James Dargan is a musician and writer from North Carolina, based in New York City; he sings, composes, plays violin, writes, and teaches. James has been a musician since he was a child, and has shared his voice and carefully curated programs all over the US and Europe. James teaches on spirituals and other Black music, and is honoured to walk in his family tradition of telling truthful stories. James relishes writing for Black singers; he is currently writing two operas (one of which had its first public reading this year), and his first mass and first string quartet premiered in 2024. Career highlights include solo work with The Boston Pops, and operatic work with esperanza spalding and Wayne Shorter. James is a founding member of the consortium Ring Shout, and you can follow him at jamestdargan.com.
NCCMI has commissioned two works by James Dargan: honey rock;wood valley (2024) and Four Part Find (2025).
Quenton Blache is a cellist and composer based in Los Angeles. He has performed nationally and internationally as a soloist and chamber musician and is a current member of the Sphinx Virtuosi. As a composer, Quenton has written works for the Little Orchestra Society, North Carolina Chamber Music Institute, MYCO Youth Chamber Orchestra, Sphinx Organization and more. His string orchestra work Habari Gani (2023), premiered by the Sphinx Virtuosi, has reached global audiences, with orchestral performances in cities including Bangkok, Thailand. He was commissioned by renowned cellist Gautier Capućon to write a piece for his upcoming album, including a premiere of the work at San Francisco Symphony’s Davies Symphony Hall. His upcoming string orchestra work Visions of Peace will have its NY premiere at Carnegie Hall performed by the Sphinx Virtuosi in October 2025. Quenton has also scored several films, including Shape of Money (2024) and the documentary The Gospel According to Bill Pannell (2024).
NCCMI has commissioned two works by Quenton Blache: afloat for Piano Trio (2022) and Sandcastled King for String Quartet (2023).
Active as a composer, conductor and collaborative connector, Peter Askim is the newly appointed Music Director of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and the Artistic Director of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists. He is the conductor of the Raleigh Civic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, as well as Director of Orchestral Activities at North Carolina State University. As a composer, he has been called a “Modern Master” by The Strad and has had commissions and performances from such groups as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Honolulu Symphony, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Cantus Ansambl Zagreb and the American Viola Society.
NCCMI has commissioned one work by Peter Askim: Raw Heart of the Spinning World for String Quartet (2021).
Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. A prolific composer of hundreds of pedagogical works, Chrissy specializes in creating engaging original music and arrangements for piano learners of all ages and skill levels. To date, she has published over 40 collections of piano solo and duet music for students. Chrissy’s compositional output also includes a variety of chamber music for voice, brass, woodwinds, and strings. Her chamber works have been commissioned by the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute and premiered by the Triangle Chamber Music Collective, the Vida Strings quartet, and the Reedy or Not Chamber Ensemble. She is a founding member of the Carolina Contemporary Composers (c3), a group dedicated to creating and performing new music in North Carolina.
NCCMI has commissioned one work by Chrissy Ricker: Intergalactic Suite for Piano Quartet (2018/2019).