now available on

meet the composers:

Tony Asaro (LET IT FLY)

Tony Asaro currently makes his living as a freelance musician and theatre artist in New York City. He guest lectures at NYU in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program from which he graduated in 2007. Tony is the recent recipient of the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Award for 2008 for songwriting. He received his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University in 1998, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and in Music.

Tony’s new musical Our Country (with Dan Collins) received its world premiere in June of 2009 through the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Our Country won four Planet Connections awards, including Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, and Outstanding Book, Music & Lyrics of a Musical, and is published in the “2010: Plays and Playwrights” anthology of new plays published by NYTE Small Press. Tony wrote the libretto for Such Beautiful Things, a new oratorio based on the Brothers Grimm fable The Travelling Musicians (Jeff Parola, composer). Such Beautiful Things was performed by the NYC based choir, Choral Chameleon in April, 2010. Tony’s first musical, Family, a collaboration with Dr. Barbara Means Fraser for which he wrote music and co-wrote lyrics, has enjoyed two productions–one at SCU in 1999 and one at the Ryan Repertory Theatre in New York City in 2000. Tony’s other musicals include Women of Colors (various collaborators), Broken (with Kevin Cummines) and Going Nowhere. Tony’s songs have been heard in cabarets at Barrington Stages, Goodspeed Opera House, and various venues in New York City and across the country. His choral music has been performed by Choral Chameleon, the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims Choir, and the Mel-O-Chords.www.unrelentingmonkey.com

Carner & Gregor (AFTER HOURS)

Sam Carner received his B.A. from Yale University in 2001 and received his M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2003 on a Departmental Fellowship. He won the Children’s Theatre of Maine’s Young Playwright’s Contest in 1992 with his political satire musical The Rise of FTR. In 1995 his children’s musical What a Cat! was performed on the main stage at SUNY Plattsburgh and was later performed at the Children’s Theatre of Maine, who also commissioned and produced his 2000 children’s musical Barnyard Follies. His one-act play Brady was performed at the University of Southern Maine in 1997, and his 1920s-style college musical Just Call Me Eli! won the John Golden prize for best original musical by a Yale Undergraduate in 2000. He wrote the book and lyrics for Unlock’d, which received a Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Unlock’d was produced at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2007, where it won the “Best of the Fest” audience award and received Talkin’ Broadway Summer Theatre Festival Citations for “Outstanding New Musical” and “Outstanding Original Theatrical Score.” Unlock’d has gone on to workshops at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and the Ravinia Festival outside Chicago. Sing, But Don’t Tell, a cabaret of Sam’s songs in collaboration with Derek Gregor, was presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in the fall of 2009. In February of 2010, 12 members of the cast of HAIR performed an evening of Sam’s and Derek’s songs in a concert called Buzzed. Sam was in residence at Yaddo in December of 2005. Over the past several years, Sam has lectured regularly on various musical-theatre-history-related topics at Yale. Sam has taught musical theatre history and analysis courses at New York University and Yale.

Derek Gregor received his BA from Skidmore College in 2000 and his MFA from the NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2003. He composed the music for Unlock’d, which received a Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a Finalist in the National Musical Theatre Networks’ Director’s Choice Award. Unlock’d was produced at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2007, where it won the “Best of the Fest” audience award and received two Talkin’ Broadway Summer Theatre Festival Citations for “Outstanding New Musical” and “Outstanding Original Theatrical Score.” In 2008, Unlock’d was part of the New Works Festival at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and went on to receive a developmental workshop at the Ravinia Festival outside Chicago. Sing, But Don’t Tell, a cabaret of Derek’s songs in collaboration with Sam Carner, premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in the fall of 2009. In February of 2010, 12 members of the cast of HAIR performed an evening of Sam’s and Derek’s songs in a concert called Buzzed. He was in residence at Yaddo in 2005. Derek writes country music with Laura Bell Bundy, and one of their songs was recently featured on her CD “Longing for a Place Already Gone”. In 2001, he founded the rock band M-LAB: www.mlabmusic.com. Their new CD, “A Bold And Hopeful Spark”, will be available early in 2010.

