Cellist and performer Coleman Itzkoff stands at the intersection of baroque/classical/
new music, contemporary dance, and experimental theater. Whether premiering works by
living composers and performing baroque music on historical instruments in the same
concert, delivering enigmatic monologues in a piece of avant-garde dance theater (as well as
dancing in said piece), composing, arranging, and recording music for the Amazon film ‘Le Bal
des Folles’, or simply playing a piece of solo Bach for hospital patients in the time of COVID,
Coleman continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be a musician of the 21st
century, bringing his diverse range of interests and shape-shifting presence to every room and
stage he occupies.

Hailed by Alex Ross in the New Yorker for his “flawless technique and keen musicality,”
Coleman has performed in the great halls and festivals of America and abroad. As a soloist, he
has had the privilege of being the featured soloist with many great orchestras, including recent
appearances with the Houston, San Diego, and Cincinnati Symphonies. As a recitalist, he is
allowed to express his eclectic taste and inventive programming, and is constantly
experimenting with the form and format of a solo concert, playing with unique lighting,
unconventional spaces, and often with an accompaniment of dance or text.
Collaboration is the heart of Coleman’s art making. To that end, he is a dedicated
member of several ensembles, including the early music ensembles Ruckus and Twelfth Night,
and is a founding member of AMOC, the American Modern Opera Company. Coleman holds a
Bachelors in Music from Rice University, a Masters in Music from USC, and an Artist Diploma
from The Juilliard School. For more information, please visit colemanitzkoff.com

Joshua Halpern has appeared on stages around the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and
orchestral principal cellist. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists including
Jonathan Biss, Gary Hoffman, Kim Kashkashian, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Anthony McGill, and
Itzhak Perlman, and appeared at music festivals including the Ravinia Steans Institute,
Music@Menlo, the Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, La Jolla Summerfest, and Krzyzowa-
Music. In 2022, he co-founded the Emil Trio with violinist Nathan Meltzer and pianist Yannick
Rafalimanana, and they have since appeared together in concert in Europe and the United States.
He has worked personally with composers such as Richard Danielpour, Kevin Puts, and Kaija
Saariaho. In 2023, he appeared numerous times as guest principal cello with the Philharmonia
Orchestra in London, as well as guest with the Varian Fry Quartet.

Josh is the founder and artistic director of the Cultural Caravan, a Colorado- based organization
operating at the intersection of small businesses, social-service nonprofits, municipal
organizations, and local artists. The Cultural Caravan has since presented over 70 artists with
backgrounds ranging from Zimbabwean Afropop to Venezuelan jazz, Hindustani to Classical
Music in coordination with over 50 local businesses and community organizations.
Josh completed his Artist Diploma at The Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he studied with
Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. As an undergraduate at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice
University, he studied with Desmond Hoebig. From 2021 until 2023, he was a member of the
Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, in which he played as a member of the
Berliner Philharmoniker and was mentored by Ludwig Quandt.