusion styles. She explores new ways to introduce Persian microtonal music to a wider audience, experimenting with new sounds that connect tradition with contemporary music. Her performances have taken her to international stages, including the Bill Gates Goalkeepers 2024 event, where she played alongside the Grammy award-winning artist Jon Batiste, and some of the most prestigious music festivals worldwide, including GlobalFest, Secret Planet APAP showcase, Ragas Live Festival, Montana Folk Festival, the WOMEX (World Music Expo), Crossing Border Festival, Le Guess Who?, Pitchfork Music Festival, Into The Great Wide Open, Mutations Festival, Feeërieën, Fajr International Music Festival, the International Competition named after Tlep Aspantaiuly.

Rastegari is an extraordinary Kamancheh performer, acclaimed by some of the finest Kamancheh artists and instructors globally, who have certified her as a Master Kamancheh player. She is a GMW (Global Musicians Workshop) alumna, and collaborated with WMI (World Music Institute), contributing to their multiple projects, including music performances, WMI Plus interviews, and podcasts. She was a featured guest speaker at the TEDx event "Oasis: Existence in Nothingness." She also recorded a project with "Center for Traditional Music and Dance" (CTMD) in NYC.

Furthermore, she has composed for over 10 feature films, theaters, and award-winning short films. Notably, "Dispirited" earned her the "Best Original Score" award from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), and she received a nomination for the original score in the Japan Kadoma Festival for the film "Rotten." "A Poetess" also secured the "Best Persian Film" award at WMIFF, USA. Rastegari is a valued member of the NYAO (New York Arabic Orchestra) and has had the privilege of performing at the United Nations Headquarters. She also contributed as a violin player to recording the music track "Mirage" for "Assassin’s Creed."

Passionate about cultural exchange, Mehrnam encourages younger musicians in Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, helping them navigate both tradition and innovation in their own music. Through her performances, compositions, and film scores, Mehrnam continues to shape the future of Persian music, showing that heritage and experimentation can coexist in powerful ways. Rastegari is the founder of "Mehrnam Rastegari Traditional Persian Band" in New York City, where she continues to perform. She has also started a Rock Middle Eastern band named "Chogan", where she brings her originals, also some rearranged folk music, and has garnered success.

Website: https://mehrnamrastegari.com/

David “Doc” Wallace
Viola

The New York Times compares Dr. David Wallace’s improvisations to “Jimmy Page fronting Led Zeppelin.” David is a fiercely eclectic musician, award-winning composer, master teaching artist, and Chair of Berklee College of Music’s String Department. Prior to Berklee, David enjoyed fourteen-years as a Juilliard professor and seventeen years as a New York Philharmonic Teaching Artist. David’s concert appearances include solo and chamber performances with the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Texas-style string band The Doc Wallace Trio, flute-viola-harp trio Hat Trick, and Yale Strom’s Broken Consort. His television and radio broadcast credits include NPR, PBS, NHK, KTV (Korea), Tokyo MX, WQXR, CBS, and ABC. David’s concert appearances include solo and chamber performances with the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Texas-style string band The Doc Wallace Trio, flute-viola-harp trio Hat Trick, and Yale Strom’s Broken Consort. His television and radio broadcast credits include NPR, PBS, NHK, KTV (Korea), Tokyo MX, WQXR, CBS, and ABC.

Website: https://www.docwallacemusic.com/

Emily Warren
Vocals

WikiPedia: Emily Warren

The Bill Gordh Band

Talking to the Moon

THE BAND

SPECIAL GUESTS

Songs

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