Lindsay Donat (Writing, Composition, Double Bass)
Lindsay Donat fell in love with the double bass after hearing its unique tone at a school instrument demonstration when she was 10 years old. The more that she played, the more her passion for the instrument grew, and she joined Albert Laszlo’s studio as part of the Juilliard Pre-College Division at the age of 14. She continued her studies at The Juilliard School as an undergraduate student with Joe Conyers and Rex Surany and graduated in Spring of 2023. She is now pursuing a Masters in Music at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University with Nina DeCesare.
In the summers, Lindsay attended Domaine Forget International Music and Dance Academy, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. She has played in masterclasses with Nico Abondolo, Paul Ellison, Bill Blossom, Edwin Barker, Ira Gold, and Paul DeNola.
During her fourth year at Juilliard, Lindsay was a CLIMB Community Engagement Fellow, and taught music and literacy to siblings of students enrolled in the Music Advancement Program (MAP). She has also taught private double bass lessons, and believes that music lessons are tool for students to learn about self expression, organization, goal setting, confidence, and patience.
Lindsay also enjoys making chainmail, going on walks, drinking coffee, and, of course, petting lots of cats!
Raphael Zimmerman (Clarinet)
New York-based clarinetist Raphael Zimmerman is known for his thoughtful and flexible playing and well-rounded musicianship. He is a sought-after player for his interpretive creativity and down-to-earth approach.
Raphael is an avid orchestral and chamber musician: he has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra, Axiom Ensemble, National Orchestra Institute Philharmonic, and Interlochen World Youth Orchestra, and a wide variety of chamber ensembles at Juilliard and MSM, as well as at Face the Music and the Third Street Music Settlement. He recently participated in Nathalie Joachim’s dramatic chamber project Ki moun ou ye? He is interested in projects that explore new or marginalized perspectives, build welcoming attitudes, and actively pursue educational outreach.
The child of non-musicians, Raphael started playing both clarinet and cello at age nine. He attended Juilliard pre-college in clarinet for four years before enrolling in the Juilliard undergraduate program. His primary teachers have been Larry Guy, Alan Kay, and Anthony McGill, with whom he is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music. As a high school student, he spent summers at Interlochen Summer festival and Kinhaven Music School, where he worked with Anton Rist, Yao Zhai, and Dave Sapadin. Raphael also studied cello with David Geber for three years at Manhattan School of Music pre-college prior to committing to a career in clarinet.
Hoda Mir (Illustration)
Hoda Mir (she/her) is a Persian illustrator who is now located in Vancouver, BC. She originally started studying graphic design, then found a passion for illustration. So, she gave it a try and received her master’s degree in Illustration.
At first, her aesthetic was influenced by Persian narratives, like ancient Persian poets and illustrators. Illustrating different cultures and characters in stories was one of her passions. Later this passion led her to a career in children book illustration.
Hoda has been working with publications as a freelance book and magazine illustrator since 2017 and also has collaborated with kids clothing companies as a logo and fashion designer.
“Rock, Rock, Tree”, “Bread Bread”, “The wishing Fruits” are some examples of her published children’s book in which she was involved as an illustrator.
Since her immigration, art became an integral part of her life, and involvement in the illustration career has helped her to deal with the challenges of daily life—both emotionally and financially. Her artworks were selected for several juried international exhibits and competitions such as Embracing Our Differences in Florida 2017, SCAD small artworks exhibit in Atlanta, Colours of Humanity Art Gallery, selected in VOAF one year touring exhibits in Vancouver. She recently got selected as a winner in the Professional Illustration Category of the International Art & Design Competition 2023 and participated in the Accademia Riaci Exhibition in Florence, Italy.