About The Bite-Size Arts Ensemble:

As an audience member, not only will there be something for everyone in each of our shows, but our hope is to inspire you to discover something new about your own creativity in the process. Not only will each artist we present offer you insights to what inspires their work inside our productions, but our meet and greet the artists reception afterwards will allow you to ask your own questions and get to know each artists we present better as well as sign up for classes and workshops each artists offers.

We hope you will join us for our first Bite-Size Show at The Florsheim Mansion on August 21st, 2008 Check out the details for our show under the Show tab.

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About The Ensemble:

Juggler Dharmesh Bhagat

learned how to juggle at the age of 19. Two short years later, he was already doing a stage performance on behalf of the Acrofabulous circus for Vaudeville Underground. Since then, he has gone on to teach juggling for CircEsteem, the Actors Gymnasium, and Chicago Youth Circus. He has toured throughout the Midwest and the east coastdoing school assemblies, in addition to being a part of Vaudeville Underground, consisting of a nine act neo-vaudevillian show featuring all types of artists. Dharmesh is also proud to be a part of Millienium Park's summer entertainment, and continues to juggle for the Chicago Sky homegames at the UIC pavillion. Even though Darmesh is at heart a performer, he is never too busy to teach those who want to learn how to juggle to improve their juggling prowess, or for stress relief. Dharmesh  encouragespotential jugglers through each small step towards success. You can contact Dharmesh at jugglingfool328@yahoo.com

South Carolina native Darlyne Cain

is an international artist, a singer/songwriter who's collection of original music  developed into four CD's  while performing all over the world. From Japan to Germany, Darlyne is best known for her smooth alto voice and impeccable musicianship on guitar and piano. What sets Darlyne Cain apart from her contemporaries is her ability to blend different cultures through jazzy, pop chord progressions encircled by well-crafted melodies.

As a songwriter Darlyne's music has found homes in several diverse places: "Backstage at Da Fonky B" debuted in New Orleans featuring the music of ten Darlyne Cain songs. (www.thefunkyb.com). The musical ran in New York City in an "Off Broadway" production and is scheduled to run again in the fall. The last Nashville release by the band Newcomers Home included a Darlyne Cain co-write, "In Your Face Again." Folk/Americana artist Dennis Warner's new "LIVE VOLUME 2" CD featurers Cain's "Love Will Find Its Way." Darlyne also plays piano and sings on the CD. Darlyne's "Angels Appear" was performed by the AC Reynolds Junior High School Choir in Asheville, NC and also serves as one of her most requested inspirational songs in Unity services throughout the country.

Kim Char Meredith and Darlyne Cain also conduct spirit rise songwriting seminar: www.spiritrise.org. and are currently working on a praise songbook of their originals with accompanying CD. Darlyne's "Angels Appear" is featured on Women With Guitars compilation CD, produced by Kim Char.

As a recording artist Darlyne Cain has released four CD’s. While three of her recordings were Nashville produced with a full enclave of great musicians, her latest, Nothin’ But Dar, features Cain stepping away from the band in a strong solo release. With ten new original songs, the album is a powerful showcase not only for her writing skills, but also her soulful singing and instrumental prowess. The album ends with a “must listen to” version of the Arthur Hamilton classic, “Cry Me A River”.

Darlyne Cain's performing credits include Germany's famed Berlin Independence Day Festival, the Appalachian String Band Festival (WV), Nashville's NEA Extravaganza (TN), SXSW (Austin, TX), 2NMC (Darlyne was the "Critic's Pick" by the Nashville Rage magazine) the Flat Rock Music Festival (NC) and the Historic Third Ward Jazz Festival in Milwaukee. Darlyne is excited to perform with the Bite Size Arts Ensemble, Kim Char Meredith and touring with blues diva, Liz Mandeville this summer. To hear more of Darlyne's songs go to: http://www.myspace.com/darlynecain2

Brian O'Hern, The Model Citizens Big Band

leader, composer, pianist, accordian player and tap dancer, has been writing jazz charts and making music in Chicago for over twenty years.  A graduate of Boston's Berklee School of Music, O'Hern has performed with The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Glenn Miller and Bob Hope among others.  In 1996, while watching a video of vintage big bands, Brian had an epiphany and thought "why not form my own?", and with that thought The Model Citizens Big Band began. " I got the name from a Cubs pregame show on the radio where they kept referring to Deion Sanders as a model citizen. If he is a model citizen, then so are we."

Brian O'Hern has several CD's full of his own original charts including Party, Party, Party and  Are You Ready For Some Big Band?  His most recent, Making Gravy, features several of the tunes you can hear above including Concerto for George, Helen's Waltz and Not Sabertoot.

Artistic Director Lisa Canning,

a native of Chicago, Illinois, has been a clarinetist since the age of ten and a serial artistic entrepreneur for over twenty years. As an active chamber musician, Lisa has performed regularly with members of The Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra’s. Additionally, Lisa has been a featured soloist for The International Clarinet Association, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, Mexico City Clarinet Festival as well as toured internationally as a soloist with the Texas Tech University Clarinet Choir and most recently with The Mount Prospect Community Band to Italy during the summer of 2007. Lisa has often been heard live WFMT classical radio and can be heard on her latest CD titled The Music of Donald Draganski, released on Albany Records.

In 2009, Build a Blue Bike: Ride Your Artistic Blues to Creative and Financial Freedom, a book Lisa wrote to help artists build entrepreneurial ventures, will be published. However, to learn more now about entrepreneurship in the arts go to: www.EntrepreneurTheArts.com.  Lisa’s currently also runs Lisa’s Clarinet Shop www.LisasClarinetShop.com, devoted to helping clarinetists find the right instrument to meet their performing needs. Lisa Canning is happily married to Chuck Canning. They share their home with their two dogs Scooby-Do and Lennon.