Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a member of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and Miami Symphony. She is co-founder of Florida’s Chrysalis Chamber Players, a recipient of a Yale Alumni Grant, and has collaborated in chamber music programs at the Marlboro Music Festival, The Banff Centre and, under the baton of trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger, at the Sydney Opera House.

She recently performed as Principal Trumpet of New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia; in 2006 she was acting Principal Trumpet of the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. At the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, she also held the principal chair in Pierre Boulez’s performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, released on CD in June, 2011.

As a soloist, she won the 1st Prize at the 2012 International Women’s Brass Conference Trumpet Competition. She has performed as soloist with the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra, Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra, Lower Merion Symphony Orchestra, Birch Creek Symphony, and New Haven Chamber Orchestra, among several others. At The Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, she twice performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for 2 Trumpets with renowned trumpeters Jens Lindemann and Ryan Anthony.  Ms. Bowden frequently performs in recital throughout the country, both in solo programs and in duo-performances with trumpeter David Dash.

Mary studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and at the Yale School of Music.

Cuban-American Trombonist Gilberto Cruz started his studies at age 12 in south Florida. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA under the tutelage of Norman Bolter & Ronald Barron and completed his Master’s degree at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA under the tutelage of Norman Bolter & Toby Oft.

Gilberto has been an active freelancer in the Boston Area and in South Florida, serving as principal trombonist of the Symphony of the Americas and performing regularly with many local ensembles including the Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Southwest Florida Symphony, Atlantic Classical Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a chamber musician he has appeared with the Miami Symphony Brass Quintet, Symphony of the Americas Brass Quintet, the Epic Brass Quintet and the Frequency Band Trombone Choir.

In the commercial realm, Gilberto has recorded for many local recording studios and has performed with such artists like Idina Menzel and Andrea Bocelli.

Lincoln S. Ellis is the Managing Director for Linn Group’s Asset Management practice.

In 2006 Lincoln joined Linn Group to advise on the expansion and direction of the firm’s asset management business. After concluding that the firm needed to be an active participant in the markets, Linn Group launched – Linn Hare Huckabay Apex.

Lincoln additionally runs the committee that oversees the firm’s Atlas One LP. Atlas One is a multi manager pool that invests long/short in a global macro format. Atlas One has been in the top 25 multi manager pools for the past 2 years.

From 2007 the firm has raised over $35MM in assets and has recently crossed the three year mark for both programs. Lincoln continues to oversee the development of new in-house trading programs as well as the work or scouting for new trading advisors from the outside.

Previously, Lincoln was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley & Co., the institutional business of Morgan Stanley, Inc.

Lincoln earned a BA from Valparaiso University and an MA from The Graduate Faculty – New School for Social Research. Deeply committed to the communities in which he has lived, Lincoln is currently a Trustee of Chicago Opera Theater; a board member of CompassionWorx; and continues his work with Columbia University’s Columbia International Affairs Online, a database of international politics and economics he founded and created with then Editor-in-Chief, Kate Wittenberg. He also served as a founding member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Associates and President of the Auxiliary Chapter at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Hernan Matute, Bass player, arranger and composer. Was born in Venezuela where he  was primary trained as an orchestra musician. He was a member of the Carabobo Symphony Orchestra since 1992 until 2001. Since 2001 has been member of Miami Symphony Orchestra. He also has been member of the Miami City Ballet, Symphony of the America among other orchestras and camber groups in the Florida area. He has toured around Europe with Bolivar Soloists and El Cruzao playing chamber music. He obtained a BM from Florida International University and is finishing a Master in Double Bass performance from the same institution under Luis Gomez-Imbert guidance.

Liony Garcia is a cuban born choreographer/dancer based in Miami, Florida.

Liony is originally from Isabela de Sagua, Cuba. He received his B.F.A in Dance performance from New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. While in college Liony danced works by Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Robert Battle, Garth Fagan and Donald McKayle. As a professional dancer he’s performed with Freddick Bratcher and Co., Brigid Bakers Whole Project., Brazz Dance Theater and has worked with Choreographers Guy Weizman & Roni Haver (Club Guy and Roni) in addition to Barak Marshall as a member of Los Angeles based repertory company BodyTraffic. Liony is a founding member of Rosie Herrera’s Dance Theater and is currently performing with BodyTraffic and Herrera.

In addition to being a dancer he is also a choreographer. His choreographic work has been shown in New World School of Arts College from 2004 to 2008 as a student, as a professional his work has been showcased at The Florida Dance Festivals Winterfest 2009. He has worked in collaboration with New World Symphony Orchestra as part of their musicians forum 2010. Garcia has also shown work at gallery Dot51 as part of Art Mob in Miami as well as Cando Arts Co-op.

