THE ARTISTS
Jocelyn Zelasko, Voice
Executive Director, Co-Artistic Director, Public Relations Director, Treasurer, Social Media Coordinator, Website Designer, Executive Fundraiser, Fashion Guru, Squeaky Toy Supervisor
Detroit-based soprano, Jocelyn Zelasko, is a versatile musician who is celebrated as an insightful performer with a captivating stage presence. She has performed chamber music, opera, and art song in festivals and concerts throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and North America. She is the vocalist for Detroit's premiere ensemble, New Music Detroit, and a founding member of ensembles Juxtatonal and Whoopknox. Her career began in the classical realm, but a passion for making complex vocal music accessible to audiences through character development and authentic storytelling led her to pursue new music.
She has performed new music with the GRAMMY award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird, world premieres with Eastman Broadband Ensemble, and jazz with Matt Ulery Trio. She has also sung with many outstanding performers including Tony Arnold (International Contemporary Ensemble), Vicky Chow (Bang on a Can All-Stars), Miles Brown (Alarm Will Sound), Chris Sies (Latitude 49), and Eliot Heaton (Michigan Opera Theatre), among many others.
As an advocate for the creation of new works, Zelasko has commissioned 15 composers including Michelle McQuade Dewhirst, Marti Epstein, David Smooke, Danny Clay, and Emily Millard. Additionally, she originated the title role of 100 year-old photographer, Pat Sturn, in the new mixed-media chamber opera, Pat & Emilia (Smallman/ Gervais/Sievers-Hunt) which toured extensively in Canada and the Great Lakes region from 2015 – 2018.
Zelasko received bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance and economics from Oakland University where she was also a scholarship athlete. Furthering her education, she received a master’s degree in music from the University of Iowa. In addition to her work as a performer, Zelasko writes articles, conducts master classes, lectures, maintains a thriving private voice studio, and enjoys golfing with her 94 year-old grandfather.
For more information, visit her website: www.jocelynzelasko.com
Bryan Hayslett, Cello
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Artistic Director, Principal Graphic Designer, Chief of Construction and Woodworking, Executive Video Editor, Sound Engineer, Social Media Co-manager, Air Mattress Supervisor
Cellist Bryan Hayslett continues to distinguish himself as a versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral player. Dr. Hayslett is currently Assistant Professor of Cello at the New World School of the Arts and serves as the cellist of contemporary performance group Juxtatonal. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009 as first prize winner of the Alexander & Buono International String Competition and returned the following year as a repeat top prize laureate.
Dr. Hayslett is a proponent of new music, having founded and participated in Juxtatonal, Semiosis Quartet, and several new music chamber groups in the New England area. His solo concert tours feature new music as a central focus, and he has commissioned composers including Joan La Barbara, Anthony Green, Drew Baker, David Macbride, and Annika Socolofsky. Additionally, he has premiered works with the Equilibrium Concert Series, The Fifth Floor Collective, and New Music Brandeis and has worked with composers such as Louis Andriessen, Joan Tower, Evan Ziporyn, Ted Hearne, and Yehudi Wyner. Dr. Hayslett can be heard on an Innova recording, "A Special Light," featuring music of David Macbride.
As a scholar, Dr. Hayslett's research focuses on temporality in and perception of contemporary music, and his PhD dissertation develops an analytical framework based on linguistics to analyze structure in Lee Hyla's music. He has received several research grants and has presented his research at conferences across the United States and in Austria, Norway, and Portugal.
With degrees from NYU (Ph.D.), The Boston Conservatory (M.M., G.P.D.), and The Hartt School of Music (B.M.), and Dr. Haylett’s principal teachers include Marion Feldman, Rhonda Rider, Terry King, and Yuri Anshelevich. Beyond music, Hayslett competes in triathlons, cooks, and enjoys practicing yoga. He currently resides in Miami.
For more information, visit his website: www.bryanhayslett.com
