Black Wave

Brandon Stirling Baker is an award-winning lighting designer working internationally in the world of dance. His work can be seen on Broadway, Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, PNB, Dutch National Ballet, and many others. Baker has designed over 30 premieres worldwide for choreographer Justin Peck, and works frequently with William Forsythe, Jamar Roberts, and Pam Tanowitz among others.

A celebrated choreographer of her generation, Jessica Lang is Resident Choreographer of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet. She has created over 115 original works on companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, PNB, The Royal Ballet, Vienna State Ballet and her eponymous company Jessica Lang Dance of which Lang was Artistic Director from 2011-2019. For opera, Lang has directed and choreographed Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater for Glimmerglass; choreographed Aida for San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera (WNO), Seattle Opera, LA Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago; and choreographed Salome for Des Moines Metro Opera. In 2024, Lang co-choreographed with Kanji Segawa WNO’s new production of Turandot, directed by Francesca Zambello.

Jillian Lewis is a high-end fashion and costume designer based in New York City. She has been working in the fashion industry for almost two decades, and has a history of collaborations in the dance community. She has costumed productions at The Royal Opera House, American Ballet Theater, PNB, The Washington Ballet, The Guggenheim Museum, The Joyce Theater, and Baryshnikov Arts Center. She has designed costumes for Jessica Lang, Stephen Petronio, Pam Tanawitz, Brian Reeder, and Liz Gerring.

Kanji Segawa was a dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2011–2023 and became Assistant Rehearsal Director for the company in 2024. Originally from Kanagawa, Japan, Segawa is a former member of Ailey II, Battleworks, and danced extensively for Mark Morris. Since 1999, Segawa has worked with Jessica Lang, assisting her creations for companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, PNB, The Royal Ballet, and The National Ballet of Japan.

Libby Stadstad is a scenic and costume designer for film, television, theatre, dance, and immersive installations. Her recent work in film includes multiple projects for HBO, Netflix, CBS, and the SW Network.

Her work can be seen on stages throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center, New York City Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Colorado Ballet, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New Jersey Ballet, Guggenheim Museum Works & process, Williamstown Theater Festival, and many others.

Stadstad’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Live Design Magazine, and Lighting and Sound America Magazine.

As a director and stop-motion animator, Stadstad’s work has been featured in the New York Lift-Off Film Festival and the Inwood Film Festival.

Ms. Stadstad recently served as an adjunct professor of Scenic Design at Ramapo College in New Jersey. She is a member of United Scenic Artists Loval 829.

Salina Fisher (b.1993) is an award-winning New Zealand composer gaining global recognition for her distinctive musical voice. She became the youngest-ever recipient of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award in 2016 and 2017, and her works are frequently performed worldwide by leading musicians and ensembles. Drawing from her background as a multi-instrumentalist of mixed Japanese heritage, her highly evocative music often involves collaborations, notably with taonga pūoro practitioners. She finds lyricism in unusual timbres and extended tonalities, and is noted for her “extraordinary sense of colour and texture” (New Zealand Herald).

Her growing catalogue includes solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral works. Recent highlights include Papatūānuku (2023), a collaborative work with Jerome Kavanagh for taonga pūoro and orchestra commissioned by Auckland Philharmonia, Hikari (2023) for violinist Alexi Kenney, Toroa (2022) commissioned by Forest & Bird for their centenary, string trio Mata-Au (2021) written for the inaugural At the World’s Edge Festival, Heal (2020) for Marmen Quartet, and Kintsugi (2020) commissioned by NZTrio.

Her music has been presented by renowned ensembles and venues across the globe, including performances at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Philharmonie Berlin, Boulez Saal, and Wigmore Hall. Her works have been featured on concerts by the New York Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, A Far Cry, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Brodsky Quartet, Dallas Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Lands End Ensemble, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (USA), Melbourne Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Stavanger Symphony, and Ulster Orchestras, including with conductors Gemma New and Tianyi Lu.

After studying composition and violin at New Zealand School of Music – Te Kōkī, Salina received a Fulbright scholarship to study at New York’s Manhattan School of Music where she was awarded the Carl Kanter Prize for Orchestral Composition. She has since been Composer-in-Residence at New Zealand School of Music (2019–2020), At the World’s Edge Festival (2021), and University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra (2023). She is the recipient of awards from The Arts Foundation (New Generation Award), Edwin Carr Foundation, Composers Association of New Zealand, APRA Art Music Fund, Canberra International Film Festival (Best Score – International Category), and NZSO Todd Young Composers Award (2013, 2014).

Salina particularly enjoys collaborating with other artists, including practitioners of taonga pūoro, Japanese instruments, ceramics, poetry, and film. She frequently performed as a casual violinist in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2012–2016 and has collaborated across genres as an orchestrator and/or violinist with local artists including Alien Weaponry, Ria Hall, and Grayson Gilmour. Salina enjoys performing and improvising on violin and koto, including as a member of Ao with Jerome Kavanagh (taonga pūoro) and Neil MacLeod (electronics), and as part of Wellington’s Moth Quartet. She lectured in composition and orchestration as Teaching Fellow in Composition at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music – Victoria University of Wellington (2020–2023) and has additionally mentored emerging composers through NZSO National Youth Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, and At the World’s Edge Festival.