For more information on Sam’s and Derek’s work, visit www.carnerandgregor.com.

Matt & Matte (I AM A BIRD)

Matt Vinson – coming soon

Matte O’Brien is a writer and director based out of New York City. He began his theatrical career as a performer and is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Dramatist Guild. As an actor, he has performed Off Broadway, on National Tours and at numerous regional theaters. As a writer, he has had pieces produced in New York City and around the country. The new musical “White Noise,” for which Mr. O’Brien has written the book, recently completed a critically acclaimed run at Le Petite Theatre in New Orleans and is slated for a Broadway production, in the upcoming season, under producer Whoopi Goldberg. With his writing partner, Matt Vinson, Mr. O’Brien is currently at work on a concept album for a new musical entitled: “Peter and I.” In addition, Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Vinson recently had their song “I Am A Bird” debuted at Feinstein’s at The Regency, sung by the incomparable Rodney Hicks. Mr. O’Brien served for several seasons as the Artistic Director for the Colonie Summer Theatre and is a founding member and the current Producing Artistic Director for Rope Swing Entertainment in New York City.

Listen to songs by Matt & Matte on ReverbNation.

Vince Peterson (EVERYDAY THING)

Vince Peterson is the founding Artistic Director of Choral Chameleon. In addition, he currently serves as Director of Choirs and Coordinator of Ear Training Studies at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. He holds the BMus in Composition from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Double MMus from Mannes College The New School for Music in Manhattan where he was the sole recipient of the 2007 Music Teacher’s League Award upon his graduation.

As a hybrid composer / conductor, Vince not only champions the works of many of his composer colleagues, but also actively maintains his own catalogue of work. He has received performances and commissions from the likes of The San Francisco Arts Education Project, The DeLaSalle Institute (Napa, CA), his alma mater – Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (SF), The Monmouth Civic Chorus of Red Bank, NJ and Cantori New York who will premiere his new work “Arizona DooWop” next season. Additionally, his arrangement of indie band Little Grey Girlfriend’s song “Cells Planets” will be premiered and taken on world tour next season by the Grammy®-award winning ensemble Chanticleer.

Vince works actively in cabaret and musical theater in NYC as well, currently serving as Music Director / Arranger for the MAC® award-winning performer Cait Doyle in her hit show, “Hot Mess In Manhattan”, which has been nominated for MAC® awards in multiple categories for two seasons in a row. www.vincepeterson.com

Mike Pettry (WITHOUT A STITCH ON)

Mike Pettry is a New York based composer/lyricist and musician and a 2007 Jonathan Larson Award Winner. Musicals written include The Time Travelers Convention, Long Distance, World of Heroes, The Wonderful World of Zidney (featured highlight at Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival), and Flipside (2007 NYU Frederick Loewe Award winner). Mike’s songs have been performed all over the country and in the UK. Muzz Skillings (formerly of Living Colour) is producing several of Mike’s songs for the forthcoming Lin McEwan album “When I Wake…” Mike’s solo album “The Voices In My Head” is available on iTunes. He also wrote the score for the film The Promise of New York (Big Muddy Film Festival Audience Choice Best Documentary).

As a musician, Mike toured the country with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2007-2008) as assistant conductor, and appeared off-Broadway in Signs Of Life (music director) and Rooms: A Rock Romance (Time Life cast album). Other music direction includes RENT, Miracle on 34th Street, and Fiddler on the Roof at the John W. Engeman Theater. Other NYC performances include The Black Suits (Public Theater), Green Eyes (Fringe), and Things To Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis (Second Stage, Sh-K-Boom cast album). Mike is a songwriting teaching artist with Lincoln Center. BA in piano and composition from Shepherd University, MFA in musical theatre writing from NYU/Tisch. www.mikepettry.com

FLY WOMAN GENIUS features:

Vince Peterson on piano
Adam Waddell on violin
produced and mixed by Ethan Meixsell
mastered by Fred Guarino at Tiki Studios
and cover art by Marc Bovino