Liony was commissioned by Miami Light Project and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts as part of The Miami Made Festival 2011 as well as the Thomas Armour Ballet for the Dranoff Piano Foundation.

Having a recognized versatility in several different musical styles, Nuno Antunes has performed extensively as a recitalist, chamber musician and in various professional orchestras, both in the U.S. and Europe. He participated in Clarmeetoporto-International Clarinet Meeting of Oporto, Portugal, and performed Darin Lewis’ Concertino for Clarinet and Strings with the Orchestra Simpatico in NYC. Mr. Antunes had his NYC debut as a soloist in 2007, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto at Musica Bella Concert Series. His love for chamber music led to the creation of The Gene Project, a unique combination of clarinet, bassoon and harp. He is also a member of Ensemble 54, and collaborates regularly with several other chamber music groups. He was also invited to give a recital at the XX International Clarinet Meeting (Lisbon, Portugal). Mr. Antunes is the guest principal clarinetist of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and a member of IRIS Orchestra.

Mr. Antunes’ appearance in competitions has resulted in several prizes, including the R.D.P. Young Musicians Prize and the Portuguese Young Clarinetist Competition.

Nuno Antunes began his musical studies at the C.N.R. of Leiria. Mr. Antunes continued his education at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra and later earned the Masters of Music diploma at Manhattan School of Music.

Praised for his “teeming energy” and “precise control” by the New York Times, Adrian Morejon is co-principal bassoonist of the IRIS Orchestra and Miami Symphony and is a member of Sospiro Winds, Talea Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, bassoon duo Dark & Stormy, and The Gene Project. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Morejon has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Sinfonietta of Riverdale, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and on the Great Performers’ Series at Lincoln Center. He regularly performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), and others.

Mr. Morejon’s awards include a Theodore Presser Foundation Grant, 2nd prize of the Fox-Gillet International Competition, and a shared top prize at the Moscow Conservatory International Competition. He has appeared at the Portland Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Chelsea Music Festival, Monadnock Music Festival, NJO Academy, Chamber Music Institute, Spoleto USA, AIMS in Graz, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Banff Centre, National Orchestral Institute, Music Academy of the West, and the Verbier Festival.

An graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Yale School of Music, Mr. Morejon is on faculty at the Boston Conservatory, the Composers Conference at Wellesley College, and the Praxis Youth Leadership Orchestra.

MG Events is the catering and entertainment division of Mama’s Group, a “food and service” venture recently created in Miami by partners Andrew Echevarría & Borja Fábregas. Why Mamá?  This is the term used in the Spanish language for “mother”, and that’s how we like to serve our clients, with love, like a good mother would do!

The other two entities within Mama’s group are Mama’s On Wheels; which serves more than 180 beloved corporations in Miami and Mama’s Paellas; which delivers ready to eat authentic Spanish Paellas to your doorstep. We love to serve you everywhere! www.mamasgroup.com

Last year we also created one of the first “pop up” restaurants in Miami called Txoko. www.txokomiami.com or http://txokomiami.blogspot.com/

You are welcome anytime; find out how to make a reservation!

Why LBDV?

The little black dress is an iconic symbol of simple elegance—every woman’s easy choice for looking good and feeling confident. Just like its namesake, new Little Black Dress Vodka is designed specifically to capture the essence of what women want in a cocktail: fuss-free, burn-free, and flavorful, with an eye toward calorie count. Developed entirely by a team of savvy ladies – from concept and product innovation, brand management to legal, production and finance – this is an industry rarity. This fully female team created vodkas they’d want to sip. In addition to its classic offering, Little Black Dress Vodka’s three deliciously natural flavors – pineapple honey, blueberry pomegranate, andblack cherry-vanilla– are only 90 calories per 1.5 oz serving.

Chef Jackie Salas is a personal chef committed to promoting the benefits of healthy eating, and the long and short term benefits, both for the individual and the larger community.

With nearly two decades of professional development in the city of Miami, Chef Jackie has reached celebrity chef status. She has sustained a successful track record within the television media, print and radio. Her client list ranges from private chef jet-setters to countless prominent figures including politicians and distinguished artists. Jackie’s passion for cooking, her great charisma, and admirable personal altruism have been the keys to her success. She has participated in numerous charity events sponsored by prestigious institutions at the local and national levels, offering free cooking classes, lectures and seminars.

Today Chef Jackie’s focus lies in encouraging the general public to acquire healthy eating habits, breaking barriers, and to demonstrating that thoughtful and healthy eating is not only easy to do, but a much more interesting and satisfying way to live.