Biographies

Erik Beehn

Erik Beehn was born 1979 in Chicago, Illinois, and spent his youth in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he studied before returning to Chicago to attend the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Erik received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) from The School of The Arts Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2005. Upon graduation in 2005, Erik relocated to Los Angeles to be trained as a master printer for Gemini G.E.L., a fine art publishing house located in West Hollywood California. In 2010 Erik returned to Las Vegas to continue his studio practices, where he currently resides, and teaches printmaking at the College of Southern Nevada.

Keith Kirchoff

Keith Kirchoff is one of the most unique artists from his generation. Described as a "virtuosic tour de force" whose playing is "energetic, precise, (and) sensitive," he works towards promoting under-recognized composers and educating audiences of the importance of new and experimental music. An active lecturer who has presented in countries throughout the world, his recital programs focus on the integration of computers and modern electronics into a traditional classical performance space.
Kirchoff has played in many of the United States' largest cities including New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh, as well as major cities throughout Italy, England, Canada, Belgium, and The Netherlands. He has appeared with orchestras throughout the U.S. performing a wide range of concerti, including the Boston premier of Charles Ives' Emerson Concerto and the world premier of Matthew McConnell's Concerto for Toy Piano, as well as more traditional concerti by Tschaikowsky and Chopin. He has also been a featured soloist in many music festivals including Performing Arts at CAM (Chelsea Contemporary Art Museum, New York), the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), the Oregon Festival of American Music, PianoForte Chicago, The Experimental Piano Series, Ives and His World, and The eXtensible Toy Piano Project.

Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter - Tiny Inventions

Tiny Inventions is the directing team of Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata. Known for their playful and humorous mixed-media animations, Tiny Inventions combines handcrafted art, photography, and digital techniques. Since they began collaborating in 2007, Max and Ru have directed and produced work for TV commercials, music videos, PSAs, a large-scale toy line and independent films. They are currently making a short film with the Netherlands Institute for Animated Film.

Andy Ihnatko

Andy Ihnatko is a noted author, columnist at The Chicago Sun Times and Macworld, a regular on Mac Break Weekly, frequent speaker, Apple guru, geek extraordinaire, and an Internationally Beloved Industry Personality.

Greg Wyshynski

Greg Wyshynski is an award-winning sportswriter and editor who specializes in blending outlandish humor with unique insight. One of the revolutionary voices in the hockey media, he was named one of The Hockey News's 100 People of Power and Influence last year.

In April 2008, he was hired by Yahoo! Sports to create and edit Puck Daddy, which is currently the most popular hockey blog on the Web (No. 6 overall among all sports blogs, BallHype.com rankings, Jan. 2009) and a daily destination for both casual fans and hockey insiders.