rising

Jan 2024

About

The Atlanta Contemporary Ensemble is a mixed chamber orchestra specializing in avant-garde music and the pioneering of living composers both locally and internationally.
ACE combines live music with powerful dance, choreographed by the highly skilled members of the Oxford Emory contemporary dance company.

Amy Wilson

Conductor

Amy Wilson is a conductor living in Atlanta who has conducted orchestras throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Currently, she is the Music Director of the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Musicians Orchestra. This summer she is guest conducting with Diversita Opera Arts.

Amy has appeared as a guest conductor with the Agnes Scott College-Community Orchestra, Atlanta Musicians Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Ocmulgee Symphony Orchestra, and the Warner Robins Air Force Band. She has worked with internationally renowned soloists including Kenn Wagner, Christina Smith, and Justin Bruns. She is collaborating with Julie Coucheron this spring with Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra. Amy has been on television, radio including WABE, and has had an article written about work with Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra in David magazine. In 2005, Amy was named the winner of the International Conductors Workshop and Competition.

Amy has studied with such distinguished conductors as Robert Spano, Adrian Gnam, Gustav Meier, Jesús López-Cobos, Anshel Brusilow, and Wayne Wyman. She holds a degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and advanced degrees from the University of North Texas, and Mercer University. Robert Spano is composing a new work to be premiered by the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. For more information visit http://www.amymwilson.com/

Corian Ellisor

Choreographer

Professionally, Corian has worked with a variety of dance communities locally and abroad: New York, Atlanta, Houston, Florida, Massachusetts, Arkansas, North Carolina, Guatemala and Sweden. Corian is not just a dancer; he is a performance artist. In addition to performing, he is also a teacher, choreographer and drag artist. He thrives on human interaction and forging relationships through art.

Corian has choreographed and produced several performance based works including the evening length shows: "The Atlanta Queer Dance Festival," "WikiDance,” “Be(a)stie," "Coming Out Party," "It Takes a Village,” “See You Soon,” “Identified,” “BAES,” “Veracity,” “My People,” “On My Mind,” and “Charmed Ones.” His choreography has been presented twice at the American College Dance Festival and awarded a coveted spot in the Gala performance. Corian has been awarded the choreography award at the University of Houston in 2007, The Walthall Fellowship through Wonderroot in 2012, “Top 20 people to watch in 2013," by Creative loafing, The Atlanta Beltline Grant in 2014 , an artist in residency award with the Lucky Penny in 2015-2018, best original choreography at the Houston Fringe Festival in 2019 and a pandemic response grant from The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs in 2020. Corian completed his MFA in dance from George Washington University in 2017 and is currently an adjunct instructor at Oxford College of Emory and at Spelman College in Atlanta Georgia.

Krista M. Jones

Artist

Krista M. Jones, also known as JONESY, is a contemporary artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known for her vibrant, symbolic patterned based murals and complex canvas paintings. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus State University and has received public art commissions from government agencies and corporations in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area. Some of these include the City of Atlanta and East Atlanta Community Association; City of Atlanta & the Neighborhood Planning Unit; Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA); Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs; the City of Chamblee in conjunction with the organization St. Vincent de Paul; Jon Ossoff for Senate; Third & Urban; Mill Creek Residential, Modera Vinings; Lake Claire Community Land Trust; Livable Buckhead; ABV Agency; Sugarloaf CID; Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.; Path Foundation; and Living Walls - The City Speaks. In addition, her paintings have been featured in solo, two-person, and group exhibitions in numerous galleries and cultural centers in Atlanta, including the Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, LAC-Lawrenceville Arts Center, ABV Gallery, Art & Industry, Kai Lin Art, Facet Gallery, Blue Mark Studios, the Kibbee Gallery, and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. More information at her website jonesyartatl.com

Tracy Kathleen Woodard

Executive Director

Tracy Kathleen Woodard holds a BA from Georgia State University and MA from University of Georgia, and has been active in the Atlanta non-profit scene since 1999. She sits on the board of directors for Eyedrum Gallery, founded the Cantos Y Cuentos contemporary string quartet, is President of Mad Housers Inc., and currently works for Intown Collaborative Ministries. Through Eyedrum Gallery she programmed the silent film series “Signal and the Noise”, and continues to push for innovative combinations of live music with dance, art, science, and film in evocative spaces.