Radiance Cast

Ravi Deo is an award-winning tabla artist and music composer.  He apprenticed in Hindustani music with late Pt. Rameshji Kumar for over 25 years, is well-regarded as a tabla soloist in the Pt Bansilalji parampara, and is appreciated for his collaborative versatility and sensitive accompaniment across several genres.  Deo’s informed experiences in ethnomusicology, intercultural performance, and contemporary Hindustani music led him to work as consultant master artist for Nickelodeon Television, record on several music albums, create original music for a variety of performance and video game platforms, guest lecture at Universities and Symphony Orchestras, and rhythmically support artists from musical cultures across the globe. 

Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, a member of the CalArts faculty since 1987,  currently holds the Larry Levine Chair in Contemporary Music. She has  worked with composers including Louis Andreissen, Earle Brown, Jason  Robert Brown, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Morton Feldman, Brian  Ferneyhough, Sofia Gubaidulina, Lou Harrison, Stephen Mosko, Mel Powell,  Roger Reynolds, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Iannis Xenakis, Morton Subotnick and Joan La Barbara, with whom she toured and recorded  for over twenty years. Erika was cellist and founding member of the  California EAR Unit, with whom she performed from 1981-2008. She has  performed throughout the US, Europe, Japan and New Zealand including  Tanglewood, Aspen, Ravinia, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals, and at  the Kennedy Center. From 1992-98 she was principal cellist and soloist  with the Santa Fe Pro Musica. She  is also a founding member of the  CalArts faculty ensemble Bach's Circle, with whom she has performed at  the Oregon Bach Festival and Chamber Music Northwest . She was a  featured performer at the Dartington Summer Music Festival, the Sospeso  Chamber Series at Carnegie Hall, and with pianist Eric Huebner at the  Ojai Festival. Erika is also active in the film industry, having  recorded on over 900 motion pictures and television series over the past  thirty-five years. She is particularly proud of her former students,  CalArts alumni, who are at the forefront of contemporary music in Los  Angeles, New York and beyond.

Zak Herman, an LA native, is a seasoned singer with a lifelong passion for music. As a teacher, his vocal prowess has been a defining feature of his musical

journey. However, he is also a proponent of multi-instrumentalism and the benefits it can bring to musicians. Along with this, he brings a holistic approach to music theory and

the compositions that are created from it. 

With experience in soundtrack work, live performance, and music production, Zak knows how many ways music can be used to affect people’s lives. When he’s making his own music, he looks to express the thoughts and emotions of individualism and isolation while also opening new connections within one’s self. 

Zak is inspired by Jazz, RnB, Fusion, Rock, Soul, IDM, and Experimental Electronic Music.

Patrick Mathews-Halmrast is an improvisor, producer, and composer. He studied Landscape Design and Communication Studies at the University of  Minnesota, as well as Electronic Music and Recording Media at Mills College in Oakland, California. 

His music currently draws upon combining  interests in self built and found instruments, sounds of place,  electronic experimentation, and improvisation. He is currently an MFA candidate at California Institute of the Arts in Performance and Composition.

Composer, Performer, and Sound addict, Sebastian Melendez has been incorporating music and sound arts in his life since before he was able to talk, and hopes to tap into the powerful emotional and sensorial aspects of sound and music. Sebastian started his exploration of music after a very moving performance of Peter and the Wolf made him obsessed with music and musical instruments, starting violin when he was 3 years old. Now he works as a composer and sound designer with a focus on acoustics and cultural preservation. He now studies at the illustrious institution known as CalArts where he studies all manors of sound closely, experimenting with everyday noises as well as the tones of different instruments. One of his current questions is “What aspect of Japanese art music entrances me so?”, thus leading him down the rabbit hole of Japanese art music. He has worked with Senior Master Yoko Hiraoska on Koto, Shamisen, and Biwa and gets regular tutelage by Semi-Master Kozue Matsumoto. Nowadays, you can find Sebastian spending his time either taking in the sounds of nature as well as the urban life or in front of his computer trying to get his school work done as well as trying to figure out how to manage digital composition.

An Binh Tat, an accomplished Vietnamese-Chinese composer now based in Los Angeles, began his musical journey as a youth orchestra performer in Vietnam. Despite financial constraints limiting digital access, he discovered the artistic potential of indie gaming in his teenage years. While completing a BFA in Composition, An Binh collaborated with film directors and mastered digital audio manipulation in the CSULB Laptop Ensemble. 

Currently pursuing an MFA in Experimental Sound Practices at CalArts, he seamlessly integrates acoustic and electronic soundworlds, delving into Vietnamese and Western music cultures. Inspired by Stravinsky and various genres, he aspires to excel in video game scoring while actively engaging in independent projects and collaborations with visual artists.

Alex Taylor is a saxophonist and vocalist comfortable working across many genres, but firmly rooted in jazz and contemporary music. He has a B.A. in Music from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Teaching from University of the Pacific, and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Jazz Studies from the prestigious CalArts in Los Angeles. 

In addition to performing and composing, he loves to teach and has spent nearly a decade working with students from ages 5-75 in schools, summer camps, performing ensembles, and private lessons. 

Front of House

Anant Shah, a versatile audio specialist in LA, merges cultural heritage  with cutting-edge tech in music, film, and immersive sound. Pursuing a  BFA in Music Technology at CalArts, mentored by Grammy-winning John  Baffa, he excels in studios, live events, and multichannel formats.  

Anant also explores world percussion, learning from masters like Randy  Gloss, preserving and innovating ancient instruments for global  audiences. His diverse skills redefine audio experiences across artistic  mediums.

A highly skilled sound technician for radio and stage, Katherine Weightman is a recent graduate with a BFA in Technical Theatre Design and minors in communication and graphic design from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Sound Design at CalArts, she brings a wealth of experience as a soundboard technician for radio stations such as KZRC 96.1 FM, KMAD 102.5 FM, and KMKT 93.1 FM. She also excelled in sound and lighting design for the university's theatre program and collaborated with the Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival. 

Weightman's versatility extends to photography, graphic design, and video editing, contributing to her role as a skilled radio board operator and stage sound technician. As a former Graphic Design Team Lead at the Center for Instructional Development & Technology Department, Weightman managed graphics and social media on campus, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and attention to detail.