THE COMMON LANGUAGE : CROSSING BORDERS WITH JAZZ

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Soh Wen Ming and Chok Kerong, two of Singapore’s brightest young musicians will be performing jazz alongside United States of America’s brightest young musicians, Alex Wintz and Katie Thiroux

Chok Kerong began playing the piano at the age of 4, and hasn't looked back since. As an improviser, his style isdescribed as "muscular and risk-taking".

Soh Wenming is currently attending the Berklee College of Music and is a recipient of both the Berklee World Scholarship Tour Scholarship and the Singapore National Arts Council Overseas Grant. While still in Singapore, he spent a three year stint with noted Singaporean drum instructor Anthony Fong and later engaged the late, great Edmond Branson Jr as a teacher and mentor.

Alex Wintz is a guitar player originally from New Jersey. He has already at a very young age performed with some of today's best musicians as well as at world class venues in New YorkCity and New Jersey. Born in California, and raised in New York and northern New Jersey, Alex began learning guitar at the age of 4. He has had the opportunity to be mentored by some great teachers including Vic Juris.

Katie Thiroux, a bassist and vocalist from Los Angeles, California, is the recipient of the Phil Ramone Presidential Scholarship. She began her musical studies on the violin at the age of 3, switching to string bass while in elementary school. She is a 2006 graduate of Los Angeles Hamilton High School Music Academy, where she performed with two acclaimed vocal jazz ensembles. She performed at the 2004 and 2005 International Association for Jazz Education conferences, and was a featured vocalist at the past three Monterey Jazz festivals. For four years in a row, Thiroux was selected to be a member of the elite Gibson/Baldwin Grammy National Honor Jazz Ensemble.